A speedy breakfast doesn’t have to include sugary cereal or takeout sandwiches laden with fat and sodium. Try these 20 ideas for a healthy breakfast that’s ready in minutes.
Make ahead
- Refrigerate last night’s whole-wheat pasta or homemade pizza leftovers. In the morning just warm up and enjoy.
- Have a batch of whole-grain, low-fat muffins or breads ready in the freezer. In the morning, pair one up with a banana and yogurt.
- Cut up fruit the night before and refrigerate. Ta-da: A nutritious topping for yogurt or cereal.
- Make overnight oatmeal: Mix old fashioned rolled oats (½ cup/125 mL) with 1 cup/250 mL mixture of yogurt and milk or milk alternative. Optional add-ins: fresh or dried fruit, chia seeds, vanilla.
- Stir and refrigerate overnight.
- Make a few hard-cooked eggs and store in the refrigerator.
- Try these and more breakfast recipes at heartandstroke.ca/recipes:
Ready in five minutes or less
- Soft cooked egg on whole wheat toast with orange slices.
- Whole-grain pita pocket with peanut butter or alternative, and banana slices in plain yogurt.
- Whole-grain English muffin with melted cheese and apple slices.
- Scrambled eggs with red peppers and salsa wrapped in a tortilla.
- Cheese with whole-grain crackers and sliced tomatoes.
- Scrambled eggs, whole-grain toast, one cup of milk and sliced apples.
- Greek yogurt with whole-grain cereal and berries.
- Whole-grain toast with peanut butter or alternative, sliced apples, one cup of milk.
- Yogurt parfait with plain yogurt, ground flax seeds or muesli and fresh fruit.
When you have to grab something and run
- Fruit, whole-grain crackers and a piece of cheese.
- A homemade muffin from the freezer; cheese string and clementine.
- Hard cooked egg, whole grain mini bagel and an apple.
- Homemade cereal bar, plain yogurt cup and grapes.
If cereal is your thing
- Read the Nutrition Facts panel to find a healthier choice. Here’s what to look for:
- The first ingredient should be whole grain.
- Fibre per serving should be 4 g or more.
- Sugar should be 6 g or less per serving; it can be higher if the cereal includes dried fruit.
- Look for cereals that list sugar ingredients near the end of the ingredient list, meaning less added sugar.
Find more recipes and healthy eating advice