Breakfast — everyone wishes they ate it more often. We come up with excuses like “I woke up late,” or “I wasn’t hungry at the time.” And then when we do, we often eat things that are terrible for us, like doughnuts, bagels with way too much cream cheese or cold, leftover pizza. Well, no longer. Armed with these quick, easy, healthy breakfasts, we no longer have any excuse to go without.
Vanilla Yogurt Parfait
Time: 5-7 minutes
? A handful of your favorite granola
? Tub of Greek yogurt
? Fresh fruit
This quick, aesthetically pleasing breakfast is not only good to look at, but it’s also delicious. Store-bought granola can be extremely caloric and full of other preservative and chemicals. I look first to find the granola with the most natural ingredients, and then I get the one that’s least caloric.
For my yogurt I prefer Chobani® vanilla. You can use regular yogurt, but I use Greek yogurt because it has fewer calories and a slightly tangy flavor without all the sugar.
Slice whatever fruit you want into bite-sized pieces. In my experience Berries, peaches and bananas work well in this dish.
Grab a small cup or glass, preferably one you can see through. Scoop in a couple spoonfuls of your yogurt so that you have a reasonably thick layer of it in the cup. Next, put in enough fruit to cover the top of the yogurt. Then sprinkle in a very thin layer of your granola.
Continue these three steps until you have reached the top of your cup. You should end on the granola layer. Now you have a quick, easy breakfast that pleases both the palate and the eye.
Messy Omelet
Time: 5-8 minutes
? 2 eggs
? A splash of water
? A pinch of salt, to taste
? A pinch of pepper, to taste
? Hot sauce (optional)
? A handful of shredded cheese
? 1 slice of your favorite lunch meat
Eggs are a great, cheap source of protein, and they are often the perfect light meal to start your morning. Egg recipes like the one below are fun because bonus ingredients can be added or taken away, such as cheese, meat, leftover steamed vegetables or whatever else happens to be sitting in the fridge. Stick to what sounds good. If you do get creative, don’t add too much of any specific ingredient, as you still want to taste the eggs.
In a microwave-safe bowl, crack both eggs and add a splash of room-temperature water. Beat them with a fork until they become a homogeneous mixture. Add your meat, cheese, salt and, if desired, hot sauce. Place the egg mixture in the microwave and cover it with a paper towel. Set your microwave for 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stop at 40 seconds and stir them to make sure they cook evenly. Check them at about 1 minute. It’s different every time. At the end, they may be in a large clump or have spread out. What matters is the taste, and even if it’s in the microwave, it can still be delicious.
Mock Crepes
Time: 5 minutes
? 1 tortilla, any size (If you are using small ones, you may want two. I use one medium-size tortilla.)
? About 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
? Some fruit (I used half a Honeycrisp apple, but bananas, raspberries and strawberries will work well.
? Nutella
Place your tortilla on a plate and place it into the microwave for 30 seconds or until it’s hot, a little soft and a little moist. Sprinkle it with about half of your teaspoon of sugar to sweeten it up a bit.
Chop up your fruit into bite-sized chunks and place the pieces into a small bowl. Sprinkle it with the remainder of the sugar, and place it into the microwave for about 15-30 seconds or until you reach desired softness and warmth. I like to keep mine a little cold and crunchy, so I do it for about 15 seconds.
While the fruit is heating in the microwave, spread a bit of Nutella along the tortilla. Do not put too much Nutella, as it is pretty strong and can overpower the taste of the fruit. Place the fruit all along the tortilla. You could eat it like this, but I have always had stuffed crepes rolled up. I roll one edge over and spread a little bit of Nutella on the outside as a glue to hold the other side on. And there you have it: your own stuffed crepe, right from the microwave.
