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Preparing Ahead for Breakfasts “On-the-Go” (Part 1)

A Quirky Cooking Chats Podcast with Jo Whitton.

We’ve all heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, and it’s true that nourishing your body with a wholesome meal each morning really does make a difference to the rest of your day! But what if your busy routine doesn’t allow time for a cooked breakfast every morning? 

Toast and cereal may be the easiest option, but they often cause bloating or blood sugar crashes later on. A “quick carbs” breakfast also means you’ll generally be hungry again in a couple of hours, whereas a nutrient-dense breakfast will set you up for hours and will reduce the desire for snacking later on! 

  • If you find you’re just grabbing snacks as you rush out the door (or you don’t manage to eat at all), this episode has plenty of breakfast suggestions for you.
  • If you have kids that reject your attempts to wean them off toast and cereal and onto more wholesome choices, there are lots of tips for you!
  • And for those who have a little more time in the mornings but just feel uninspired by breakfast, there are plenty of ideas to help you get your breakfast mojo back!!

In this episode: 

  • why breakfast should always include quality proteins & fats
  • how to avoid the mid-morning blood sugar crash
  • how to get off the ‘fast carbs’ roller coaster
  • tips for transitioning to a nutrient-dense breakfast
  • prepare-ahead and ‘grab n go’ breakfast ideas to replace ‘toast & cereal’ breakfasts, including gluten free, grain free, starch free, egg free, nut free and dairy free options  
  • Watch to the end to see me demonstrate a few ‘prepare ahead’ breakfast ideas!
Scroll down for a list of the recipes mentioned in this video… 

For a healthy breakfast, think: Protein + Fats + Slow Carbs!
Eating fat and protein at breakfast keeps blood sugar levels stabilised and helps you avoid those sugar cravings, snack attacks and energy crashes later on in the day.

Bacon, Egg & Spinach Pies, Quirky Cooking

Tips to get you started!

  • Got fussy kids who don’t like your breakfast ideas? Save some leftovers of their favourite leftover dinners and freeze in single serves – warm up for breakfasts.
  • Time poor in the mornings? Do a weekend cook up of breakfast meals and freeze in single serves. Thaw in the fridge overnight so they’re ready to heat and serve in the morning.
  • Do a ‘bake up’ of muffins/breads/wraps on the weekend and freeze in single serves.
  • Make a snack drawer/basket/box in the freezer with freezable breakfast foods – let the kids choose something before bed that can thaw in the fridge overnight.
  • Keep a list on fridge/phone notepad with ideas for when you need inspiration – add to it as you think of recipes/ideas or find things you/the kids like.
  • Think savoury as much as possible – protein + good fats! Keep sugars low, and include some veggies if you can (fermented/cooked/raw) – your energy levels, brain function and hormones will thank you later! 
  • Include good fats like avocado, full fat yoghurt, eggs fried in ghee or bacon fat, olive oil drizzled over salad leaves/veggies, butter on grain-free muffins, etc, so you (and kids) stay full longer. The low-fat myths were busted a long time ago and there are plenty of studies proving the benefits of traditional, natural, saturated fats for our health. (Yes, even the heart foundation has a recent study proving that saturated fats are “not associated with CVD or mortality and [are] instead correlated with lower rates of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.” Read study here.) I will have a podcast interview soon to focus on this topic.
Breakfasts On-the-Go, Quirky Cooking
Grain-Free Bread, photo by Luisa Brimble for Simple, Healing Food

Nutrient-dense alternatives to cereal & toast (which include protein & fat):

Paleo granola: see my Grain-Free Granola recipe in Life-Changing Food, or a buy a good one like Primal Alternative’s Fat & Seedy Granola. 

Sprouted buckwheat granola: recipe here and in my Quirky Cooking cookbook.

Fermented oat porridge: recipe here

Apple cinnamon nut porridge (grain free): recipe in Life-Changing Food

Chia pudding: make this recipe (can omit spices or fruit or use different milks). Assemble in jars & store in fridge to grab-n-go. (Instead of preparing pudding in Thermomix you can just mix by hand and place in fridge overnight for same texture – the cooking is just a quick method if you want it ready right away.)

Custard or pudding: Use any of the custard recipes in Simple, Healing Food or on the blog (eg. Cashew Honey Custard or Coconut Caramel Custard). Prepare ahead, refrigerate overnight, top with sliced banana or buttered apples/roasted fruit (SHF), could add some chopped toasted nuts or granola.

Nourishing desserts for breakfast: Apple-Berry Custard Crumble, fruit cobbler, Blueberry Upside-Down Cake, Salted Caramel Pecan Pie (LCF), Pumpkin Brownie Pudding, Trifle (LCF)… with a spoonful of plain or 24 Hour Yoghurt.

Yoghurt and fruit: 24 Hour Yoghurt or plain/Greek yoghurt, roasted or fresh fruit (or fermented), a handful of toasted nuts/seeds/coconut/paleo granola.

Finnish Oven Pancake (Grain Free) - Quirky Cooking
Finnish Oven Pancake

Bread, toast, muffins, pancakes, pastries:

Savoury grain-free muffins & breads: Grain-Free Bread Formula (+ another version in SHF) for breads or muffins, Grain-Free Dough to make flat bread, buns, pastry (LCF), Fat Bomb Muffins (LCF), Cheese Puffs), Almond & Linseed Bread, Zucchini & Pepita Muffins, Gluten-Free Artisan Bread; served with butter/ghee or nut butter, or avocado or cheese – protein/fat toppings if possible. Muffins are great to have in the fridge ready to grab-n-go.

Sweet muffins & breads: Blueberry muffins (SHF) & variation Apple Spiced Muffins, Grain-Free Sultana Spice Bread, Banana Pecan Spice Bread.

Banana chocolate muffins: Use this recipe – Grain-Free, Egg-Free Chocolate Banana Cake

Pancakes: Finnish Oven Pancake, Nut Butter Pancakes (SHF), Pumpkin Pancakes (SHF), or Coconut Flour Pancakes. Prepare batter night before & refrigerate, cook some in the morning; or cook & store in fridge. Serve with butter, lemon butter, ham & cheese, roasted fruit & cream cheese. Nut butter pancakes are like pikelets, great cold with a topping.

Fritters, savoury or fruit: Oat & apple, corn & bean, banana & buckwheat, meat and veg (see variation on Grain-Free Bread Formula). Batter can be prepped night before, or fritters cooked & stored in fridge/freezer.

Wraps & tortillas: GAPS Wraps, Spinach Wraps (SHF), Grain-Free Wraps (LCF), Spelt Tortillas, Gluten-free buckwheat & almond crepes – filled with scrambled eggs/bacon/fried egg/leftover roast meat & salad/hummus & salad/tuna & salad. Prepare ahead, refrigerate or freeze.

Scones: Grain-free scones (LCF), Gluten-free scones. Prepare ahead & refrigerate or freeze.

Crackers: Seedy Crackers (SHF) Buckwheat & Almond Crackers (LCF) – with nut butter or pâté (SHF) or pesto/dips (SHF & LCF), or eat with butter, cheese and tomatoes.

Grain-free pastries: Kale Triangles (LCF), Herb & Cheese fatayer, mini quiches, little pasties filled with leftover stew or savoury mince, simple cheese and spinach, cinnamon/coconut sugar/cream on pastry if craving sweet. Handy to have in the fridge ready to grab-n-go. Can be frozen.

Protein balls/bliss balls: Cookie Dough Balls, Walnut & Cacao Nib Bliss Balls.

To be continued in Part 2!

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