According to an ABC news poll, cereal is the preferred breakfast for most Americans. It’s easy to see why — cereal is fast, cheap and easy. However, cereals, even the “healthy” ones, are loaded with sugar, processed carbs, preservatives, and sodium. If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why are you loading up your system with crap and chemicals? You need ENERGY so you can rock your job, manage your family, and own your workout like a champ. Processed, sugary cereal is not going to get you there.
Here are some healthy, fast alternatives to a sad bowl of cold cereal:
Scrambled Eggs and Greens
Crack an egg into pan, along with some olive or coconut oil. Add in a handful or two of chopped spinach, swiss chard or kale and you have a powerhouse breakfast loaded with protein, vitamins and phytonutrients. Need something to go? Make these healthy breakfast cupcakes to fuel up when on the run!
Overnight Oatmeal
Want the benefit of healthy, whole grains, but don’t have time to stand over the stove for an hour? Make breakfast while you sleep!
The night before, bring 4 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 cup steel cut oats or regular rolled oats (no quick or instant oats here!) and boil for one minute. Add in any seasonings or spices (I like a tiny dash of salt, and a couple teaspoons of cinnamon in my oatmeal). Give the oatmeal a stir, then remove from heat (turn the burner off, please), put a lid on it, brush your teeth and go to bed.
In the morning, add a splash of water and reheat the pot of oatmeal on the stove to enjoy at home, or portion the cold oatmeal into to-go containers, along with a splash of milk, and reheat at the office.
You can further power up your oatmeal by topping it with a wonderful array of goodies: nuts, seeds, fresh or dried fruit, a touch of honey or maple syrup, or a handful of granola. Speaking of granola …
Homemade Granola
While it’s not as fast as snagging a bag or box from the store, homemade granola is crazy-easy to make and has significantly less sugar, fat, sodium and preservatives than store-bought. It can also be made in big batches ahead of time, so overall time-cost is nil. Here’s my favorite recipe for homemade granola. Serve it cold with milk, over yogurt, or topped with fresh fruit of your choice!
These quick, easy, healthy breakfasts are sure-fire ways to provide the energy and nutrition your body needs without any chemicals, preservatives, added sugars, sodium or fat. Be a cereal killer and power up your day!
