While I am a diehard breakfast lover who would gladly eat pancakes at every waking hour of the day, when I first wake up in the morning, pressing snooze usually feels way more appealing than making an elaborate recipe from scratch. But the thing is, breakfast is just as important as your mom always told you it was when you were growing up, and the results of a new study suggest more and more of us need easy breakfast ideas for busy mornings to ensure we won't skip this crucial part of our day.
The study, which has been published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, looked at the effects of different elementary school breakfast programs on young students. According to the study, researchers were able to analyze the effects of three different types of programs: In one program, students had 10 (mandatory) extra minutes to spend in the cafeteria in the morning; in a second program, students were given the option to eat breakfast in the classroom; and the final program served as a control, and therefore did not have any special breakfast accommodations for students. For every student involved in the study, ScienceDaily reports they were given wristbands to track when they arrived at school and how much food they ate (as well as the food's nutritional information). The students were also tasked with completing a daily questionnaire throughout the study, which asked questions about when and how they ate breakfast (if at all), how hungry they felt when getting to school in the morning, and whether they liked any of the food at their school's cafeteria.
According to the study's results, the researchers found that the biggest thing keeping students from eating breakfast is time — more specifically, a lack-thereof in the morning. But get this: Even just 10 more minutes in the morning could be enough to help you fit a healthy breakfast into your routine, the study found.
In other words, with just a little bit of prep the night before, these easy (and super tasty) breakfast recipes will help you make sure you don't leave your stomach grumbling through your morning commute. Plus, all of these treats are eat-while-you-walk-approved, just in case you have to literally grab them out of your fridge and rush out the door.
Despite my initial concern about eating cold oatmeal, it didn't take long before I fell in love with overnight oats, thanks to its super creamy texture and the simplicity of grabbing a mason jar on my way to work in the morning.
When it comes to overnight oats, the combinations of ingredients are nearly endless (think PB&J, cherry chai, banana cocao), but this recipe from the food blog Kath Eats Real Food is a great place to start if you want to get into the overnight oats game. Make one jar or an entire week's worth at night, and you'll be all set for your morning, no matter how crunched you are for time. And if you really can't stomach cold oatmeal, blitz it in the microwave for a minute or so and you'll have warm oats to-go.
Another star in the mason jar game, pre-made smoothies are always a good bet if you want to snooze for a few extra minutes in the morning. Love and Lemons' recipe for matcha vanilla smoothies makes an absolutely beautiful, soft green drink with a kick that will gently wake you up in the a.m. Thanks to the addition of matcha, you may even be able to skip your morning cup of coffee and save even more time. Requiring only bananas, almond milk, matcha, and vanilla, these smoothies are a tasty way to make sure you don't run out of time for breakfast.
If you're more of a savory breakfast person, whip up (literally) some fresh egg muffins that you can pull out of the fridge or freezer at a moment's notice.
The basic idea here is to pour your favorite omelette combination into a muffin tin and bake it in the oven until fully cooked, so really, you can add any tasty fillings that suit your fancy. If you're not sure where to start, though, food blog Lemon Tree Dwelling has a classic breakfast egg muffin recipe using bacon, cheese, and chives, and it sounds like it's absolute to die for.
If you're a carb lover like myself, you probably already have bagels with your breakfast sometimes. But if you're looking to branch out beyond your usual cream cheese smear and jazz up the breakfast pastry, try loading up your bagel with more ingredients for a filling meal on-the-go. Healthy-eating blog The Girl on Bloor has a recipe for everything bagels topped with pesto, egg, avo, arugula, and even more good stuff. Whip up a couple of these at the beginning of the week, and freeze them in tin foil or plastic wrap for a quick and super tasty breakfast.
For anyone who has a smaller appetite first thing in the morning, these nutrient-dense DIY granola bars from Bon Appétit are the way to go. Ingredients like flaxseed and almonds are sure to keep you feeling full and nourished throughout your morning, whatever it may have in store for you.
