Light and Healthy Breakfasts to Start the Day Well
Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day, and I’m not writing that to promote any type of cereal or smoothie, but rather because it could end up determining your performance throughout the day. It would be an absolutely horrible habit to leave the house in the morning to go to work or school, without giving yourself time to prepare something. This will resonate throughout your activities during the day as mood changes, lack of concentration, and dietary disorders. People that don’t eat breakfast, thinking they’re going to lose weight, are making a grave mistake, because this could lead you to eat very calorie-dense food during your next meal, causing the opposite effect that you had wanted.
But this is even worse is small children; not giving them the appropriate portions of food, with appropriate nutrients and schedules, will lead to poor cognitive development. This will affect them not only in their day to day as adults, but also in their years growing up. Time is golden, which is possibly why a lot of people don’t want to wake up earlier in the morning to make their breakfast before leaving the house. But if time truly is golden, then you must take the time to make breakfast for yourself, or your children, as your health and that of the people that surround you, will not be regained with time. Health can only be gained if you start practicing this now. In order to help yourself with the task at hand, we are going to provide you with a few low-calorie breakfast that are super easy to make.
Strawberry Oatmeal Hotcakes, or Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1/3 c. oats
- ¼ c. milk or water
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 3 egg white
- ½ Tbsp. honey*
- ¼ c. strawberries
*The honey can also be substituted by calorie free sweetener
Directions:
This recipe is super easy to prepare. First, place all the ingredients (except for the strawberries) in a blender. If you have oatmeal flour at home you can use that, if not, oat flakes work great and area also inexpensive and easily found in stores.
Blend all the ingredients. Heat a non-stick pan on low heat to prevent the hotcakes from overcooking.
Pour a bit of the blended mixture into the frying pan and spread it around by slightly moving the pan around.
Allow to cook until small holes appear on the pancake.
Flip it with a spatula and cook for approximately 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Repeat these steps until finishing the hotcake mixture.
This recipe will make approximately 4 pancakes, at one serving per person.
Serve with strawberries, you can also add a bit of honey or agave nectar to them.
Chocolate and Banana Mugcake
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- 1 ½ Tbsp. powdered, sugar-free cocoa
- 1 egg white
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ c. milk or plant-based milk
- 2 tsp. vegetable or coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp. honey, or substitute with calorie free sweetener
Directions:
These tiny cakes can be made in the same pan you’re going to bake them in, or you could use a medium sized bowl to blend all the ingredients.
In this bowl, squish the bananas well, forming a puree.
Once the banana is well mashed, add the egg white and honey, beating the ingredients together.
Add the vegetable oil and mix into a uniform mixture.
Add the dry ingredients: the cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder.
Add the milk and mix until smooth.
Pour into a bowl, or if you made it in a bowl, make sure the bowl is microwave safe.
Microwave for approximately 1 to 2 minutes on high heat. The cake should be well cooked, or if you would prefer a soft center to melt in your mouth, you can cook it a little less.
Baked Egg Tortilla with Spinach and Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- 1 egg
- 1 Portobello mushroom
- 1/3 c. spinach
- ½ tomato
- ¼ purple onion
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. If you don’t want to use the oven, you could also use a toaster oven.
Dice the purple onion and tomato very thinly, then set aside.
Slice or cube the Portobello mushroom, then set aside.
In a small frying pan, sauté the onion, add the tomato and then sauté a few more minutes.
Add the Portobello mushroom and spinach. Don’t forget to clean your spinach well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside until ready to bake.
In a bowl, beat the egg white and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the vegetables and sauté, then pour them into a small muffin pan, previously greased.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 15 minutes, or until the egg is cooked.