Save time and money by preparing your breakfasts ahead of time so they’re ready in the fridge for you to grab and go. It’ll prevent you from eating more processed foods or from stopping to buy something less healthy and more expensive. Here are a few prep-ahead ideas to try.
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are great for so many reasons, they’re quick and easy to make, healthy, no cooking, and store well for days in the fridge. The recipe below gives you the base, then you can add the fruit or sweeteners that you want. You can also make the recipe with muesli instead of plain oats for added flavor!
Basic Ingredients
- 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
Additional pairings for fun
- Blueberries & cinnamon
- Raspberries & vanilla
- Applesauce & cinnamon
- Banana & cocoa powder
- You could add honey or maple syrup to these as well, but I prefer no added sugar!
Directions: In a one cup mason jar or similar size jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, and chia seeds. Put the lid on the jar and shake until combined. Remove lid and add the fruit, stirring until mixed. Refrigerate and eat the next morning. See the full recipe details and more ideas at this website. Another favorite overnight oats recipe can be found at this website.
Fruit Smoothie
Smoothies are a delicious way to start your day, end your day or have anytime in between. They’re quick to make, don’t need any cooking, and last in the fridge. You can get creative, but here are my go to ingredients.
Banana berry smoothie
- 1 -2 frozen bananas (peel and freeze the old bananas you don’t eat in time!)
- frozen strawberries
- frozen blueberries
- cinnamon
- milk or plant milk
- water
Optional ingredients
- I like to add some of the following: almond flour or almond butter, cacao powder, vanilla extract, unsweetened coconut flakes, oats, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, or flaxseeds.
- Greek yogurt is an optional ingredient
- You can add sweeteners like maple syrup, agave syrup or honey. I prefer to not add any sugar, the fruit are sweet enough!
Directions: Put them all in a blender and blend! Add milk or water until you have the consistency you like. Store it in large mason jars or similar containers in the fridge for up to a couple days.
We also love this Green Citrus Smoothie Recipe!
- 1 banana, chopped and frozen
- ½ apple, sliced you can peel it if you want
- 1 orange, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups spinach, packed
- ½ cup milk
Yogurt Parfait
Yogurt parfaits are an easy, protein-rich way to meal prep for the morning. You can make them for a couple days, keep them in the fridge and have for breakfast or a snack
Ingredients
- Greek yogurt
- granola
- fruit
Directions: In bowls, cups, or mason jars, add as much greek yogurt as you want, a layer of granola and fruit on top. Cover, and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Superhero muffins
Shalane Flanagan’s superhero muffins are a recipe we love. This one is slightly more involved than the others, but is worth the work. Make extra and freeze them so you can make them once and they last.
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup grated Granny Smith apple (about 1 apple)
- 1 cup grated carrots (about 2 carrots), peeled
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup honey
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, combine the eggs, apple, carrot, melted butter and honey
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix completely.
- Fill muffin cups with the batter
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
This recipe comes from Shalane Flanagan’s book Run Fast Eat Slow. See a more detailed version of the recipe here.
Freezer English Muffin Egg Sandwiches
English muffins egg sandwiches are a hearty, delicious breakfast, but did you know they freeze well and you can have them ready to microwave whenever you need them? Here’s an easy recipe where you can either bake or microwave the eggs.
Ingredients
- 6 English muffins, sliced in half
- 6 eggs
- 6 slices Cheddar cheese
- 6 slices deli ham
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Grease the ramekins
- Crack eggs into ramekins, pierce the yolk, add salt and pepper and beat lightly.
- Microwave the eggs 40-60 seconds each on high, or place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove the eggs, run a knife around the edge to loosen them out.
- Assemble the breakfast sandwiches adding the egg, cheese, and ham between the english muffin halves.
- Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze.
- Microwave for about 2 minutes to reheat.
Here’s a more detailed version of the recipe we love.
Nostove Blog 