Breakfast Time

Over the years I've come to know many people who skip breakfast, but for me the old adage of breakfast being the most important meal of the day holds true. I find if I do not have an adequate breakfast then I'm truly hungry by 11am and continue snacking on somewhat unhealthy treats throughout the day. Having a regular breakfast can be difficult to manage with a busy schedule; having to get to work, getting kids ready for school or simply that you just don't feel that hungry in the morning and find a cuppa will suffice. Yet for those dashing out of the house in the early morning there are plenty of options to ensure your first meal of the day starts you off the right way - and you avoid hunger pangs and those mid-morning slumps.


Me and Mr E have a good range of breakfast options to prevent the boredom of having the same old thing day in day out. Each morning is varied and we try to ensure that we get at least 2 of our 5-a-day. Here's what we have on a typical week at home:-

• Fruit muesli and banana, with milk + a glass of juice
• Fresh/frozen fruit smoothie
• Porridge and fruit + a glass of juice
• Homemade bread toast with chopped fresh tomatoes, basil and olive oil + a glass of juice
• Vegetarian cooked breakfast - scrambled eggs, beans, mushrooms and potatoes
• Banana muffins with sliced oranges and honey

Bananas for me are an important breakfast item as they are low in fat, high in fibre and have heaps of potassium, which is great for your cardiovascular system, plus about 20% of your daily need of vitamin B6, read more about their benefits on the live science website

*Top Tip* If your bananas are starting to turn, pop them in the freezer, they last for ages and are great for use in smoothies or muffins. 

Usually we'll have a couple of different smoothies during any given week but each contain bananas.

Smoothie ingredient ideas:-

1. 1 banana, handful frozen blackberries, 1 kiwi fruit, 100ml semi-skimmed milk 
2. 1 banana, 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple, 1/2 cup cooked beetroot, 50ml orange juice
3. 1 banana, 1/2 ripe mango, handful frozen strawberries, 150g natural yoghurt

For our fruit muesli we buy a local brand and avoid granola which has way too much added sugar and oil for my liking - check the labels when you're next in the supermarket you may be surprised to see that sugar is the 2nd ingredient on the list after oats! Likewise with the porridge oats - go for the whole oats and cook yourself rather than purchasing one of those 'ready' packs. Add fruit for sweetness and slow releasing energy.

We love toast but if we choose sliced bread then it tends to leave us feeling rather empty and I know i'm always tempted for extra slices. So our homemade bread does the trick - its fairly dense but we know there is just a smidgen of olive oil, salt and sugar so its way better for us than that store-bought rubbish. As an alternative to wheat try a rye pumperknickel - we'll only have this if we've been in Germany - as its way too pricey in Phuket. Tomatoes are rich in anti-cancer lycopene so great to add into a breakfast option, though if Thomas is away I'm likely to go for marmite and banana instead - yeah I know that sounds disgusting but I absolutely love it and urge you to try it!

For juices we tend to go for cartons of orange juice but occasionally I buy fresh watermelon or passion fruit and blend those with a little water. Oats are known to be a slow-releasing carbohydrate so accompanying with fruit and juice works well to balance your sugar levels.

If cooking at home we'll go for a vegetarian cooked breakfast, with either potatoes or toast, usually we'll have scrambled eggs but egg muffins are also great.  For those on the run an egg muffin can be just the thing - as they are quick and easy to make, you can add anything you like and they are very portable. Just pop a few different ingredients into muffin trays (such as chopped peppers, diced tomatoes, spring onions, sausage, feta cheese), then mix up a few eggs and pour into the muffin cases, bake until firm and voila! a ready to go healthy yet filling breakfast. You can make the night before and reheat in the microwave too.

I found a quick and easy banana muffin recipe online so for weekends its great to get up, whip up some muffins then enjoy a relaxing morning reading or planning vacations.

If we're feeling a really lazy on the weekend and its getting closer to lunch time, then a trip to our local cafe Happy Days for one of their awesome "Fat Boy" breakfasts is a must!