4 Healthy & Easy Meal Ideas for Breakfast: Wake Up To Deliciousness!

Your mom has said it to you a million times–at least that’s how it feels–but it turns out she was finally right about something; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Smile through gritted teeth, or just be glad she taught you because without the all-important first meal of the day, you’ll be half as productive as your pancake-noshing counterparts.

[No matter how hectic, a healthy breakfast sets the tone for your entire day!]

I understand your hesitancy, believe me. When it comes to breakfast, my feeling used to be, there are no healthy breakfast foods. While it is true that there are tons of fatty, carb-filled breakfast foods, there are quite a few healthy and easy breakfast meals.

Breakfast Salad

I know it sounds weird, but trust me its a tasty and light way to get your day started. Besides, even the busiest of beavers has time to make a salad!

4 1-ounce slices Canadian bacon
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. stone ground mustard
4 eggs, hard-boiled & chopped
8 oz. baby spinach
3 tbsp. olive oil (extra virgin is best)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: Cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning once. Remove from skillet and cut into strips. In a large bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard until well blended. Place spinach on top of vinaigrette and toss until greens are evenly coated. Top with tomatoes and bacon and enjoy!

This recipes creates 4 servings of 260 calories each and 14 grams of protein. If you want to cut more salt, eliminate the Canadian bacon, but what’s life without a little bacon?

Guess what? This is also a great brunch recipe for those of you that love to sleep in on the weekends!

Easy Breakfast Scramble

1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
4 eggs
4 egg whites
1 tbsp. dill, fresh (taste more like dill than the dried stuff)
Salt & pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Directions: Cook onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add the diced tomato and cook another minute or 2. Place onion and tomato mixture in a bowl and set aside. Beat together eggs and whites, add in salt and pepper as needed. Cook egg mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the eggs are just about set and no longer runny. Drain any additional liquids from the onion and tomato bowl and stir into egg mixture. Toss with dill and get your day off to a great start.

Makes 4 servings, 118 calories per serving. Add an apple or banana and a cup of orange juice for a well-rounded breakfast that won’t leave you wanting more.

Sweet Potato Hash

1 red onion, cubed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh black pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
1/3 cup Black Forest Ham, diced
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions: Heat oil over medium-high heat and cook onion about 3-4 minutes until browned. Stir occasionally. Lower heat to medium and add in sweet potatoes. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes reach desired tenderness, then stir in ham, garlic and thyme and cook until warmed through.

[Satisfy your potato craving while you stock up on nutrients with a tasty sweet potato hash!]

This breakfast recipe makes 4 servings, 131 calories per serving. Add a scrambled egg or fruit salad to this to prevent those late-morning sugar cravings!

Fancy Breakfast Oatmeal

1 cup low-fat or soy milk
1/4 cherry jam
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 tsp. salt
3.5 cups water
2 cups, old-fashioned oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla extract (no imitation, the real stuff makes all the difference!)

Directions: Add dried cherries and oats to boiling, salted water and return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring until the oats are tender, about 5 minutes for old-fashioned oatmeal. Remove the pot from heat and stir in vanilla and jam. Pour 1/4 milk over each bowl prior to serving.

[Oatmeal lovers rejoice! Healthy breakfast means adding your favorite fruit, cinnamon or honey for a tasty and low-cal way to start the day!]

This recipe makes 4 servings, 280 calories and 4 grams of fiber per serving.  Take this recipe further by experimenting with other dried fruits and jams.

Healthy breakfast options means you don’t have to starve yourself all morning, subsisting on miniature zero-calorie snacks until lunchtime. Get up early enough to allow yourself 15 minutes to make a healthy yet easy breakfast that your body can appreciate.

Everyone agrees that breakfast is very important to energy level and performance throughout the day. Without breakfast, I’ll bet you’re more likely to make bad food decisions and skip your daily exercise routine. Both of those things will very likely lead to weight gain rather than fat loss, so I’d say the decision is yours…

[This lumberjack-sized breakfast looks good, but I'm gettin' sleepy just looking at it! And salivating just a little.]

Scared of the calories adding breakfast to the mix might add? Read our review of Eat Stop Eat to stop those food fears and learn how to eat breakfast without the guilt!