We are constantly told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what does that actually mean? First, breakfast is quite literally breaking your fast; from the time you go to sleep until the moment you take your first bite of the day, you are fasting. You might not have eaten for 8 to 10 hours during this time, so it is essential to replenish your body with high-quality energy and nutrients. Second, eating a balanced breakfast can start your day with balanced blood sugar and keep it steady. But not all breakfasts are created equal, so What does a balanced breakfast mean? For your breakfast to balance your blood sugar, there needs to be fat and protein present to accompany a carbohydrate. Standard breakfasts such as coffee & pastries, cereal, and pancakes are all high in carbohydrates. Without adequate protein and fat, the blood sugar spikes high and then dips fast. The dip is blood sugar crashing, and this can look like irritability, feeling “hangry,” brain fog, anxiety, and more. Incorporating fat and protein into your morning meal is a great place to start to prevent this crash. Below are some of our favorite breakfast recipes to keep your taste buds satisfied and your blood sugar balanced!
Yogurt Banana Split
Servings: 1 Time: 5 minutes This is exacltly what it sounds like! You get the carbohydrates from the banana and then the protein and fat from the yogurt/peanut butter! A great combination of all three macronutrients to create a balanced breakfast. This is on the smaller side, so perfect for days when your morning appetite isn’t huge or for a quick on the go breakfast! Ingredients .5 c Plain Greek Yogurt 1 tbsp All Natural Peanut Butter 1 Banana 1.5 tsps Maple syrup .5 oz Dark Chocolate (optional) 1 tsp cinnamon (optional) Directions Stir together the yogurt and peanut butter in a small bowl. Place the banana halves onto a plate. Top with the yogurt mixture, maple syrup, and dark chocolate. Enjoy!
Coconut Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk, depending on preference
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/8 tsp of cinnamon
coconut flakes, fresh fruit, berries, nuts for garnish
Directions: Mix chia seeds, coconut milk, honey and cinnamon together in a small bowl or glass mason jar. Let it set in refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. Remove it from the fridge, and make sure your pudding looks thick and the chia seeds have gelled. Before serving, garnish with coconut flakes, fresh fruit, and/or nuts and enjoy immediately. Pudding may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Notes: Cinnamon & berries help balance blood sugar.
Avocado Toast with Tofu Scramble
This one takes a little longer to prepare, but is a delicious twist to the all-time favorite Avocado toast. Adding the tofu scramble on top brings the necessary protein to make this a balanced breakfast!
Servings: 1 Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
6 ozs Tofu (silken, drained) 1.5 tsps Nutritional Yeast .5 tsp Garlic Powder
.25 tsp Paprika
.125 tsp Sea Salt
1-2 slices Gluten Free Bread (toasted) .5 Avocado (sliced)
Directions In a pan over medium heat, add the tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, paprika, and salt. Use the spatula to stir and gently break up the tofu. Cook until the edges are firm and liquid is gone, about 15 minutes. Top the sourdough with avocado and the scrambled tofu. Add more salt if desired. Enjoy!
Veggie Baked Eggs
Servings: 2 Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1.5 tsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Zucchini (medium, seeds scooped out and chopped)
1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
.5 cup Red Onion (chopped)
1 Garlic (clove, minced)
Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
4 Egg
.25 cup Pesto (or more to taste)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375oF. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet (or another oven-safe pan) over medium heat. Add the zucchini, bell pepper and red onion and cook for five to six minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Add the garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and make small wells for the eggs in the middle of the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan and season with additional salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Remove the from oven and top with the pesto. Enjoy! If you have more questions about how to continue your day with a balance blood sugar, you can book an appointment with Dr. Kizzy or our nutritionist, Madison Steele. You can also follow us on social media for everyday tips and tricks to stabilize blood sugar! Happy Cooking!
Grain Free Breakfast Porridge
Ingredients:
2/3-1 cup of coconut milk (or hazelnut, hemp or any other nut/seed milk)
1 TB of coconut oil (or avocado oil, sesame oil)
frozen or fresh berries (or seasonal fruit)
pinch of salt
1 egg (or use about 2-3 TB of coconut flakes or protein powder; if using protein powder, then add towards the end per instructions below)
1 TB of coconut flour (or almond flour) – this is optional
1-2 TB of chia or ground flax seeds (pumpkin (whole or ground), sunflower (whole or ground), hemp, etc)
cinnamon
sweetener, such as stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, truvia, molassess or 3-4 pitted dates
Optional topping: whole pumpkin seeds, whole sunflower seeds or hemp seeds, cacao nibs.
Instructions:
Add alternative milk, oil, berries, pinch of salt, & sweetener (& coconut/almond flour, if you decide to use it). Cook over low medium heat; stir occasionally to prevent sticking at bottom of pan. If you are using egg, stir it in until it cooks through.
Once it becomes very warm, remove from heat & transfer to a bowl. Add ground seeds (or chia seeds) & cinnamon. Allow some of the moisture to be absorbed by the seeds before adding protein powder (if you are using protein powder. Skip protein powder if you used an egg).
You may add more milk if consistency is too dry.
Top with nuts, whole seeds (not whole flax seeds), berries, shredded coconut, or cinnamon.