~for the corporate baddie~

Are you someone who rolls out of bed 5 minutes before they have to leave for work more than you would like to admit? Do you grab a store-bought muffin and throw a K cup on while you brush your teeth and put on your shoes at the same time? If so, these breakfast recipes are made for you. I should know because this is me too.

My goal when I invented these recipes was to improve my morning routine. I wanted to wake up feeling less stressed and constantly on a time crunch.

I wanted something healthy to kickstart my energy for the day.

But, I also wanted to eat something that didn’t leave me hungry one hour later.

Eventually, I discovered the beauty that is a simple, balanced breakfast.

1. The classic overnight oats – with a protein-packed twist

I know what you’re thinking, overnight oats? That’s all you could come up with, seriously?

Don’t worry. I too fell into the tik tok overnight oats craze and I soon became very sick of them.

However, I liked the idea of meal prepping breakfast the night before. It really makes me feel like I have my life together.

YIELDS 1 SERVING

Ingredients:

1 scoop of protein powder.

I use the vanilla-flavored protein and greens blend from the brand “Tone it up.” I highly recommend the vanilla flavor because it sweetens this recipe perfectly. I bought mine at target (I assure you, this is not a sponsored message. In fact, I wish someone would pay me to sponsor them).

Half a cup of regular 1-minute Quaker rolled oats

Half a cup of almond milk (you can also use regular or oat milk)

Tip: I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk to compliment the vanilla flavor in the protein powder

Half of a medium-sized banana (or large or small – it really doesn’t matter)

Half a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter (or almond butter)

1/8th a cup of granola of your choice – this is an optional topping to throw in right before you eat.

½ teaspoon of pumpkin spice seasoning (or you can use any mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and some kind of sugar or sweetener)

Tip: you can switch out the banana for another fruit of your choice, I just prefer banana alongside the peanut butter in this recipe.

Directions:

First, add the dry oats to a coffee mug, mason jar, or another oat container of your choice.

Then, add the pumpkin spice seasoning and milk.

Stir the mixture until it resembles oatmeal (should look a little mushy, don’t worry it will set up in the fridge overnight).

Then, add the banana and peanut butter and fold this into the mixture.

Pro Tip – melt the peanut butter for 10 or so seconds to make it easier to stir in.

Seal with plastic wrap and store overnight in the fridge. Serve with the remaining banana, granola, and another scoop of peanut butter if you wish.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 412

Protein: 25 g

Carbohydrates: 52 g

Fat: 14 g

Sodium: 156 mg

Calcium: 23 g

Iron: 33 g

2. More of a savory breakfast gal? Try this Lazy Huevos Rancheros

Tired of avocado toast? Ran out of bread and for some reason you have a package of corn tortillas? Me too. That’s how I came up with this.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized corn tortilla – not the small street taco size, but not the largest size either.

Half an avocado

A few quartered cherry tomatoes (2 or 3)

Some chopped scallions (or red onion if you’re feeling especially zesty)

1 egg

Cholula hot sauce or your preferred hot sauce

Lemon juice

Directions:

Put a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat

Throw your tortilla in the DRY pan, no need to wait for it to heat up.

I repeat – DRY. PAN. Do not under any circumstances whatsoever oil the pan before the tortilla. Please.

Give it about a minute and flip the tortilla. It should have some slightly toasted brown circles and maybe one side is peeling. This is supposed to happen, don’t worry.

Brown the other side of the tortilla for about 20 - 30 seconds.

While the tortilla is toasting, mash avocado on a plate and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (Bonus points if your pepper is freshly ground)

Then, take your pan off the heat.

Add avocado to the tortilla.

Now, we OIL the pan. Put it back on low heat. Crack your egg into the pan and let it fry.

Chop your cherry tomatoes and scallions (or a small amount of red onion).

Place these on top of your avocado.

Top with the fried egg and hot sauce. Add extra salt and pepper to the egg if you wish.

Voila! Eat with a knife and fork or fold it like a taco. Delicious.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 245

Protein: 9 g

Carbohydrates: 18 g

Fat: 16 g

Sodium: 83 mg

Calcium: 5 g

Iron: 9 g

3. Not your mother's French toast – but make it healthy so we can eat it every day for a whole week. (full disclosure, this is a variation of MY mother's french toast)

Ingredients:

Grab one slice of sourdough or your preferred bread of choice. I use farmhouse sourdough, so I only make one slice. If your bread is smaller, feel free to use two or three!

P.S. - this is a great recipe if you want to use up the unwanted heel of the bread without noticing you’re eating the heel of the bread.

One egg (you can add an extra egg white if you want more protein)

A dash of your preferred milk – about two tablespoons. Add more if you feel it is needed to cover the bread you’re using. I personally use unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

¼ teaspoon of pumpkin spice seasoning or some cinnamon sugar

Half a tablespoon of zero-sugar vanilla syrup. I use the brand “Torani” which you can find in the coffee aisle at your local grocery store.

One tablespoon of peanut butter

One teaspoon of honey

Directions:

Put a pan on medium heat and grease it with the end of a stick of butter.

Beat the egg, milk, vanilla syrup, and spices in a bowl big enough to dip your whole bread slice in.

Dip the bread slice in, and let it soak for 2-3 seconds. Then flip it and soak the other side.

Tip: this is where we decide if we want to pour the extra mixture in the pan with our bread slice or make a whole nother slice if you wish.

Put the bread in the pan and let it cook for about one minute. Continuously checking to make sure it’s not getting too cooked.

Do this for both sides of the bread.

Melt the peanut butter (for about 15 seconds in the microwave)

Combine melted peanut butter with the honey.

Drizzle over the French toast.

Enjoy!

Optional: add some granola on top if you want a crunch every now and then.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 315

Protein: 14 g

Carbohydrates: 32 g

Fat: 15 g

Sodium: 406 mg

Calcium: 16 g

Iron: 14 g

4. “Toad in a hole” or “egg in a basket” but when you also want to eat a vegetable :)

Ingredients:

2 slices of a bell pepper – any color is fine

These should be two-quarter-inch ring-shaped slices cut from a whole bell pepper.

1/4th cup of Mexican shredded cheese (or any cheese you prefer really). I use Sargento shredded three-cheese Mexican blend.

Two eggs

Lemon juice

Scallions

Optional: fresh cilantro

Directions:

Take a whole bell pepper – chop off the top.

Deseed.

Cut two slices from the top of the whole bell pepper. You should be left with two-quarter-inch ring-shaped slices.

Add these two slices into a pan over medium heat.

Put a small splash of oil in the center of each ring (or use spray pam if you’re lazy like me)

Add one egg to each “ring”.

Let these cook until the whites have set up firmly.

Then, flip the eggs (and the rings of bell pepper around them)

Add the cheese on top.

Turn off the heat.

Put a lid on top of the pan and cover it for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese (or cover it with a baking sheet if some of your pans have lost their lids, like mine)

Top with scallions, lemon juice, and fresh cilantro (if you're fancy and have that on a whim).

Optional: if you’re only feeling the one egg, half this recipe and add half an avocado on top to make it more substantial on its own.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 268

Protein: 19 g

Carbohydrates: 4 g

Fat: 21 g

Sodium: 354 mg

Calcium: 6 g

Iron: 11 g

5. Avocado toast – but make it ~zesty~

A twist on the famous millennial classic.

Ingredients:

1 piece of quality sourdough bread (sourdough is the key here)

1 soft-boiled egg

Half of an avocado

Half a tablespoon of nonfat plain Greek yogurt

A little less than a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (adjust accordingly to your own preference for the taste of vinegar. I personally love salt and vinegar chips so I use a full teaspoon for one serving of this recipe)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

A small pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Boil a small pot of salted water. Add enough water to cover the egg once you put it in.

Pro tip: you can soft boil 5 or 6 eggs, peel them, and store them in a container for the whole week. Then, set one out to warm up while you prepare the avocado toast.

Toast the sourdough slice (I use farmhouse sourdough bread)

Mash the avocado with Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Pro tip: mash on the plate you’ll be eating on. Less dirty dishes = more happiness

Once the water is boiling – add the egg gently. I recommend using a slotted spoon to drop the egg in as carefully as possible.

Boil for 5-6 minutes. If you like a runnier egg, boil for 5 minutes. Although, be very careful when peeling.

Add the avocado mixture on top of the toasted bread.

Once the egg is done, drop it into a bowl of ice water immediately to make it easier to peel.

Place the peeled egg on top of the toast and slice it in half or quarter it.

Top with more salt and pepper.

Ta-da! Avocado toast with a delicious savory firey tang.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Calories: 322

Protein: 14 g

Carbohydrates: 29 g

Fat: 17 g

Sodium: 306 mg

Calcium: 8 g

Iron: 13 g