I hope you had a great 4th of July with your friends and family!

I did! Summer cocktails were flowing, potato salad was piled high, burgers were chowed on, cheese and crackers were consumed, and the cake was gone; it was a day full of endless eating. In fact, I caught myself mindless munching all day. And now that my mind realizes what went down, I’m upset about it. Summer BBQs win again!

I know just what I need: some seriously good-for-you, juicing smoothie vegan stuff. With spinach, or kale… Or I don’t know… JUST GIVE ME ANYTHING BUT CHIPS AND CAKE!

Are you feeling the same way? Please say yes.

I’m a HUGE fan of protein shakes. I drink one at least once a day. And no, I do not have muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger, thank you very much. They’re a delicious snack that fills me up and usually keeps me from reaching for Nutter Butters and chips at 3pm.

Now I definitely can’t claim to be a health or nutrition expert, but I do know how to prepare healthy snacks and meals. And since so many of you are interested in eating healthy, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the types of foods I normally eat and give you ideas for some healthy breakfast recipes that can be easily prepared at home.

So what do I normally eat? Usually clean, unprocessed whole foods, including whole grains, lean meats, fish, some dairy, healthy fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables. This means cooking at home, preparing meals ahead of time, and resisting the urge to bake cookies and drink margs. And let me tell you, THAT is super difficult sometimes.

BUT with all of these delicious options below (and in my recipe index), I think you’ll have enough recipes to start your morning off healthy and delicious.

HEALTHY BREAKFAST IDEAS

• Peanut Butter, Strawberry, and Banana Quesadillas – A reinvented peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yum!

• Whole Wheat Banana Quinoa Pancakes – these are one of my favorites especially topped with natural peanut butter! Make a batch, pop the leftovers in the freezer, then during the week simply take out two, reheat in the microwave and enjoy! Throw in blueberries in the batter or chocolate chips if you’d like. They are pancakes made easy.

• Oatmeal or Breakfast Quinoa – Healthy whole grains in the morning are the perfect way to start your day. I have a breakfast quinoa recipe waiting to be posted but for now check out this great tribute to oatmeal (with lots of recipes) from Kath Eats Real Food.

• Gluten-free Banana Coconut Waffles with Vegan Coconut Whip Cream — This is one of my first recipes on my blog; it’s a great gluten-free option. The vegan coconut whip cream is to die for.

• Eggs — I eat eggs at least once a day for either breakfast or dinner. Sometimes I make egg sandwiches like the one in the picture above. Usually though I’ll whip up an omelet using 1 egg and 3 egg whites; I also like to mix up my fillings. Here are some suggestions of what you can stuff or top your eggs with: smoked salmon, goat cheese, asparagus, green chile, avocado or guacamole, black beans, low-fat cheese, tomatoes, onion, etc. For more great, easy egg recipes head over to Fitness Magazine’s site. I’ll also be posting a how-to make your own omelet sometime soon!

• Healthy Banana Bread – Um yes, banana bread can be healthy and low in calories. I’ll prove it to you! Try my low-fat oatmeal blueberry banana bread or my healthy coconut banana bread. Perhaps I’ll make some more banana breads soon.

• Baked Acorn Squash with Honey-Cinnamon Greek Yogurt – Don’t miss out on this! I recommend using non-fat plain or vanilla greek yogurt. You’ll be amazed by how creamy and irresistible this breakfast is.

• Things you can put on whole grain toast or english muffins: mashed avocado, hardboiled eggs, low sugar jam and natural nut butter, whipped low-fat cream cheese and smashed raspberries, non-fat greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese sprinkled with toasted almonds and drizzled with honey, bananas and peanut butter.

And what about this protein shake?

Well, this shake packs flavor in a glass. Bananas and blueberries are a great combination together. It will fill you up and takes less than 5 minutes to make.

You really have no excuses to miss breakfast with this delicious little thing staring at you.

My hope is that some of these ideas and recipes will inspire you to get in your kitchen, eat breakfast, and be a little healthier. We all know breakfast is easy to skip, but it’s also the most important meal of the day.

Let me know what your favorite healthy breakfast is in the comments below!

 

Banana Blueberry Protein Shakes

2 cups milk of choice (skim, almond, coconut, soy)

2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (I use whey protein)

1 cup of fresh blueberries

1 large ripe banana, peeled and cut into chunks (best if the banana is frozen)

3/4 cup of ice cubes

 

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and enjoy.

 

Notes

• Feel free to add any of the following: 1 cup of spinach for a green smoothie, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, flax seed, chia seed, etc.
• You can also use different berries or a mixture of fruit instead of blueberries