In the days when I had my own home and a powerful blender, smoothies were pretty much daily fare. Everyday for breakfast and sometimes even for an afternoon snack. Moving around so much and not having a blender meant that breakfast was a necessity, but not always a pleasure. Thinking back, why didn’t I just buy a blender? I suppose purchasing home goods was a sign of permanence and I just couldn’t commit to any one place at the time. I’ve decided to make breakfast interesting again. If you are like me, and breakfast has become a bit boring, here are five breakfast ideas to spruce up your mornings.
1. Tropical Smoothie
Servings: 2
2 cups frozen pineapple
1.5 cups frozen mango
1 cup coconut milk
1.5 cups milk
splash of vanilla
Blend ingredients. If your blender is struggling add more liquid. I like my smoothies quite thick so this recipe would work equally well as a smoothie bowl. Coconut milk is quite high in fat, so I haven’t used it as the only liquid. You can buy light coconut milk at the store if fat content is a concern.
2. Berry Chia Parfait
Servings: 1
4 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup milk (or alternative)
2-3 large strawberries finely sliced
3/4 cup blueberries (divided)
1.5 tsp maple syrup (divided) – optional (can use alternative sweetener or none at all)
splash of vanilla
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
In the mason jar, or other container, mix the chia seeds and milk. Stir well. Add 1 tsp of maple syrup (optional) and a splash of vanilla. Stir again. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to see how much the chia settles. Keep stirring and letting it sit until there are no clumps of chia and no (or few) gaps in the mixture with no chia seeds visible. You may have to do this 4-5 times depending how quickly the chia begins to set. Once the chia and milk are mixed, you can place the jar in the fridge overnight (if preparing the day of the chia pudding should be set in about an hour).
Wash strawberries and blueberries. Slice strawberries (cut into quarters and then slice into thin sections). Once the chia pudding is set, top with one layer strawberries and one layer blueberries (about 1/2 cup). Set a few pieces of strawberry and about 1/4 cup blueberries aside.
In the yogurt, mix a splash of vanilla and ½ tsp of maple syrup (optional). Take the left over berries and crush them into the yogurt with a spoon. You can use flavoured yogurt, but I try to avoid this because of the high sugar content. It’s pretty easy to make your own. Top the blueberry layer with the yogurt mixture and decorate with a few blueberries on top.
Side note about the milk
I planned to use oat milk instead of regular milk for this recipe. For chia puddings and similar recipes, I tend to prefer milk alternatives because they often have more flavour than regular milk. I just didn’t have a chance to buy any oat milk.
I haven’t done the research on all kinds of milk alternatives, but beware of some of them. For instance almond milk is probably not a great choice if you are concerned about the environment. Almonds require lots of water (and are grown in drought-affected California) and they are sprayed with pesticides that are responsible for killing millions of bees. We absolutely need our bee populations to be healthy, therefore almond milk is definitely one to avoid!
Since soy milk is apparently not recommended for your health, perhaps drink it in small quantities only. Always check the ingredients on milk alternatives because they often have some you may want to avoid. Additionally, look for those that have been fortified with vitamins and are unsweetened (you can always add your own sweetener).
Just some things to keep in mind when coming up with new breakfast ideas!
3. Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie Bowl
Servings: 1
7 strawberries (approx.)
1.5 cups frozen pineapple
¼ cup steel cut oats
½ cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp honey (optional)
splash of vanilla
You may need ¼ cup of milk if the smoothie is too thick to mix properly.
Decoration: sliced strawberries, blueberries, and Johnny jump ups (edible pansies).
Blend ingredients. Add milk if the mixture is too thick for the blender. Pour into bowl and decorate as desired.
4. Mango Cinnamon Oatmeal Parfait
Servings: 1
1 tbsp ground flax
½ cup oatmeal
2 tsp maple syrup (divided)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
splash of vanilla
sliced mango
½ cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup blueberries
This is similar to the chia parfait above. The chia does tend to set a bit better than the oatmeal and mine didn’t work out that well because I used steel cut oats rather than oatmeal (making it a bit more liquid in consistency than desired). You can use any fruit you have on hand, I’ve used mangos and blueberries, but there are many options that will work.
Put flax, oatmeal, and cinnamon in a mason jar. Add milk, a splash of vanilla, and 1 tsp of maple syrup. Mix well. You can leave this overnight in the fridge to set. In the morning create a layer of mangos or other fruit on top of the oatmeal pudding.
Crush the blueberries into the yogurt and add 1 tsp of maple syrup and a splash of vanilla. Top the parfait with the yogurt mixture.
Because the oats didn’t set well, it was more difficult to make layers than with the chia pudding. If that is your ultimate goal you should probably opt for chia. Since more people have oatmeal on hand than chia, this is certainly an alternative. If you are not a big fan of oatmeal or have a small appetite, cut the quantity of the oatmeal pudding ingredients in half.
5. Vanilla Banana Date Smoothie
Servings: 1
2 bananas
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
6 pitted Medjool dates sliced or torn up
1 tsp honey (optional)
This was meant to be a strawberry, banana, date smoothie, but I ran out of strawberries, and going to the store these days is a bit of a hassle. I do encourage you to try adding strawberries to this recipe if you’ve got them. This is a very sweet smoothie because of the bananas and dates (a good reason to try with strawberries to balance the sweetness), therefore you may not want to add the honey. (My kitchen tester and I were divided on this one so I’ll leave it up to you).
Blend ingredients in blender. The blender should be able to tear up the dates, but if it is struggling add about ¼ cup of milk.
The idea for adding dates to a smoothie came from a fresh juice shop just down the street from where I lived in Bilbao. The owners were a couple from Iraq, and they had the brilliant idea of adding dates to some of their juices and smoothies. I’ve taken a cue from them and added some to my own smoothies! The name of the shop was Zumo Stop, but Google lists it as permanently closed, unfortunately.
Coffee for Breakfast?
If you just can’t imagine breakfast without coffee, I’ve got some iced coffees that are also great breakfast ideas! I usually have my iced coffee as a mid morning pick-me-up, but an iced coffee paired with a parfait doesn’t sound like a terrible idea either.
With regards to the recipes above, I am always in favour of using whatever you’ve got in the house. The recipes are designed to mix and match with different fruits, sweeteners, and milk options. I’m also one for not needing a recipe at all. These are really just a guide for new breakfast ideas, and you can alter and change the ingredients according to your preference. Hope you enjoy these breakfast ideas!
Tried the banana date recipe. Thumbs up!
Great!
Enjoyed the breakfasts you prepared. Keep up the novel ideas.
Thanks!!