Monday Morning Fix…5 easy meals in under 5 minutes!
Alright, I get it- it’s Monday morning, you hit snooze for record time and have an early office meeting, so what’s the one thing you’re likely to skip? Breakfast, right? In the list of early morning priorities, cooking typically isn’t very high up there for most of us. Most of us already know we are far more likely to make healthier choices throughout the rest of the day if we kick the morning off with a healthy breakfast, right? Allow me to simplify your morning meal prep. I’m not a huge fan of spending hours in the kitchen anyway, so instead of skipping out on a morning meal, I opt to make one of these instead (zero Top Chef skills required):
– Greek yogurt and fruit parfait: This one is seriously the easiest option, so if you have even one minute, make this! You can even throw it all in a Tupperware, put a lid on it and take it with you out the door. Throw 6-8 oz of PLAIN Greek yogurt (I opt for nonfat or 2%), and then top it with 1 cup of berries. Not a fan of berries? Chop up an apple or a banana and throw that on top instead. Simple, healthy, and a good balance of protein and carbs to kick start your day. Optional: top with your favorite chopped nuts (I’ll throw some almonds in with mine) if you want to add some heart healthy fats into the mix.
– Bikini Booty Protein Smoothie (all you need is a blender to add all of the ingredients to, blend and then pour into a shaker, add the lid and go!) with the following: ½-1 cup fruit of choice (I’ll usually opt for frozen berries or a banana on this one), 1 scoop COR whey protein (Whipped Vanilla or Strawberry Milkshake are pretty tasty options here), 6-8 oz of light/unsweetened almond milk, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter, a few ice cubes and blend. So simple, and as a bonus: minimal clean-up!
– Protein, PB and oats: Yep, it’s just how it sounds. Cook your oats (I add in 1 tablespoon PB before cooking), then mix in a scoop of protein powder after oats/pb are cooked. You may need a dash of light almond milk to properly mix in the protein, so if it’s not mixing as well as you’d like try that option, stir and enjoy. Seriously simple and this takes 2 minutes to make.
– Pour a protein shake over your favorite cereal. Yes, you read that correctly. Most of us have cereal in the house, so grab (I like Kashi Go Lean Crunch or others that are high in fiber without a ton of excess sugars added) a box, pour yourself a serving (fit tip about boxed cereal: ALWAYS read the nutrition info and pay attention to the serving size, as most of us- myself included- are guilty of having poured far more than a serving, as we just fill up our bowl, right?) whip up a protein shake (I typically make mine with 6-8 oz of light almond milk and 1 scoop of Cellucor whey), and then use that shake to pour over your cereal just as you typically would milk.
– Egg white & veggie scramble time! Before you roll your eyes at me and say “But Jen…I don’t have time to make anything on the stove in the morning!” hear me out. This is SERIOUSLY simple, you guys. So quick, I promise! In a pan, spray some nonstick spray, heat on medium-high, then add your veggies of choice (I keep it simple and stick with spinach because it cooks down so quickly), cook for 1-2 minutes, then add in eggs or egg whites. Scramble it all up and everything should be cooked in 5 min or less! I’ll throw this into a whole grain wrap of some sort and often top it with salsa or avocado. Probably not the easiest thing to eat while you’re driving to work (I’d stick with sipping on your smoothie for that one), but it’s healthy, quick and delicious! Scrambles are always my go-to, as they take far less time (not to mention less precision) than omelets do.