Meal prep Monday: Breakfast made simple

Do you get stuck eating the same thing each morning or skipping breakfast because you don’t have time? I know sometimes it seems easier to skip it, but breakfast can be easy and nutritious. Breakfast can also be a part of your weekly meal prep if that makes it more convenient.

A new breakfast find in the frozen section

I love breakfast. I can eat it for every meal of the day without thinking twice. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, muffins and omelets are just a few of my favorites.

When there is a will there is a way to enjoy these year round. Seriously. It just requires a little creativity.

While shopping at one of my local grocery stores I stumbled upon Kodiak Cakes waffles. Yes, waffles. I didn’t even know that Kodiak Cakes made waffles. Did you? I love the pancake mix, which I keep on hand. So, I had to buy the waffles. I am so glad I did and will be going back to try the others – blueberry chia and dark chocolate.

These are a great way to be able to eat on the go or when you are short on time. You can toss them in the toaster as you are getting dressed or two minutes before you walk out the door. No fuss. If you have a little time, you can scramble an egg to add some extra protein.

Meal prep creativity

Boring and bland? No thank you. There is barely room for boring the last couple weeks of competition prep, but that is it. Right now, creativity is the mother of essentials. Creativity keeps the basics – chicken, ground turkey, white fish and egg whites – doable because without it, meals can get stagnant.

There’s no reason for that if you are willing to try things. Sometimes it’s the smallest things like seasonings and spices that can make the difference. Your meals can taste totally different with seasonings alone.

Here are some ideas to keep things creative:

1. Start with a foundation. You can use the same protein as the foundation of each meal, but then add different spices or veggies to give each dish a little twist.
2. Swap recipes with a friend. I often find myself googling or on Pinterest for ideas. Why not ask your friends for a couple of their favorite recipes? This will help change up the boring and monotonous meal routine.
3. Make food look fun. This may be the inner-kid in me talking, but spiraling or prepping foods in fun-looking ways just makes it that much more exciting to eat. Try adding some color with a variety of vegetables.

Creative breakfast for the win

One of my favorite meals is breakfast as I mentioned. I can eat breakfast morning, noon and night. How about you?

This week I decided to take my morning carb, oatmeal and make banana oatmeal muffins. They are simple yet tasty.

I mix everything up in my measuring cup first with ripened bananas before pouring into my muffin pan. Give or take 10 minutes later they are done.

Once they are cool, I put them in plastic bags so that in the morning I pair them with my egg whites for an easy breakfast. I am also known for eating them post workout with a protein shake when I am not going home right away.

There really is no reason to skip breakfast. You can have a hearty nutritious breakfast if you are short on time or have plenty of time to meal prep. Either way, there are options.

What’s your favorite breakfast item?