Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day, and healthy protein offers the best way to start your day off right.
Steel Cut Oats
Serves 5
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups steel-cut oats
- 4 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
Optional Mix-Ins:
- Milk or soy milk
- Cinnamon or other spices
- Raisins or other dried fruit
- Fresh berries
- Nuts or seeds
- Jam
- Honey
Nutrition Facts:
- 160 calories
- 5.4 grams protein
- 28.8 grams carbohydrates
- 2.6 grams fat
- 4.2 grams fiber
- 94.8 mg sodium
Instructions:
- Cook the oats for 3 minutes: Bring the oats, water, and salt to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes then turn off the heat.
- Let the 5 Mason jars stand at room temperature, then refrigerate: Divide the oatmeal among the jars. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for about an hour or until cool to the touch, then cap and refrigerate.
- Reheat the oatmeal in the microwave: Take the cap off one jar and stir up the oatmeal inside. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until quite hot. Add milk, raisins, or other mix-ins.
Adapted from www.thekitchn.com
Mini Vegetable Frittatas
Serves 6
Option 1: Peppers & Onion:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup red pepper, diced
- ½ cup green pepper, diced
- ¼ cup Spanish onion, diced
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup mozzarella
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Nutrition Facts:
- 143 calories
- 9.3 grams protein
- 4.1 grams carbohydrates
- 10.2 grams fat
- 0.5 grams fiber
- 142 mg sodium
Option 2: Spinach, Mushrooms & Onion:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup spinach, chopped
- ½ cup mushrooms
- ¼ cup Spanish onion, diced
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup mozzarella
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Nutrition Facts:
- 135 calories
- 8.9 grams protein
- 3 grams carbohydrates
- 10 grams fat
- 0.2 grams fiber
- 114 mg sodium
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly coat muffin cups with cooking spray or canola oil. Evenly divide the peppers and onion, or spinach, mushrooms, and onion between each muffin cup.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Ladle the mixture over the vegetables, filling the cups ¾ full. Top with grated mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until the frittatas are puffed and set in the center, about 18 minutes.
- To serve: Carefully run a knife around the edges to loosen and remove from the pan. Serve hot from the oven or cool completely on a wire rack, wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.
Adapted from www.today.com
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes with Lentils
Serves 9
Ingredients:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 30 ml brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 ml plain Greek yogurt
- 100 ml 2% milk
- 30 ml cup canola oil
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 over-ripe banana, mashed
- 1/3 cup cooked red lentils
- 1 tsp canola oil
Nutrition Facts:
- 139 calories
- 5 grams protein
- 18.6 grams carbohydrates
- 5.2 grams fat
- 1.7 grams fiber
- 87.4 mg sodium
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, 30 ml canola oil, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients along with banana and lentils, and stir until just combined.
- In a heavy skillet, over medium-high heat, add 1 tsp canola oil. Add batter to skillet using approximately 1/4 cup per pancake. The batter will be thick so you may need to spread it out with the back of a spoon. Cook for a couple of minutes, until bubbles begin to break through the surface and the bottom is golden. Keep the heat to medium, as these will take longer to cook through than most pancakes, and you do not want them to burn on the bottoms. Flip over with a thin spatula and cook until they are golden on the other side and springy to the touch. Keep the pancakes warm on a rack set on a baking sheet in a 250˚F oven while you finish cooking the remaining pancakes.
- Serve drizzled with maple syrup.
Adapted from www.lentils.ca
