If your New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier, then it all starts with a healthy, hearty breakfast. We’ve heard time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet many people continue to skip it or make unhealthy choices. These healthy breakfasts ideas for 2016 are not only wholesome and nutritious, but also easy to prepare in advance so you can just serve and go on busy weekday mornings.
Why is a healthy breakfast an essential component for achieving your weight-loss goals or maintaining a healthy lifestyle?
- It keeps your energy levels up throughout the day and boosts your brainpower.
- It kick-starts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories throughout the day.
- It encourages you to make healthier food choices for the rest of the day.
- It replenishes your glucose supply after a night of fasting.
- Most homemade breakfast foods (such as the ones listed below) do not contain refined flours and sugars and other unhealthy additives.
A hearty, typical North American breakfast usually requires some time spent in front of the stove, for example preparing omelettes, waffles, french toast, pancakes, bacon, the list goes on. Although I enjoy making a proper breakfast on the weekend (when I obviously have more time to do so), I always opt for pre-made, easy to serve breakfasts for weekday busy mornings. Prepping these healthy breakfasts in the evening reduces the probability of grabbing for sugary cereals or packaged foods during the stressful morning rush.
Chia Pudding
Chia seeds are loaded with heart-healthy omega 3’s and make for an easy, make-ahead breakfast. Simply prep the chia pudding in the evening then add your favourite ingredients (i.e., fresh fruit, nuts, etc.) in the morning, just before serving. Chia seeds are a great start to your morning since they also offer a healthy dose of antioxidants, fiber, and calcium. They absorb up to 10 times their weight in water so they are an ideal food to eat in the morning to ensure you start your say off hydrated!
Get these chia pudding recipes:
Raspberry Chocolate Chia Pudding Parfait
Strawberry Cheesecake Chia Pudding
Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding
Coconut Chia Pudding with Caramelized Peaches
Chia Seed Pudding with Date Paste
Eggs
Besides being naturally low in calories and very versatile to prepare, eggs are an excellent source of vitamin D and protein. The fat and protein content in eggs actually helps sustain your energy levels and keeps you satiated for longer and reduces the need for a mid-morning snack.
Get these egg recipes:
Asparagus Potato Frittata
Chorizo Zucchini Frittata
Pastasciutta Frittata
Zucchini Blossom Frittata
Pancetta Fried Eggs
Mini Tex-Mex Frittatas
Mini Ham Spinach Quiches
Overnight Oats
Oats are packed with fiber and help flush the bad cholesterol out of the digestive system. These easy-to-make oats are 100% raw and can be prepared in advance and served in the morning, right from the fridge or warmed up. This wholesome breakfast option lends well to a variety of flavour combinations and the kids will have fun making them too.
Get these overnight oat recipes:
Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats
Blueberry Mango Overnight Oats
Apple Pie Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
Homemade Breakfast Bars
Skip the packaged, store-bought granola or fruit and nut bars in favour of making homemade breakfast bars. Preparing your own bars means you know that they contain healthy, wholesome ingredients. Choose oats for a fiber-rich breakfast, puffed rice cereal as a gluten-free option, or dried fruit and nuts for a healthier version of packaged energy bars.
Get these breakfast bar recipes:
Banana Oat Breakfast Bars
Puffed Rice Breakfast Bars
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
Pumpkin Coconut Larabars
Dried Fruit and Nut Larabars
Lemon Coconut Larabars
Smoothies
When prepared with healthy ingredients smoothies are an excellent breakfast option, especially if you prepare them in the evening for a grab n ‘go breakfast. Be sure to add wholesome superfoods such chia seeds, fresh fruits and veggies, and Greek yogurt. Or, add a dollop of omega 3-rich nut butter, natural sweetener such as dates or raw honey, or protein powder. The more wholesome ingredients you add, the more satiated you will feel and the more energy you will have to kick-start your day.
Get these smoothie recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie
Banana Peach Chia Smoothie
Healthy Shamrock Smoothie
Frozen Mango Banana Coconut Smoothie
Breakfast Cookies
Packaged cookies are usually loaded with refined sugars and flours. Healthy breakfast cookies go well with tea, coffee, or milk for the kids. Little will they know that homemade cookies are actually good for them since you can swap traditional ingredients (i.e., butter, milk) with healthier ones (i.e., coconut oil, non-dairy milk) or add some superfoods, such as flax, chia, or hemp seeds.
Get these breakfast cookie recipes:
Oatmeal Goji Berry Cookies
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chia Oatmeal Cookies
Banana Coconut Quinoa Cookies
Raw Hazelnut Chocolate Goji Berry Cookies
Just made the overnight oats for the first time. Added some pecans and it was amazingly delicious. I will try all the overnight oats recipes.
I love Chia Pudding and Overnight oats for breakfast!
I love the suggestions you made! I love chia seeds in my morning shakes. Breakfast is super important and I really hope that I can continue to make healthier, decisions. I need breakfast, because I work out at 5am, so after working out I am starrrrrving LOL.
I swear, in the past couple of years, chia seeds have really hit the scene. I never recall seeing chia pudding or shakes or cereals before, or overnight oats. I really love a veggie-packed omelet to start the day.
I’m not exactly when they started becoming so popular…I started buying them a few years and they’re a constant ingredient in my pantry!
These are some great suggestions! Hubby and the toddler are egg obsessed so I’m constantly making them anything egg related!
Thanks! Well, there are quite a few egg recipes here for you to choose from 😉
I love these breakfast ideas, especially the chia pudding recipes! Much as I love chia seeds, I have never tried chia pudding before.
You have to try it! You won’t believe how easy it is to prepare…and you can mix in just about everything ingredient or flavour combo!
Love your ideas! I’m trying to eat healthier too! Can’t wait to try your cookie recipe!
These are great breakfast ideas. Sometimes I forget just how important eating breakfast is.
A lot of people I know complain that they literally can’t eat right in the morning…that they need to wait a few hours to eat. I wouldn’t last! lol!
These sound amazing! I love all these healthy options. Eggs are some of my favorites!
Love all the recipes. I should really make some of those cookies. We like things that are quick and easy first thing in the morning.
I love breakfast cookies…I dip them in my espresso and the kids dip theirs in milk, or sometimes a kid-friendly cappuccino!
All the recipes sound delicious! Thank you for rounding them up. Can’t wait to try them all.
I have been wanting to try Chia seeds. These are great breakfast ideas. I will have to try the chocolate Chia seed pudding.
That one is one of my kid’s faves!
I would love to try the oatmeal bar breakfast. It looks so deli-cious!
These are some great recipes. I really like the eggs recipes – there is so much that you can do with eggs, and these are delicious.
I agree! I want to develop a recipe for a baked egg casserole next.
These are all indeed great ideas for healthy breakfast. I love the overnight oats because there is so many different kinds you can make for a quick healthy breakfast.
Exactly! I make the base (chia, milk, yogurt) the night before then add fresh fruit and/or nuts, nut butter, etc in the morning.
My dad prepares breakfast for us and it will be great if he can also spice things up by trying these ideas. I would love to have breakfast cookies but I’m not sure if these will be enough to make me full the entire morning just before lunch. 🙂
I always have to eat breakfast in the morning but I don’t eat a lot. The cookies work for me…you might need to eat a few of them to keep you full until lunch 😉
Those are great ideas for breakfast. Smoothies and overnight oats are my family’s favorite.
My kids really love overnight oats…just when I think they are sick of them, they ask me to make them in the morning 😉
I would be very happy having smoothies for breakfast. These are great breakfast ideas and very healthy too with superfood chia seeds!
Very great breakfast ideas. I enjoy eggs and oatmeals every morning 🙂 can’t go wrong
I love eggs for breakfast! I have been wanting to try Chia Seeds but they kind of freak me out…LOL!
What ‘freaks you out’ about them?! You know they have no flavour, right? They have a gelatinous consistency when soaked so unless you like tapioco or pudding, they might really creep you out, lol!
I love smoothies for breakfast. They are so quick and easy to whip up and it’s easy to customize to your favorite flavors.
It has been said that breakfast
is the most important meal of the day. We need to make it healthy.
Great healthy breakfast ideas. I add Chia seeds to my oatmeal almost every morning.
These are great ideas! I struggle with this all the time, and I end up not eating or scarfing down a donut at 11. I need to try some of these.
You should make some of the cookies and bars and pack a few in your lunch for a healthier mid-morning snack!
I am an egg eater when it comes to my first pick for breakfast. My second it oats. Oats are the only carb besides rye bread that doesn’t make my stomach feel in knots , cause inflimation or make my immune disorder mess act up.
I have issues with gluten however, they are not severe. I do notice how I don’t feel as bad after eating them as I would other breads.
I like these ideas. I could try out some yummy chia pudding recipes. I should probably start making eggs more often too.
I need to join this homemade breakfast bar kick. They all look so good. I normal just do fruit or eggs if I cook.
You could try a new recipe every couple of days 😉
These all sound super yummy too even though they’re healthy. I love anything with eggs so might try one of those.
Eggs are one of those things that we’re trying to eat more of. It’s one of the few things that ALL of us enjoy, which is hard to find, lol! Here’s to eating healthier in 2016!
It’s really hard to find one food that everyone in the family loves!
These breakfast recipes all look so good. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and sometimes I don’t understand why some people skip it. That’s exactly what it means – Breakfast: “Break the fasting.”
Exactly! I actually HAVE to eat first thing in the morning!
I am a big fan of overnight oats and chia pudding. While I don’t eat eggs, I do make them for the hubs and my stepkids. 🙂 The homemade breakfast bars look fun to make with them. We will definitely have to try those!
They’re so easy to make and they’re a healthy treat to serve in the morning to curb any sweet cravings during the day…
I have always wanted to try the Chia pudding! I’m trying to eat healthier this year so hopefully I can incorporate this into my breakfast routine.
You can even just sprinkle it on salad, or toast…there’s so much you can do with them.
I usually go with a yogurt, granola, fruit parfait. They are healthy and best of all – filling.
Perfect combo!
the homemade breakfast bars and smoothies are right up my alley! Thanks for the suggestions!
thankx a lot for all these recepies.i love chia seeds so i will definatly try these
These are awesome ideas. My son loves breakfast burritos, but my husband is always looking for a variety. I will definitely be trying a few of these.
I love breakfast burritos! I’m still trying to get my son into them…he has an issue with tortillas?!?
I never used to eat breakfast but now I can’t imagine not. I usually have smoothies but am getting sick of them – awesome suggestions.
I love smoothies but can only do them for a few days at a time…after that I get sick of them too!
I don’t think I could live without some sort of breakfast cookies. They make eating breakfast on the run easy and nutritious!
Why have sugary granola or packaged oatmeal when you can make your own transportable oatmeal cookies, right?!
I have always wanted to try more types of protein bites! I will be looking more into these for some breakfast fuel.
I recently bought a bag of chia seeds.. and was wondering how to use it! Love all your ideas.. especially the chia pudding! Thanks for sharing, I will be trying a few of these recipes 😉
You should check out the chia seed recipes..they’re so easy to prepare!
OMG I love all the ideas!! Thanks for sharing the recipes | http://carmelapop.com
Thanks!
I was raised with the whole “most important meal of the day” mantra…and it’s something I still believe today. So many of these options are being added to my to-try list. Is it morning yet?
Lol! I hope you do try some of them!
Smoothies in the morning? I haven’t tried it yet but must be an interesting one. And yes, eggs!!! I love eggs, aside from it’s easy to prepare, I just like how it boosts up my energy if I eat one in the morning.
They’re actually pretty filling, depending on the ingredients you use!
These are definitely some great recipes! I love having overnight oats, and that asparagus fritata looks really amazing.
Breakfast is one meal I struggle to make good choices with, I typically grab a protein bar. These are amazing breakfast choices!
It’s always better to make your own…there’s way too much sugar and unhealthy ingredients in packaged ones! You never know what’s in them!
I am guilty of skipping breakfast though I know I shouldn’t. However, I am inspired by a few of these recipes so I may give them a go.
These healthy breakfast ideas are a great way to start the day. I love eggs in the morning because they are fast and easy to make but I’ll try your other suggestions.
I don’t make anything in the morning (except for toast!). I prepare eggs the night before too 😉
I make it easy with homemade granola and yogurt. Or cottage cheese and fruit with a buttered English muffin and jam. Coffee is always the constant though. My toddler loves granola, but he usually wants waffles that we make in large batches and freeze for quick reheating in the toaster.
YES…coffee (actually espresso) is ALWAYS the constant!!!
Eggs and smoothies are definitely my go-to for healthy breakfast options. Of course, I prefer my eggs covered and cheese and in a tortilla, so not sure how healthy that is 😉
I don’t think that’s very unhealthy at all…as long as you choose a whole wheat or grain tortilla and light cheese!
I used to do just coffee…now I’m doing high protein smoothies, eggs and sometimes in a rush I have a healthy gluten free cookie or protein bar. Trying to be much better about breakfast in 2016!
Good for you!
Breakfast is such an important meal of the day. I always try to have a nutritious breakfast. Those breakfast cookies look great!
Thanks!