Breakfast is brain-food that gives you the fuel you
need to hit the ground running in the morning. Reaching for carb-heavy
breakfasts may be habitual, but could result in your stomach grumbling sooner
and have you going for high-fat or high-sugar snacks.
Instead, go for high-protein breakfasts that can help
you stay fuller for longer and stimulate your metabolism to burn calories. There
are a numerous reasons why you should be eating breakfast. To help you get inspired in the kitchen, we’ve provided
five of our favourite high-protein breakfasts.
1. Egg White Breakfast Cups
Egg
whites are 90% water and 10% protein, and account for around 67% of
the protein found in eggs. With 3.6 grams of protein in each egg white, plus leafy
spinach and juicy Roma tomatoes, these breakfast cups are not only delicious
but have less than 50 calories!
Ingredients
2 cups spinach (60 g)
1 Roma tomato
2 cups egg white (480 mL)
Salt (to taste)
½ teaspoon pepper
Macro:
12 grams of protein, 136 calories.
Instructions:
Preheat
the oven to 180°C
Lightly
grease a muffin tin
Then
divide the spinach equally across 6 cups
Dice
the tomato, then fill the cups with the tomato and egg whites.
Season
with salt and pepper
Bake
for 15 minutes, or until the whites have set
Serve
hot.
2. Oatmeal Protein Pancake
Protein
shakes are great and all, but there are other ways to up your protein intake. These
nutrient-packed pancakes feel just that little bit naughty.
Keep
things simple by mashing banana, eggs, oats and a touch of cinnamon. Top it with
low-fat Greek yoghurt, chia seeds or fruit for that extra oomph.
Ingredients
1 medium ripe banana
2 large eggs
? cup oats
¼ tsp cinnamon
Macro:
17 grams of protein, 355 calories.
Instructions
Mash
bananas in a bowl with a fork
Add
the eggs and mix until well combined
Put
the oats in a blender and blend until fine
Add
the blended oats and cinnamon to the banana. Mix and stir well
Heat a
skillet over a medium heat with a dash of vegetable oil
Pour ¼
cup of the mixture into the skillet, cook on one side for about 1.5 minutes,
then turn and cook on the other side for about 1 minute (or until golden brown
on both sides)
Serve
(with or without maple syrup) and enjoy.
3. Overnight Oats with Blueberries
Avoid
the morning madness by whipping together your oats the night before. Delicious,
nourishing and easy to make, you can keep things interesting by swapping in
different berries, fruits or even a scoop of protein powder.
Ingredients
½ cup oats
½ cup Greek yogurt (go for low-fat, high-protein)
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds
½ cup blueberries
Instructions
Combine
all ingredients – minus the blueberries – in a glass jar and put it in the
fridge overnight. In the morning, top it with fresh blueberries and enjoy.
Macro:
25 grams of protein, 395 calories.
4. Strawberry Coconut Protein Smoothie
Refreshing,
fruity, and high in protein and fibre, this strawberry coconut protein shake is
a great post-workout fix. All you need to do is blitz the ingredients in a
blender and you’re good to go.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground flax seed
Instructions
Add
ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until it’s smooth. Add extra
coconut milk if it’s too thick.
Macro:
21 grams of protein, 270 calories.
5. Green Shakshuka
Who said breakfast had to be boring? Perfect for
feeding the family, this recipe is packed with green goodies and a good protein
hit.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, washed and sliced
100g bag baby spinach
250g frozen peas
2 large garlic gloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds
Small pack parsley, roughly chopped
Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Small bunch of mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped,
reserving a few leaves to garnish
8 medium eggs
150 natural yoghurt
1 tbsp harissa
Flatbread
(to serve)
Instructions:
Heat
the oil in a wide, shallow frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks with a
pinch of salt and cook for 4 mins until softened. Add handfuls of spinach to
the pan, stirring until wilted.
Stir
in the peas, garlic, cumin, herbs and some seasoning. Cook for a few mins until
it smells fragrant, then create four gaps and crack two eggs into each. Cover
and cook for 10 mins or until the whites are set but the yolks are runny – they
will carry on cooking slightly as you take them to the table.
Season
the eggs with flaky sea salt, dollop a spoonful of the yogurt interspersed with
the harissa, and scatter over a few mint leaves. Serve with a pile of flatbread
for dipping.
Macro: 22 grams of protein, 337 calories.
Need a helping hand to get started?
Unsure
what nutrients are best for your body? Come
talk to one of our personal trainers about your fitness goals.
They’ll be able to walk you through personalised recipes and fitness ideas tailored
to your lifestyle.