Our Monday Challenge this week is actually really easy and will help give you the energy you need to start your day right. This week, I’m challenging you to eat a high protein breakfast every morning. Leave those Cheerios on the shelf and pull out the eggs instead.
Why protein instead of vitamin-fortified cereal? Unlike carbohydrates, your body can not store protein. You need to consume enough each day to help build and repair muscle tissue, carry oxygen through your body, and get your essential amino acids.
Doesn’t a high protein breakfast equal a lot more cooking? It can, but if you do a little advance planning, you can fit these breakfasts into your morning pretty naturally. Here’s the thing: You’ve got to find which recipes your family likes and what you’re willing to do in order to get breakfast ready each morning.
Below are some great protein breakfasts our family enjoys. Below each of them, I offer some tips to streamline the prep process. I've also included a sample weekly breakfast menu. As you look at the menu, decide what you like and what you want to do differently, then plan your own menu. Planning a breakfast menu in advance will make your week a lot easier.
Protein Packed Pancakes
Tip: If you don’t have almond flour on hand, make your own by throwing some almonds into a food processor and mixing into a powder with the “S” blade. Do this ahead of time and store in a baggie. You can also mix together all of your dry ingredients ahead of time, then just dump into a bowl that morning and add the wet ingredients. For super fast prep, make the pancakes ahead of time, then simply reheat them in the morning and serve.
Smoothies
Tip: Make sure to freeze your fruit ahead of time. We freeze berries and peeled bananas on a cookie sheet, then store them in baggies in the freezer. When it’s time to make smoothies, we just take them out and throw them in the blender. Sam’s Club actually sells a large bag of frozen, sliced strawberries for a competitive price.
Tip: My kids are big breakfast eaters and often pair their smoothies with toast (using Ezekiel 4:9 bread) or shredded wheat (Kashi’s “Vanilla Island” and “Cinnamon Harvest” shredded wheat provide delicious flavor without adding a bunch of sugar).
Hole In One Eggs
Tip: Ahead of time, crush the shredded wheat and store in a baggie, mix together the eggs and milk and store in the refrigerator, and cut out the circles in the bread slices. You could also prepare the entire breakfast ahead of time and simply reheat it in the morning.
Quiche
Tip: Bake the crust ahead of time, then assemble the filling and place in the oven as soon as you wake up in the morning so it can bake while you’re getting ready. You can also bake the quiche ahead of time and reheat individual slices in the morning.
Scrambled Eggs
Tip: If you want to add homemade sausage, cheese, bacon, or other fillers, prepare them ahead of time. I make up a pound of sausage at a time and store it in individual sized baggies in the freezer. Dale cooks up onions and peppers and does the same thing. Shred the cheese ahead of time.
Breakfast Burritos
To make these, simply fill a whole wheat tortilla or Ezekiel tortilla with scrambled eggs and your choice of fillings.
Tip: Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepared ahead of time. That morning, all you have to do is assemble and heat.
Egg Sandwiches
Use Ezekiel 4:9 bread, hamburger buns, or English muffins, then layer on fried eggs, cheese, and your choice of meat. Great Harvest Bread Company also makes some very dense and healthy rolls you could use for this.
Tip: Consider making a bunch of these ahead of time and freezing them, already assembled. Then, just place a sandwich in the fridge the night before to thaw, and reheat in the morning.
Omelets
Tip: Make sure all of your fillings are prepared ahead of time, so all you have to do in the morning for a freshly cooked omelet is cook up the egg and throw in the fillings.
Hard Boiled EggsTip: Boil and peel the night before for an easy grab and go breakfast.
Scotch Eggs
Tip: If you don’t have almond flour on hand, make your own by throwing some almonds into a food processor and mixing into a powder with the “S” blade. Do this ahead of time and store in a baggie. You can also mix together all of your dry ingredients ahead of time, then just dump into a bowl that morning and add the wet ingredients. For super fast prep, make the pancakes ahead of time, then simply reheat them in the morning and serve.
Smoothies
Tip: Make sure to freeze your fruit ahead of time. We freeze berries and peeled bananas on a cookie sheet, then store them in baggies in the freezer. When it’s time to make smoothies, we just take them out and throw them in the blender. Sam’s Club actually sells a large bag of frozen, sliced strawberries for a competitive price.
Tip: My kids are big breakfast eaters and often pair their smoothies with toast (using Ezekiel 4:9 bread) or shredded wheat (Kashi’s “Vanilla Island” and “Cinnamon Harvest” shredded wheat provide delicious flavor without adding a bunch of sugar).
Hole In One Eggs
Tip: Ahead of time, crush the shredded wheat and store in a baggie, mix together the eggs and milk and store in the refrigerator, and cut out the circles in the bread slices. You could also prepare the entire breakfast ahead of time and simply reheat it in the morning.
Quiche
Tip: Bake the crust ahead of time, then assemble the filling and place in the oven as soon as you wake up in the morning so it can bake while you’re getting ready. You can also bake the quiche ahead of time and reheat individual slices in the morning.
Scrambled Eggs
Tip: If you want to add homemade sausage, cheese, bacon, or other fillers, prepare them ahead of time. I make up a pound of sausage at a time and store it in individual sized baggies in the freezer. Dale cooks up onions and peppers and does the same thing. Shred the cheese ahead of time.
Breakfast Burritos
To make these, simply fill a whole wheat tortilla or Ezekiel tortilla with scrambled eggs and your choice of fillings.
Tip: Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepared ahead of time. That morning, all you have to do is assemble and heat.
Egg Sandwiches
Use Ezekiel 4:9 bread, hamburger buns, or English muffins, then layer on fried eggs, cheese, and your choice of meat. Great Harvest Bread Company also makes some very dense and healthy rolls you could use for this.
Tip: Consider making a bunch of these ahead of time and freezing them, already assembled. Then, just place a sandwich in the fridge the night before to thaw, and reheat in the morning.
Omelets
Tip: Make sure all of your fillings are prepared ahead of time, so all you have to do in the morning for a freshly cooked omelet is cook up the egg and throw in the fillings.
Hard Boiled EggsTip: Boil and peel the night before for an easy grab and go breakfast.
Scotch Eggs
For some additional breakfast options, check out the Maximized Living Blog: Breakfast Recipes.
Tip: You’ll notice that I keep saying to prepare and cook different elements of the recipes “ahead of time.” What, exactly, does that mean? Personally, I don’t want to stay up late the night before prepping everything because then I’m still spending the same amount of time in the kitchen. It just happens to be at night!
Instead, find a time about once a week that you can set aside for meal prep. This should be after you’ve gone to the store so you have all of your ingredients on hand. Cut up your onions and peppers, shred your cheese, cook up your sausage, make your tortillas, bake your crust—do it all at once so it’s done and ready. Then, your work in the kitchen the rest of the week will be much, much easier.
Instead, find a time about once a week that you can set aside for meal prep. This should be after you’ve gone to the store so you have all of your ingredients on hand. Cut up your onions and peppers, shred your cheese, cook up your sausage, make your tortillas, bake your crust—do it all at once so it’s done and ready. Then, your work in the kitchen the rest of the week will be much, much easier.
Keys Family Sample Breakfast Menu
Sunday: Smoothies
Monday: (Muffin Monday.) Fried eggs and muffins.
Tuesday: Smoothies
Wednesday: Omelets
Thursday: Smoothies
Friday: Scrambled eggs
Saturday: Smoothies
Sunday: Smoothies
Monday: (Muffin Monday.) Fried eggs and muffins.
Tuesday: Smoothies
Wednesday: Omelets
Thursday: Smoothies
Friday: Scrambled eggs
Saturday: Smoothies
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