Becky Striepe, Care2

It can be hard to pull it together and make breakfast, can’t it? On a busy morning, the most important meal of the day often falls to the wayside as we get ready for work, pack lunches, and scramble to be out the door on time. Sometimes the problem isn’t time, though. That bowl of cold cereal gets pretttttty boring after a while! If you’re in a breakfast slump, check out these vegan breakfast ideas to kickstart your morning routine!

Breakfast: Why Bother?

We hear over and over that it’s important to eat breakfast, but what’s the big deal about the morning meal?

Starting the day off with a meal might seem like a waste of calories, especially if you’re trying to shed those holiday pounds, but eating breakfast actually helps rev up your metabolism, so you burn more calories throughout the day. Your body has been fasting for at least eight hours or so when you wake up, and breakfast not only gives you the fuel to have a productive morning but reminds your brain that you’re don’t need to kick into starvation mode.

The trick is to make healthy breakfast choices, loaded with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and healthy protein. On the next page, check out some delicious vegan breakfast ideas to start your day off right!

We all need a little help in the breakfast department from time to time. I have gone through periods of chronic breakfast-skipping, and making time for even a small breakfast always makes my mornings so much better! These are some of my favorite vegan breakfast recipes:

1)     Vegan yogurt with sliced banana and raw cashews – When you’re choosing a vegan yogurt, check that nutritional information, and opt for an unsweetened variety. Even some plain vegan yogurts can be pretty sugar-heavy! You can always add a little sugar or maple syrup to taste, but you can’t take it away.

2)     Pumpkin oatmeal – A bowl of oatmeal is a great way to start the day with some whole grains, but oatmeal can get a little humdrum, if you let it. Try jazzing it up with this pumpkin oatmeal recipe!
3)     Avocado toast – Instead of spreading butter or margarine on your toast, pile on 1/4 to 1/2 of a Haas avocado to start the day off with some healthy fats! A little thinly sliced onion and a squeeze of lemon juice doesn’t hurt, either. A new study found that avocado-eaters tend to be healthier than non-avocado-eaters.

4)     Green smoothie – You can also drink your breakfast! A green smoothie combines all the deliciousness of a smoothie with the power of raw greens. Need some green smoothie help? Check out our beginner guide to green smoothies.

5)     Tofu scramble – If you have some extra time in the morning, you can’t beat a tofu scramble! Loaded with protein and veggies, this is a satisfying breakfast. I like to make tofu scrambles on a lazy Sunday morning, and usually I base mine on this recipe from The PPK.

6)    Chia pudding – Chia seeds are a nutritional powerhouse, and a bowl of chia pudding is as healthy as it is delicious. The best part? You can set those seeds a-soakin’ the night before, so your pudding will be ready when you wake up in the morning – no A.M. prep required!

7)    Loaded blueberry muffins – If your mornings are super rushed, making a batch of muffins on the weekend is a great way to have the kitchen stocked with grab-and-go breakfast food. I love this loaded blueberry muffin recipe from Manifest Vegan. They’re packed with healthy berries, flax meal, and zucchini!

8)    Steel cut oats – Steel cut oats are less processed than the rolled oats we’re used to making. That means more nutrition, but it also means a much longer cooking time. Overnight oats to the rescue! Like the chia pudding, this recipe is pretty much ready, so you don’t have a lot to do in the morning.

9)    Vegan omelet – Say what? Like an egg omelet, this isn’t a busy morning breakfast, but it’s great for a more leisurely morning or even for brunch. Check out this awesome vegan omelet recipe to get you going.

10)    Granola bars – Another grab-and-go option, I like to make a big batch of granola bars over the weekend to eat all week. This granola bar recipe makes enough bars for my husband and I both to eat, and it lasts us all week long.

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