So January came around and I was definitely due a health kick. All was going well until mysterious illness, which started on Thursday. Boo…

Nevertheless, I’ve been a good girl. I thought I’d share some healthy breakfast ideas with you, some of which I’ve tucked into this week. Today’s breakfast was:

stewed plums with natural low-fat yoghurt and seeds

The Man actually stewed the plums for his own breakfast, and there were leftovers. Massive score. All this consists of is around 5 plums and 1 apple (served 3 people, slowly heated until they break down. You could add a shake of cinnamon for flavour too, if you fancy). And for some texture, a shake of mixed seeds does the job (FYI a great addition to salads, too, if you’re not already doing it…)

Other healthy breakfast ideas I’ve enjoyed this week and am planning more of:

Poached egg with vegetarian sausage on a homemade muffin

Okay, so it’s not a light breakfast, but swapping your sausage for a veggie one is a massive bonus, whilst still being pleasingly sausagey (it tastes more sausagey than a frankfurter, in my opinion) and high in protein. I would suggest wholemeal toast instead of a toasted muffin, but in all honesty muffins are my Achilles heel. Best bread product, ever. End of. To be a goody goody, though, you’ll be wanting wholemeal. Soz.

Porridge

Some might call it boring, I know, but you can’t beat a bowl of porridge for being warmed and full. I mix up my porridge by buying normal oats and mixing in a handful of mixed seeds, a handful of dried fruit (cranberries, dates, raisins – whatever) and a shake of spice (usually dried cinnamon and ginger, but pre-Christmas I love a bit of Mixed Spice and All Spice). Put that mix in a container, shake it up and voila! I have more interesting porridge ready, without the faff of mixing it every day. Plus, the seeds add some valuable fat and protein, which means I have a much smaller portion of porridge which fills me for longer. Bonus.

And one of my favourite on the go breakfasts,

Homemade yoghurt pots

Simply layer a crunchy mix (I usually opt for 1tsp porridge oats (my flavoured mix) and 1 tsp mixed seeds with 1/2 tsp chia seeds and maybe 1 tsp crushed nuts (e.g. walnuts)) in the bottom of a small, sealable tupperware. This guy is my fave to do the job:

So yeah, this recipe is basically the one at the top, but it is ALL IN THE LAYERING. Plus this guy is mega-transportable. So, put your crunchy nut/oat/seed base at the bottom, then a spoon of stewed fruit (or if you’re feeling cheeky, a tiny teaspoon of homemade jam or some tiny slivers of membrillo are options I am a massive fan of), and then cover with around 1-2tbsp of natural yoghurt. Long-lasting, healthy breakfast on the go. Boom.

Moroccan Eggs

This I can eat at any time of the day, but it’s best as a brunch or dinner in my opinion (it even fits the calorie count to have as brunch on a 5:2 diet day, allowing you to have a (low-cal) supper too)! I’m sorry I don’t have a picture of this one, cos it’s a cracker. It’s also totally up to you what to do with it, but here’s my basic recipe for 1:

1/3 courgette

1/3 aubergine

red chilli powder, to taste

cinnamon powder, to taste

cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp

coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp

1/2 can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

Screw of black pepper

1 free-range egg

Take a frying pan and dry fry your aubergine and courgette, chopped into c.1.5cm cubes. Shake in the spices, so they too become aromatic. You are just looking to get a little char on the outside of your veg – it won’t take too long. Don’t let them burn, but try to give them a little char and let them slightly soften.

Now add your 1/2 tin tomatoes and the oregano. A fresh herb like thyme wouldn’t go amiss here, if you fancy. You need to cook this until it reduces from a tomatoey water to a much thicker mix, more like a slightly watery tomato paste. This might take around 15 minutes. Again, make sure it doesn’t burn, and if it starts to stick you can always add a splash of water, or stock.

When the tomato is thick enough, you should be able to separate it with a wooden spoon, making a “Moses-and-the-Red-Sea”-style sauceless gap down the middle. When you’re at this stage, get your grill on. Make a little nest in the middle of your tomato pan, and crack your egg into it. The hole should be deep enough to contain the egg without it running away. Screw on some black pepper, and bung your egg under the grill for a couple of minutes – make sure your egg white cooks, but don’t overcook the yolk – beware, the egg will look shiny and uncooked on its glossy surface, even when a hard yellow yolk has formed beneath!

I hope those are some decent breakfast ideas. Enjoy! x