With graduation fast approaching and summer holiday season, I thought it was time to lose a bit of weight to try and feel more confident by the time it comes around. When it comes to dieting, it’s a bit awkward for me as I’m gluten intolerant. This means that I can have gluten to an extent but not too much of it or I’ll be ill. The only awkward thing about having a gluten allergy/intolerance is that many gluten-free foods don’t taste good and I’m sure many others in my situation will agree.
Meal planning is just as important as exercise for me when it comes to losing weight. I am the worst person for snacking instead of eating meals or skipping meals due to work and other commitments. With my meal plans, I aim to find meals that I enjoy that are mostly healthy and as naturally gluten-free as possible.
As there will be a lot of people in a similar situation to me, I wanted to share the sort of meal ideas which I’ve been adding to my lists to give others some inspiration. Some of them I haven’t tried yet but imagine they will be nice and others are my go to meals on these plans. Because there are a lot of ideas, I’m going to do each section in separate posts as a ‘mini series’ type of thing. This one will focus on healthy breakfast ideas. Never forget that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Fruit, Granola & Yoghurt With Chia Seeds
Starting with fruit, granola and yoghurt. This is a really quick and simple breakfast idea which is great to have before work or taken into work with you. You can use whatever fruit you want, some of your favourite granola, the one I use is Aldi’s Harvest Morn Tropical Granola, A bit of yoghurt, plain yoghurt is a good option and Aldi sell their own yoghurt with protein in for if you want something more filling. If you want to you can also sprinkle a few chia seeds on top for some extra crunch.
‘Healthy’ Cooked Breakfast
Here in England, our go to breakfast is a ‘full English’ however we all know how unhealthy this type of breakfast is. There are ways of making it healthier by only using specific ingredients such as bacon, eggs and tomatoes or you can do the whole thing but just cooked in a healthier way than being fried.
Bacon & Scrambled Egg Toasted Sandwich
A bacon and scrambled egg toasted sandwich is a go to breakfast for me on these meal plans, especially when I have more free time in the mornings. Your bread does not have to be toasted for this it’s just something which I prefer and of course if you want to make it a bit quicker, you could always microwave your bacon and scrambled eggs.
Cheese & Tomato On Toast
This is one which I haven’t tried yet but I know will be nice as cheese and tomato go together. Even though cheese isn’t healthy, a small amount is better or a lower fat version which you can buy from supermarkets such as Asda. For this recipe, I would probably choose either cheddar cheese or halloumi, I would also pair it with cherry tomatoes as I personally prefer them to regular tomatoes. If you wanted anything extra on it, you could have a fried egg on top of it.
Biscoff & Banana Toastie
Biscoff and banana may sound like a weird combo but it does actually go really well together. Nut butters are another option to go with banana but me personally, I don’t like them and have a sensitivity to some nuts just not sure which so it’s a bit risky. The best way to make these toasties is with sandwich thins & a ‘Crimpit’. A Crimpit is a small tool what makes it easier and healthier to make a toastie. No butter is required for the Crimpit to work and once the toastie is all together, it can just be put in the toaster. If you don’t fancy it on a toastie, it’s also a good combo to put on rice cakes.
Nutella, Banana & Strawberry On Toast
So I know I’ve just said I’m sensitive to some nuts but I know hazelnuts aren’t one of them therefore they are safer for me to eat. If you don’t like Biscoff spread or feel like it wouldn’t go with much, Nutella is a great option instead of and it goes perfectly with fruits like strawberries and bananas. This toast topping is also perfect for your kids’ breakfasts.
Smashed Eggs On Toast
A different way to have egg on toast is to have smashed eggs, this basically means that a couple of boiled eggs have been smashed up on your bread. It’s a bit more ‘gram-worthy’ than your regular scrambled egg on toast. If you wanted to, you could also top it with watercress.
Pancake Skewers
Pancakes are a popular breakfast however, as we all know they’re not always the healthiest option. These skewers are a healthier way of having pancakes and fruit together as they are smaller portions. The best way to do this is to use store-bought mini pancakes rather than make your own as they probably wouldn’t stay put on the skewers, it’s then just a case of choosing what fruit you want to put with it. These are also great for your kids’ breakfasts and could be served with yoghurt for something more filling.
Loaded Scrambled Eggs
One way to make scrambled egg less boring is to add extras into it for more flavour, this could involve combinations like feta cheese and cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and feta cheese or bacon and a choice of different veggies. This can either be served on it’s own or on toast.
Bacon-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
I am yet to try these stuffed mushrooms which I found on Pinterest, they sound amazing. The recipe for these ones is linked here but you can always stuff them with just bacon and scrambled egg for a nice, tasty breakfast idea.
Egg-In-A-Hole Toast
This is another fun way of having egg on toast by cooking a fried egg in the middle of some toast. I personally believe this would taste nicer than your regular scrambled egg on toast, especially if you have a runny yolk. If you didn’t want just egg and toast, you could also serve this with some baked beans.
Chocoholic Toast
This toast topping is slightly similar to the Nutella one mentioned earlier, this one just has raspberries and almonds instead of strawberries and bananas. If you didn’t want to put almonds with it, you could top it with desiccated coconut. This is also a good one for your kids’ breakfasts.
Kale Omelette On Toast
This is a bit of a weird one which I am yet to try but believe it will be nice and healthy. With omelette being a similar texture to scrambled egg, I feel like this would work well. There is a recipe for a kale omelette here, however this one has extras in it & it can just be as simple as eggs, salt and pepper, cheese and kale.
Cereal & Fruit
This is probably another weird one but I saw it on Pinterest & thought it would work, adding a bit of fruit to a regular bowl of cereal starts off your 5 a day and kids will love it as much as adults. The one I saw was some kind of square shaped cereal possibly chocolate or Special K with strawberries. It may be a bit controversial but I’m willing to try!
Smoothies
Smoothies are a really good breakfast idea on a morning, they take 5 minutes to make, they are very filling and you can take them on the go if you need to. I found a few different smoothie recipes which I wanted to share that are either amazing or sound it.
Tropical Twist Smoothie
One of my favourite smoothies is my ‘tropical twist’ one, for this, I use the ‘Tropical Twist’ smoothie mix from Sainsbury’s which has mango, pineapple & papaya in. I then add half a banana, 1 tbsp of Aldi’s Brooklea protein yoghurt which I mentioned earlier and sometimes a drop of semi-skimmed milk just to make it smoother. I then sometimes top it with pomegranate seeds.
Fruit Salad Smoothie
Another favourite of mine is my Fruit Salad smoothie. In this one, I like to use the ‘Fruit Salad’ frozen mix by Asda. This mix comes with apples, grapes, strawberries & melon. This is honestly amazing in a smoothie. I also add in half a banana and 1tbsp of Aldi’s Brooklea protein yoghurt and top with pomegranate seeds.
Cranberry, Strawberry & Green Tea Smoothie
This is one which I haven’t tried yet but am eager to try. The main ingredients of this are cranberries and green tea but in mine, I would add more strawberries to make it sweeter. Cranberry is great for water infections and green tea is also good for your health as we all know. For this, I would use cranberries, cranberry juice, green tea, strawberries, Aldi’s Brooklea protein yoghurt and half a banana.
Wild Berry Smoothie
Another smoothie which I am eager to try is this wild berry smoothie. I’ve switched this round a little bit & decided I would use raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pomegranate juice, half a banana and Aldi’s Brooklea protein yoghurt. I would also top it with pomegranate seeds.
Chocolate Espresso Protein Smoothie
This smoothie sounds amazing & has coffee in so would give you energy in the mornings. The recipe is linked here but my way of doing this would be switching the vanilla milk for vanilla Greek yoghurt, Aldi have a protein version of this too or just plain Greek yoghurt. This part is more of trial and error but I wouldn’t bother with cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder and switch it for Aldi chocolate protein pudding and see how that worked out, I would also use instant coffee rather than espresso.
Pina Colada Smoothie
Unfortunately, this smoothie doesn’t contain alcohol. However, you can make it taste like a cocktail. All you need is either frozen pineapple chunks or tinned pineapple chunks, coconut milk, desiccated coconut and Aldi protein yoghurt.
Blueberry Muffin Protein Smoothie
The final smoothie recipe I found was this blueberry muffin one, I imagine this would taste amazing. The recipe is linked here however the things which I would change are that I would use vanilla flavoured greek yoghurt instead of protein powder and I wouldn’t bother with butter and salt.
Protein Coffee
So the final thing I found was this protein coffee frappe, it’s not really a smoothie but I felt like it came under the same kind of thing. I found this on an Instagram story & really wanted to try it. This would be great for a quick fix on a morning or even just a drink to take along to work with you. I would just rather try it with the Aldi chocolate protein pudding mentioned earlier instead of protein powder and would use normal milk instead of almond milk.
That’s everything which is on my breakfast meal plan list, I hope there are some ideas on here for everyone who is struggling to find the perfect breakfast. I’d love to know if anyone has tried these recipes out and what you thought to them, I’d also love to hear anymore recommendations.
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