Name: Prep these two quick breakfast ideas the night before for a nutritious start to the day
Yield: Makes:

published 19 May 2023

Quick breakfast ideas are an essential part of most people's day. Whether you're getting ready for work, trying to fit in a training session, or need space for your daily mindfulness practice, breakfast can easily take a backseat when you're tight on time.

In the evenings, you might have time to open up one of the best vegan cookbooks and make a meal from scratch, but if you need a quick, nutritious boost in the morning that you can prepare in advance, we can help.

Bonberi co-founder Nicole Berrie has collaborated with yoga and wellbeing app Alo Moves to create several quick breakfast ideas that you can prepare in advance. Each one is designed to keep you full for longer and give you a nutritional boost first thing in the morning.

We asked Berrie about her two favorite quick breakfast ideas — a green smoothie and overnight oats — and why they make the perfect pick-me-up early in the day.

Nicole Berrie

Nicole Berrie is a best-selling cookbook author and a co-founder of the wellness brand Bonberi. Her latest book, Body Harmony, focuses on balancing life, health, and fitness while juggling your career, social life and family time.

Daily overnight oats

According to Berrie, this overnight oats recipe is ideal for starting your day with more fruit as you can top it with fresh berries or pretty much anything you like.

"Since the oats are soaked overnight, they are easily digested, and they’re also combined with soaked chia seeds which can support elimination and digestion," explains Berrie.

"These overnight oats are packed with iron, plant-based protein via whole nut milk and chia seeds, and are rich with trace minerals of zinc, selenium, and copper."

Instructions

Use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, vanilla, and milk in a bowl.
Mix the oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt in a separate jar.
Pour the milk mixture over the oats and stir gently.
Seal in a container and leave in the fridge overnight for up to three days.
Add your favorite toppings to serve.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon maple syrup
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2⁄3 cup nut milk or any plant-based milk
1⁄2 cup steel-cut organic oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of sea salt
Optional toppings: Fresh blueberries, nut butter, toasted coconut

Bonberi Green Smoothie

"I have the Bonberi Green Smoothie every day around my workout,” says Berrie. “It's made with coconut water, which I call nature's Gatorade, and promotes [long-lasting] energy through chlorophyll-rich plants, like dark leafy spinach and mint.

"Plus, it's got plenty of hydrating fiber-rich fruit and veg, like celery and mango. The lemon and fresh mint can also support immunity and aid digestion," she adds.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen mango
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1⁄2 cup packed mint leaves
2 cups (60 grams) of baby spinach
2 frozen ripe bananas cut into 1-inch slices
2-3 cups young coconut water or water

Instructions

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
Drink at the time or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

These two quick breakfast ideas help you enjoy a nutritious start to the day in a pinch. They are also a great way to support your body throughout the day and help you feel fuller for longer, which means less snacking too. This is a crucial part of maintaining a calorie deficit to lose weight sustainably.

Incidentally, both recipes are vegan-friendly, so you get many plant-based diet benefits as well. Of course, you don't have to be vegan to enjoy these recipes, and many prepared breakfast meals are often vegetarian or vegan anyway.

Planning ahead is also one of the top ways to eat healthily on a budget, as making meals from scratch is usually cheaper than buying pre-prepared breakfasts or snacks at a coffee shop or local store.

And if you're looking to boost your protein intake, you can add a scoop of one of the best protein powders for weight loss to both recipes. Though it's probably a good idea to stick to unflavored or vanilla powders so that the tastes don't clash.

James is a London-based journalist and Fitness Editor at Fit&Well. He has over five years experience in fitness tech, including time spent as the Buyer’s Guide Editor and Staff Writer at technology publication MakeUseOf. In 2014 he was diagnosed with a chronic health condition, which spurred his interest in health, fitness, and lifestyle management.

In the years since, he has become a devoted meditator, experimented with workout styles and exercises, and used various gadgets to monitor his health. In recent times, James has been absorbed by the intersection between mental health, fitness, sustainability, and environmentalism. When not concerning himself with health and technology, James can be found excitedly checking out each week’s New Music Friday releases.