5 Portable Weekday Breakfasts To Bring To Work
My mornings look something like this lately:
I wake up half-dead because, when you're pregnant, your Brain spends the night like, "Body, go to sleep. Please. I'm begging you." And your Body is just like, "NO! I WON'T GO TO SLEEP! AND I'M GOING TO GET THIS BABY TO KICK YOU IN THE ORGANS INSTEAD."
And then my alarm goes off.
I hit the snooze button several times.
I finally get out of bed (late) and now have to choose between showering and making breakfast. I normally choose breakfast, but occasionally I do have to choose the shower.
I get hungry. Also a side effect of pregnancy, I hear.
I now have to choose between making breakfast and being late for work.
OR DO I?!
I open the fridge and give thanks to my Sunday night self, who made a huge batch of cold brew and packed one of these portable breakfasts ahead of time.
1. Yogurt Parfaits
Yogurt parfaits are like the smoothie bowls of 2002, but no less practical now than it was then. My go-to combo is plain full-fat Greek yogurt (or Icelandic skyr) topped with Purely Elizabeth granola (gluten-free) and whatever fruit is in my house. Sometimes I drizzle a bit of honey on top (Minneapolis-based Beez Kneez is tops) and occasionally I'll class up the yogurt itself with lemon zest. For an easy, cheater paleo parfait (without making your own granola), start with coconut yogurt topped with a crushed up Larabar Crunchy Nut & Seed Bar as your base.
To make these grab-and-go ahead of time, portion out the yogurt into small containers (with honey, if you like) and then put the whole bag of granola in your desk drawer on Monday. Add the fruit to the yogurt container each morning or the night before if it's something that'll hold up well.
2. Muffin-Tin Eggs
Have 20 minutes to spare on a Sunday night? Then you can make mini frittatas and eat them all week for breakfast. It makes me feel like the most successful adult when I do this (my bar for success is clearly very low). I have a base recipe for Paleo Bacon & Broccoli Egg Muffins and I encourage you to make it your own with whatever fillings you like best. I've tried everything from sausage-mushroom to chorizo-red pepper to spinach-blue cheese. It's hard to fail at these. They freeze well and reheat quickly in the microwave.
3. Overnight Chia Pudding
This is another recipe that makes me feel like a grown-up. This Paleo Overnight Chia Pudding recipe makes four servings from one can of coconut milk, so then you only have to fry eggs one day this week. You can handle that. I typically top chia pudding with fruits and nuts—whatever is in the house.
4. Instant Oatmeal—Sweet or Savory
Admittedly, oatmeal is not the most exciting thing in the world... but it is portable and hot breakfasts are nice in the winter. I buy plain quick oats and portion some into a same microwaveable container with a touch of maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice and sea salt. Maybe a half a banana. And then at work I just add water and cook it up.
Savory oatmeal is also excellent, but requires slightly more planning and an extra container. On Sunday, cook some veggies with sausage or bacon. Portion that mixture into separate microwaveable containers with some fresh herbs (if you have some) and maybe a splash of broth with soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos. Put the plain oats in a separate microwaveable container that's big enough to hold everything. At work, cook the oatmeal, heat up all the savory things and then mix the whole mess together. It's a little like congee, but with oats instead of rice.
5. Leftovers
My co-workers know who should be receiving dirty looks if they smell Kimchi-Bacon Cauliflower Fried Rice at 9 am. It me. I have never had any desire to abide by rules on what types of food should be eaten at what time, so I regularly consume things like Sweet Potato Noodles or Pot Roast and for breakfast.
In high school, I used to eat the sandwich my mom packed me on the way to school for breakfast and then buy lunch in the cafeteria. (Like, everyday. She was probably really annoyed about it, in hindsight.) I do that to myself all the time and eat whatever leftovers I packed for lunch the minute I arrive at my desk in the morning. It's usually easier to procure a healthy-ish meal for lunch than breakfast (it's all doughnuts and bagels), so it works out nicely.
Would love to know what you guys are eating for breakfast on weekdays? Do you make time to cook at home or are you more of a grab-and-go person?