Do you think your morning meal is limited to the fruit bowl or bird feeder if you desire to eat more raw, living foods? Think again!
Breakfast is one of my favorite meals because it is the time of the day we literally ‘break our fast’ from the evening before. It’s also the perfect time to start your day off right with nourishing fare, ideally after having drank 8-10 oz of pure water w/ some lemon to cleanse your liver.
Personally, I like to exercise in this window – but that’s up to you! After that, you can begin your day with an incredibly vibrant, easy-to-make, and super delicious breakfast like any of the ones listed below.
If you have any questions, just leave a comment – I’ll definitely answer ’em. 🙂
1) Green Smoothie
We’ll start you off slow: A green smoothie takes 5 minutes to make, can be super delicious (if made right), and can even store as a lunch or afternoon snack in a mason jar if kept in the office fridge.
Life in Bloom (formerly Bloom for Life) has shared quite a few green smoothie recipes in the past, some of them follow:
I’ve even just released an e-book with over 22+ smoothies – fruity & green – you can purchase here.
But I also want to share with you the website Simple Green Smoothies, as their team has dedicated immense effort to create the most diverse and delicious – as well as nutritious – green smoothies…and they are WOW. Check them out HERE.
2) Coconut Yogurt Parfait
When I trained at An Oasis of Healing and then worked at the holistic cancer clinic Verita Life in Thailand, coconut-almond yogurt was a staple in our clinic. Good health begins in the digestive tract, and the yogurt (initially inspired by Lou Corona) boasts a bounty of good bacteria your gut needs to be healthy.
PS – If you’ve taken antibiotics in the past 5 years and HAVEN’T taken probiotics or eaten a lot of fermented foods (such as this yogurt, kim chi, sauerkraut, miso, raw kefir, etc…), it is very likely your digestive health is compromised and may be contributing to your symptoms – if you have any.
Thankfully this super yummy coconut-almond yogurt (made into a parfait with layered with fruits, nuts, and seeds), is an awesome way to start your day. I also like to add spirulina into it – up to you!
Get the coconut-almond yogurt recipe HERE. And get creative by layering seasonal fruits and a nut/seed mix you have on hand to create your breakfast parfait.
3) Power Chia Porridge
Did you know the Aztecs used to carry chia seeds with them on long treks because they are the ultimate endurance food?
Chia seeds contain 5x more calcium than milk, offer a ton of anti-inflammatory omega-3’s, and also absorbs 10x its size in liquid (usually water or a plant-based milk), and therefore are super for keeping digestion regular.
And because they puff up when used in recipes, they can create an awesome porridge! (The texture is similar to tapioca when left to sit long enough).
I’ve shared a delicious chia porridge recipe HERE I highly recommend you check out.
Choosing Raw also has an awesome Power Chia Porridge recipe you can find HERE.
4) Mango Acai Bowl
When I was thinking of awesome breakfast ideas, this combination popped into my mind immediately. A quick Google search revealed others have already conjured up the same creation, therefore I will just refer you to this delicious version created by The Good Food Goddess. (What an awesome name!)
Get the recipe HERE.
5) Surthrival Granola Bowl
When I was a young adult traveling a lot and aspiring to stay raw, I invented a granola that literally has everything in it – yet still tastes great!
Seriously: everything from sprouted buckwheat, to nuts and seeds, to spirulina, to fresh fruit are included in this creation… Oh – and it’s also easy to make low fat for 80/10/10 fans! (Just omit the nuts)
Nab that recipe HERE.
6) Carob Chia Pudding
This breakfast tastes like more of a treat, but it boasts a bounty of nutrient-dense foods… so who cares?! Rich in omega-3’s, magnesium, and fiber, this pudding will not only keep you full and highly alert until lunch (or even past), it will keep things regular digestive-wise.
And, as we’ve shared before, optimal digestion is critically important to feeling well and healing in general. See the 10 Tips for Optimal Digestion chart here.
Get the recipe for this Carob Chia Pudding from Choosing Raw HERE.
7) Fruity Smoothie!
For smoothie lovers, fruit fanatics, or those who just can’t quite stomach greens in their morning smoothie – yet, fruit smoothies are a great way to start off the day.
It is controversial to say, but I suggest if your smoothie is mostly made of fruit and a plant-based milk, you add in a plant-based protein powder to slow down the digestion rate of the fruit, and in effect lower the glycemic load.
I personally love Garden of Life powders and Sunwarrior protein powders. Plus, the extra subsistence will keep you fuller and thriving longer, therefore, more resistant to temptation in between meals.
*Note – I do believe whole, organic, plant-based foods in their natural state offer pretty much everything we need – some exceptions – therefore don’t utilize powders too often, or promote their use excessively.
Here are some awesome fruit smoothie recipes:
Fig, Vanilla, & Banana Smoothie
Red Velvet Smoothie (Okay, there are some greens – but you can’t taste them!)
And don’t forget – you can GOOGLE pretty much any idea and find a recipe using ingredients on hand. Try it for yourself!
8) Buckwheat Porridge
Sprouted, live buckwheat is one of my favorite foods on the planet, this is because it is incredibly nutrient dense, as is pointed out HERE.
Did you know you can make a super tasty porridge with it, though? Used in granolas and dehydrated, it mimics the texture of ‘Rice Krispies’. But live and unprocessed, it’s also super wonderful to utilize.
Try out this Raw Buckwheat, Apple, & Walnut Porridge from Green Kitchen Stories.
9) Antioxidant Fruit Salad
Simple is best, right? You can’t go wrong with just chopping up various in-season fruits, sprinkling on some nuts and seeds, maybe adding a dash of cinnamon and calling it breakfast.
Here are some great ideas of how to implement this fruit salad as a breakfast option.
Ambrosia Fruit Salad from Quick’n’Healthy – Recipe HERE.
Papaya Banana Boats – Kind of like a fruit salad, just more creative! – Recipe HERE.
…Or just get creative, chop up various fruits, sprinkle on some cinnamon, and eat it in the sunshine! Personally, I love to add a plant-based mylk (recipe HERE) and sprouted buckwheat to make it more ‘cereal’-like.
10) Choco-Bliss Smoothie
In honor of my mom (and Dad) who have begun drinking a green-ish smoothie every morning thanks to the opportunity to add in cacao (and maca to balance the adrenals), I’m sharing this glowing choco-bliss smoothie that everyone loves – even picky grandparents and finicky kids!
My mom has gotten in the habit of adding a scoop of VitaMineral green powder in every smoothie, and this has no doubt increased the overall bounty of nutrition she is receiving from her daily diet. I suggest you do the same. 😉
One version may be this Chocolate & Greens smoothie.
OR you can try Simple Green Smoothies’ fantabulous Skinny Mint Green Smoothie (yes, it’s modeled after the girl-scout cookie. Thank me later.
And there you are! There are plenty of lovely morning breakfast dishes you can treat yourself to, but these 10 breakfast recipes are great for everyone – whether you’re a beginner or experienced health foodie.
In the future, I’ll share some plant-based (cooked) options – that may very well fall into the paleo/primal category as well.
Enjoy! Which ones will you try? Share below!
