As a Professional Chef student, one of my first blogs just has to be about food. Whether you live to eat or eat to live, we all need food to fuel our bodies and keep us in tip-top condition for what life has to throw at us. It is what helps to make us resilient, measured and focused.
So, let’s start at the very beginning and that means breakfast.
Now I have always had a love/hate relationship with breakfast over the years, from nothing to the full works, so it is important to find out what works best for you. Think about the day ahead, what you will be doing and when will you be eating during the rest of the day. If you are doing physical work or you are not quite sure if you will have time to grab a sandwich for lunch then breakfast takes on a greater importance.
And if you are one of those people who just doesn’t have time for breakfast then think again! Breakfast can be quick, nutritious and filling, as well as cheap. Here are my top breakfasts:
- Beans on wholemeal toast – you don’t need butter so a good store cupboard staple.
- My favourite… porridge oats soaked overnight in water then served with a dollop of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. Play around with the flavours, for example add chopped walnuts and grated apple for added protein. If you really haven’t got time to eat then make it in a jam jar and it becomes the perfect portable lunch too.
- It’s a cliché but smashed avocado on toast is delicious. Go Californian and make it sourdough (there is usually some in the Cakes and Bakes shop at Summer Row) and pop an egg on top.
- Quinoa is a mouthful to say but it is a useful source of Omega 3, especially for vegetarians or vegans. I cook a batch then stir a spoonful into Greek yogurt for breakfast, drizzled with some maple syrup if I am feeling lush.
- You can’t beat eggs for breakfast – oh yes you can! A two-egg omelette can be made in a flash and needs nothing more than a few chopped herbs or a dusting of seasoning for a protein high, no-carb brekkie. Scrambled eggs do need toast in my book as do boiled and poached eggs. Team the latter with a crumpet – I love the way the egg runs down into the holes. Yummy!