Healthy breakfast ideas using oats

Healthy breakfast ideas using oats | Meal prep | 5 breakfast recipes you can prepare once and eat all week!

Well begun is half done.

Especially when it comes to healthy eating.

Building healthy eating into our lifestyle needs self motivation, planning is the most important factor. This is one of the reasons meal prep is a big trend in the healthy eating circles. Planning and cooking a few healthy components for the entire week helps us build the meals around these components. This reduces the chances of falling for takeaway or unhealthy choices.

For people who head out to work early in the morning, breakfast is a meal that is to be readied in the minimum possible time. Most people simply skip breakfast because there is no time to prep, cook and eat. However, filling up on a hearty breakfast puts the train on track as far as fibre and protein go, giving your day a healthy start.

Oats is an example of a grain that is versatile enough for you to plan all your weekday breakfasts with minimum time and effort. Here are some ideas how you can prep once and enjoy a healthy breakfast all week.

MUFFINS

Combine oats along with other flours, eggs, grated veggies, olives and cheese to make savoury muffins. These make the best breakfast on the go. You can even pack these for your school going kids as a mobile snack. Fresh or dried herbs add a lot of flavour to these muffins. For those of you who like only savoury breakfasts, this is a make once, enjoy all week kinda recipe.

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

Another such oats based breakfast is overnight oats. There’s a reason why it is so popular all over the world. You can prep for 5 bottles of overnight oats with just 5-10 minutes of time investment and there’s your breakfast in a jar ready. Add a portion of quick cooking oats to 5 jars. Top with yogurt + milk, fruit, nuts (or nut butter) and seeds and allow it to set overnight. Seal the lids and refrigerate.

SMOOTHIES

Freeze a portion of overnight oats along with some diced fruits like bananas, berries, papaya or avocados. Whirr it up in the blender, pour into a jar with a lid for a portable breakfast. You can prep for all weekdays by putting in the ingredients into 5 resealable bags. Mix a portion of oats, some yogurt, some fruit and some seeds such as flax or chia in freezer bags, all labelled and frozen. In the morning, add contents of one bag from the freezer into a high powered blender, adding a splash of water if required. Freezing fruits and yogurt also gives that added thickness and creaminess to smoothies. Almost like a soft serve ice cream.

DOSAS OR CHILAS

If you love Indian breakfasts, make a mix of oat flour, besan and rice flour, along with some basic seasonings like finely chopped chillies, grated ginger. Temper cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida in a couple of spoons of oil. Add it to the flours along with salt and make a thick batter with very little water. In the morning, take 2-3 ladles of this batter, thin it with a mix of water and yogurt. Add freshly chopped coriander and any other veggies like finely chopped onions or grated carrots. Make chilas or dosas using this mix.

BARS

Take a mix of roasted oats, puffed rice, chopped dates, chopped nuts and some nut butter. Pack down into a lined baking tray and chill until set. Cut into bars. Wrap each bar in a piece of parchment paper and keep in the fridge for a grab and go nutritious breakfast full of fats and fibre. These also make a good after school snack for school going kids.

Healthy breakfast ideas using oats