Healthy breakfast ideas and banana blueberry pancakes with oats

You've heard it before and it still holds true: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A coffee and a slice of toast just won't cut it and will leave you hunting for something sweet and fulfilling mid morning, sound familiar?

So start your day off right. If you get “the goods” in early, your body will be very happy. Even if you are the type of person that really just isn’t that hungry in the morning, at the very least, have a green juice or a glass of water with some lemon and a piece of fruit, and maybe even a handful of nuts. For those with more of an appetite, balanced breakfast ideas may include a smoothie, bowl of oatmeal, granola with almond milk, slice of Ezekiel toast with almond butter, sheep’s yogurt and fruit or maybe some hearty oatmeal pancakes.

Whatever you choose to eat, make sure it is balanced and will provide you with sufficient protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and fibre. These nutrients will give you energy, keep you satisfied and make sure your metabolism is off to a healthy start. Just remember the more balanced the breakfast, the less likely you are to have cravings throughout the day (and more importantly, at night!).

There are so many ways to include all these nutrients in your morning meal. If you choose whole food ingredients and combine them wisely, you will definitely be getting all the nutrients your body needs to get you going.

Here are some ideas of what to include:

Protein: organic egg omelet with avocado or goat cheese, almond butter on toast, quinoa porridge, hemp or sun-warrior protein powder in a smoothie.

Healthy fat: almond butter or avocado on your toast, coconut oil in your smoothie, nuts and seeds on sheep yogurt or oatmeal

Carbohydrate: high-fibre whole grain bread, whole grain cereal—cooked from the whole grain (quinoa, barley, oats, kamut, amaranth, millet), homemade granola or a breakfast muffin.

Use this as a guideline and don’t skip breakfast. You are not doing your body any good by starving it of calories when you need them the most. Make sure you have enough time in the morning to eat something decent and not grab breakfast on the go.

And for the mornings or weekends when you have more time, you may even want to indulge and make a little feast of breakfast goodness. This recipe for oatmeal pancakes is hearty and delicious, full of fibre and complex carbohydrates, and great for the kids too!

Oaty banana blueberry pancakes

1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup spelt flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups rice or almond milk 1 ripe banana, mashed 1-2 tablespoon maple or coconut sugar 2 tablespoon ground sprouted flax, chia seeds 1 tablespoon applesauce 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions 1. Mix the oats, spelt flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in one bowl. Set aside. 2. Combine the rest of the ingredients and allow to sit for a moment while you heat a skillet. 3. When the pan is hot, add your coconut oil. 4. Stir your pancake batter (add more water if necessary). 5. Pour a small amount of batter (about 3 inches in diameter) in the pan – you may be able to fit 2 circles in one pan. 6. Cook until bottom is brown and all sides are completely dry. Flip pancake and cook pancake the same on the other side. 7. Serve with maple syrup, coconut flakes, almond butter, apple butter or all natural fruit preserve. 8. Top with fresh additional banana and blueberries to garnish. Serves 2. Enjoy!

Marni Wasserman is a culinary nutritionist in Toronto whose philosophy is stemmed around whole foods. She is dedicated to providing balanced lifestyle choices through natural foods. Using passion and experience, she strives to educate individuals on how everyday eating can be simple and delicious.