It is so important to have a good breakfast every day. It is a complete myth that skipping this essential meal will help you lose weight – in fact, it is more likely to have the opposite effect. If you are concerned about your weight or want to increase your energy throughout the day, opt for foods that provide slow-release energy. These include wholegrains, pulses, oats and protein. Avoid sugary foods or refined carbohydrates as they will simply give you a sharp burst of energy, raising your blood sugar for a short period of time, but then dropping you down to feeling tired and sluggish within the hour.
I love these herby tomatoes: they are perfect for a delicious breakfast or brunch, or as a side dish for a savoury meal.
• Place the halved tomatoes, cut-side up, on a greased or non-stick baking tray.
• Sprinkle the garlic and thyme on top of each tomato half.
• Season with black pepper.
• Finish with a fine spray of olive oil.
• Place on the high rack and cook at 230°C for 8–10 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to soften.
• Serve immediately.
Did you know? Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to help reduce some cancers.
Just because you’re following a healthy diet doesn’t mean you have to go without. Most people think that cooked breakfasts should be avoided, but this is a myth – a good breakfast will set you up for the day. Add some baked beans (the low-salt, low-sugar variety ideally) and you have a complete meal that will see you through till lunchtime.This dish is also suitable for supper, especially when you require comfort food.
• Place the tomatoes, garlic and bacon in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle with a little coconut oil or olive oil, and season with black pepper and thyme.
• Place on the high rack and cook at 200°C for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. Make four even cavities in the mixture and crack an egg into each hole.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for a further 10–15 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve immediately with wholemeal toast and baked beans.
Healthy swap! If you don’t want bacon, swap it for lean, freshly sliced ham.
These fruity kebabs are perfect if you fancy something light and healthy for breakfast. Feel free to choose your own fruit combinations.
• In a bowl, mix the honey or agave syrup and orange juice together. Stir in the cinnamon, if using.
• Soak the dried fruit in the sweetened orange juice for at least 1 hour. Drain the fruit and reserve the juice.
• When ready to cook, alternately thread fresh and dried fruit pieces onto two skewers. (If you are using wooden skewers, pre-soak them.)
• Place the skewers on the grill rack.
• Set the temperature to 250°C and cook for 3–5 minutes on each side.
• Serve with a drizzle of the reserved honey and orange juice and a dollop of natural yoghurt.
So simple yet so delicious, this toastie does the job when you’re craving something sweet. Makes a great breakfast or after-school snack too.
• Place the bread on the high rack, or grill rack if you have one. Set the temperature to the highest setting and grill or toast the bread for 2–3 minutes on one side.
• In the meantime, mash the banana with the syrup and cinnamon, to taste.
• Remove the bread from the oven, spread the banana mixture over the untoasted side and top with a sprinkle of berries.
• Return to the oven and grill for a further 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Did you know? A study in the USA has shown that eating one serving of blueberries per week can lower your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure by 10 per cent.
If you fancy a gluten-free bread, this is really simple to make and tastes delicious. If you don’t like onion, you could swap it for fresh herbs instead.
• Place the onion in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle with the coconut oil or olive oil.
• Place on the high rack and cook at 200°C for 10 minutes, until soft.
• Place all the dry ingredients, including the chives, in a bowl and combine well.
• In a separate bowl, mix the yoghurt, eggs and creamed corn together. Mix with the dry ingredients and the softened onion. Transfer to a greased 20–24cm round cake tin.
• Place on the high rack and cook at 180°C for 20–25 minutes. If the bread starts to brown too quickly, move it to the lower rack. Serve hot or cold.
Did you know? Onions are packed with quercetin, a more potent antioxidant than vitamin E, which helps fight a variety of illnesses, ranging from the common cold and fatigue to colon, prostate and breast cancer.
This is a great alternative to fried breakfast.Why not add some vine tomatoes with garlic and thyme, to roast while the ham and eggs are cooking?
• Grease two individual pie dishes.
• Carefully line the dishes with the ham, making sure the slices overlap so the egg mixture can’t leak through any gaps.
• Place the dishes on a baking tray – it will make it easier for you to manage once they are full of the egg mixture.
• In a bowl, mix the eggs with the crème fraîche and parsley. Season with black pepper.
• Pour the mixture into the dishes.
• Place on the low rack and cook at 200ºC for 20 minutes, until the eggs are puffed up and golden.
• Serve immediately.
There really is nothing nicer than a full English, especially on a lazy weekend morning.This is a healthy version but still packs a punch.You can serve it with low-salt/low-sugar baked beans and wholemeal seeded bread.
• Boil the kettle. Meanwhile, put the bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms in an ovenproof dish. Brush the tomatoes and mushrooms with a little of the infused olive oil.
• Place on the high rack and grill at 235°C until the bacon is cooked to your liking. If you like really crispy bacon you may want to move the tomatoes and mushrooms to the lower rack or base of the halogen while the bacon crisps up.
• When the bacon has only a couple of minutes left to cook, place a saucepan filled with just-boiled water on the hob on high. Once it is bubbling, add the eggs one at a time to poach.
• While the eggs are cooking you can plate up the rest of the breakfast – adding your cooked baked beans and toast. Add the poached egg and sprinkle with black pepper.
• Serve immediately.
NB: If you’re not confident poaching eggs, use poach pods (available from Lakeland) or line a cup with clingfilm and break the egg into the clingfilm. Scoop up the edges and scrunch to secure, so you end up with a pouch of egg. Drop into the boiling water and cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs done.