I’ve always envied morning people. It has always been a challenge for me to get up no matter what time it is. For the past year, I’ve been having fun teaching classes at 8 or 9 am most days of the week. Despite hitting snooze at least twice, I know it is important for me to have something healthy to eat before I teach so I try to have healthy options on hand. Many of my clients do not eat anything before my grueling boot camp classes, leaving them sluggish and miserable half way through. You do not need to eat a lot, but you really should eat something if you plan to work hard.
My clients are always asking for ideas on what to have before their morning workouts so that they have enough energy to power them through the finish line but not leave them with a heavy stomach. No one wants to wake up an hour early just to eat something before a workout. These recipes are light enough that you should have an appetite when you finish for a real breakfast but light enough that it will not interfere but help you reach your fat loss goals.
I partnered with my friends at Olay to show you two quick and easy breakfast options to solve the never ending problem of what to eat for breakfast when you are running out the door. With my busy schedule, time is limited. I feel like I’m always looking for an instant fix for pretty much everything which is why I am excited to pair up with Olay for this video. If you want to instantly fill wrinkles and reduce the look of pores in minutes, their instant fix collection is amazing. Check out their Instant Fix line here.
Blended Tropical Green Juice (Makes 1 Serving)
Ingredients:
- 2 Stalks of Celery
- 2 inches of Cucumber
- a Handful of Kale
- 1/2 cup pineapple (can use frozen or fresh)
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup of water
Wash and clean celery, cucumber and kale the night before so it is ready to pop in the blender. If using fresh pineapple that needs to be cut, do that too. The prep work saves you the time. Feel free to put servings into little plastic bags or mason jars for quick access. In the morning, place veggies in blender then add half a banana and water. Blend until smooth. This may mean you have to run the blender for a minute or two depending on power. If desired, strain out any unwanted pulp but I like it thick!
Blueberry Coconut Pre-Workout Breakfast Cookies (Makes 12 cookies)
These are tasty granola cookies that are made without any added sugar. The sweetness comes from the bananas. Make these on aSunday and enjoy the entire week for breakfast or as a mid day snack.
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe mashed bananas
- ⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce – you can use a pouch
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Almond milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mix slivered almonds and dried coconut chips (they have these at Trader Joe’s!)
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Mash bananas with a fork or hand mixer, then add in the apple sauce.
- Add in ground flax seed, quick cooking oats, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla extract and slivered almonds. Everything except the coconut! Mix thoroughly, and then let the mixture sit for at least five minutes, to let the oatmeal soak up some of the mixture and expand a little. Break up coconut chips into little pieces and then lastly stir it in.
- Using a tablespoon, spoon heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet. Round the edges so they look pretty and even.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they seem firm in the middle and tops are slightly browned.
- Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes before you take them off the cookie sheet.
Have one as a snack or two for a meal. Each one has about 100 calories.
GREAT Recipes! I do the same everymorning. I havent tried blending celery though…which I love the taste of in juices…I thought it would be stringy in a smoothie. I have been making muffins with a similar recipe but your cookies are even healthier without the flour I suppose. Thanks so much!
ps. might have been a little much on the dramatization hahaha!
I absolutely eat before a morning workout and have been explaining the benefits to my personal training clients as well. Sometimes even a Greek yogurt can be enough in a pinch. Love the recipes.