I'm a reckless human being. And by reckless, I mean I get an adrenaline-infused thrill waking up 10 minutes before having to leave the house and pull myself together. I'm the Queen of pushing limits and doing 15-second sprints — often with an empty stomach — toward the last bus to campus from my apartment. Well those days of living hungrily on the edge is no more. If four minutes for breakfast is all you have — give or take a few — then let's make it through the wilderness.
1. Banana Egg Pancakes
The best part about this? It's only two ingredients. In addition to being a quick whip of a banana and two eggs, it's packed with high fiber, potassium and protein. Oh baby. My personal favorite is adding a lil peanut butter here and there. Top it with some classic maple syrup and you're good to go.
2. Avocado Brie Sandwich
I'm one of those odd people that loves breakfasts that aren't exactly breakfast. If I could eat one food for the rest of my life, it'd be a damn good sandwich — and I've finally found my go-to in this one.
The brie cheese and dried cranberry combo with a tang of balsamic ignites the taste buds and pumps you up for a day in a way only a sandwich can. Not a fan of arugula? Switch it out for some spinach. Take those toasted slices packed with flavor and be on your way.
3. Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
While you can find quite honestly any variation of smoothie out there, I like to sticking to whatever's in my refrigerator at the time. My go-to is packing together a handful of spinach, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, half a banana, a tbsp of TruNut peanut powder and blending away. I like my smoothies cold and slightly thick, so I add a cup of ice toward the end.
Since everything tastes better in a mug (there should be research on it at this point), slide the smoothie on in and top it with blueberries and Nature Valley's protein crunchy granola. It's a quick refresh on those 8 a.m. days.
4. Spinach and Cheese Omelette
The best part about omelettes is how versatile they can be — it's truly up to the chef. My favorite is chopping up some garlic, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms, sautéing it with some spinach and flipping it over after adding some Salt-N-Pepa. If you like it spicy, I recommend cayenne pepper, which is also great for a quick digestion and relieving a bloated stomach.
Cheese truly makes up all the greater aspects in life. Sprinkle it onto anything and you have a whirlwind of taste headed your way. The final touch is a slight handful of your cheesy favorite and the masterpiece is done.
5. Avocado Spinach Egg Wrap
If you couldn't tell by now, I'm a huge fan of avocados, spinach and eggs. So why not combine them into a wrap? Or a taco, if you're like me and get so excited about everything being put into it that it physically is incapable of fulfilling its "wrap" duties.
While this recipe gets 'er done, a quick alternative is to heat the tortillas while scrambling the eggs. Chopping up any veggies you'd want to eat (from cucumbers and onions to tomatoes and mushrooms) while the egg gets its sizzle on can help too. To spice it up, I like combining cayenne pepper with cumin and Trader Joe's "Everything but the Bagel Seasoning." If the aroma of that combination isn't enough, the first bite will be.