5 HEALTHY BREAKFAST IDEAS | easy, high-protein recipes

As I've shared before, I am on a mission to become my healthiest, strongest, fittest self as I grow older, wiser, and even more fabulous. And I know that so many of you are on this journey right along beside me. And something that's really helped is finding easy ways to bump up the protein content in some of my favorite meals, specifically breakfast. Not only does this help support muscle synthesis, but it helps you to feel more satisfied, satiated, and energized after eating and throughout the day. So today I'm sharing five of my favorite high-protein, healthy breakfast ideas that can help to support your health, wellness, fitness, and or weight loss goals while keeping things fun, fresh, and delicious in the kitchen. Now keep in mind, I'm going to link all of the videos and the step-by-step recipe instructions down in the description box below should you want to give any of these recipes a try. But first, I'd like to thank Element for sponsoring this video. So Element is a delicious electrolyte company who was made specifically for people who like to take a less processed, more whole food approach to healthy eating. So people like ourselves. It contains a science-based balance of sodium, magnesium, and potassium that can help you to balance the electrolyte levels in your body. And I'm going to share more on them in just a bit. But right now, let's jump into recipe number one, which is my high-protein French toast. Now this recipe is a great example of how you can take any of your favorites and tweak them to align with your goals. Now to give this recipe a protein boost, I swap out the traditional egg and milk mixture with a combination of egg whites, milk, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, and a bit of protein powder. And I blend that until I have a nice, smooth, creamy custard. Then I pour that into a wide, shallow baking dish and I dip my bread and allow it to sit and absorb all of that yummy goodness. Now for this recipe, you'll notice I'm using a sprouted grain bread. Not only is this great for making French toast because it's nice and hearty, and you need a hearty bread when you're making French toast, but each piece of bread also packs in four grams of protein. So I'm getting eight extra grams of protein from the bread alone. Once the bread absorbs that delicious high-protein custard, then I'm just going to cook it in a nonstick saute pan the same way I would if I was making traditional French toast. Just melt a little bit of butter or coconut oil or cooking spray into your pan and cook it on each side for two to three minutes until it is golden brown on the outside and it kind of slightly puffs up in the center. As is, this recipe packs in 26 grams of protein per serving. And served with a hearty dollop of Greek yogurt over the top, you've got yourself a delicious breakfast with 30 grams of protein to kick off your day. Now for mornings when you're short on time, there's nothing better than a rich and creamy chocolate protein shake. This recipe is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and it has a great boost of healthy fats and fiber as well. Simply combine one cup of unsweetened almond milk with a handful of baby spinach, a scoop of chocolate protein powder. This can be whey or plant-based, depending on your dietary preferences. One tablespoon of cocoa powder for extra chocolate goodness, half a frozen banana, three quarters of a cup of frozen cauliflower, which adds volume and great texture, a tablespoon of almond butter, and some cinnamon. Blend that all together until it's rich and creamy and you've just made yourself a nutrient-dense breakfast in minutes that packs in 30 grams of protein and tastes just like a chocolate milkshake. So good. Next up is a protein-packed breakfast that's perfect for meal prep. It's my cottage cheese and veggie egg bake, and this has quickly become one of my most popular recipes. I would say that the Clean and Delicious community loves this egg bake as much as I love today's sponsor Element. Element is an electrolyte drink mix that can help to prevent muscle cramps, headaches, fatigue, and sleeplessness, which can all be signs of electrolyte deficiencies. It also contains no artificial flavors, no artificial coloring, no sugars, no gluten, and no fillers. And while all of that is very important, personally, I just love the way it tastes and I love the way I feel when I drink it. Nothing makes me feel more hydrated or energized, and I also love how it helps me to drink more water throughout my day. All of the flavors are delicious. They have watermelon, raspberry, mango chili, grapefruit, citrus, chocolate, and even unflavored. And you can try all of them for free with any purchase, because Element's offering everybody in the Clean and Delicious community a free eight single-serving package with any purchase. All you have to do is visit www.drinkelement.com forward slash dannyspeeds. And you can only grab that with my link, so I'm going to be sure to leave it for you down in the description box as well. Now back to that cottage cheese and veggie egg bake. I start by sautéing a bunch of vegetables. I'm using onions, mushrooms, and spinach, but the beauty of a recipe like this is that you can really use whatever you have on hand. Once those veggies have cooked down, I'm just going to transfer them into a 9x13 baking dish that has been lightly coated with some butter or cooking spray. And then I sprinkle hearty chunks of feta cheese over the top. I mean, how good does this look? Then in a nice big bowl, I combine whole eggs with cottage cheese and then some simple seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Not only does the cottage cheese give us that extra boost of protein that we're looking for, but it also adds the most delicious flavor and creamy texture to this egg bake. The whole thing bakes in the oven for 30 minutes and makes the perfect make-ahead breakfast. One serving of this delicious cottage cheese egg bake packs in 21 grams of protein, which you could easily bump up by serving it alongside some sprouted grain bread or your favorite turkey sausage or bacon right alongside. So easy. So good. Another savory breakfast that I love to make is savory oatmeal. I don't know about you, but I didn't even know savory oats were a thing until this year, and now I can't stop making it. It's so good. For dinner. Mmm. Now instead of cooking the oats in milk like many people do when they're making traditional sweet oats, I'm going to cook them in a combination of chicken broth and water. This is going to create a nice savory base. Then for my first boost of protein, I'm going to add in some egg whites. If you've watched my channel for a while, you know that I am a big fan of adding egg whites to any type of cooked oatmeal. Not only does it add a protein boost, but it creates the fluffiest, creamiest, most delicious bowl of oats that you will ever taste. So much so that I almost can't eat my hot oats without it. It's that good. And then to finish these savory oats, just a little touch of a low sodium soy sauce right over the top. This really adds that savory umami flavor that you're just not going to get anywhere else. Now for the toppings, you can go in a lot of different directions, but in this video, I topped it with a sliced hard boiled egg, some crumbled turkey bacon, and then some fresh sliced scallions to just break through all of that richness. It is so simple and so delicious. And this entire meal packs in 40 grams of protein, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fat, and 4 grams of fiber. So not only is it delicious and nutritious, but it's also a super balanced meal. Okay, last but not least, I cannot end this breakfast video without pancakes. I have several high protein pancake recipes that I've shared with you all in the past, but hands down, one of my favorite is my cottage cheese protein pancakes. I love this recipe so much, I even included it in the Clean and Delicious cookbook. I mean, I've been making this recipe for years. It's simple, it's delicious, and it is a great way to have your pancakes and eat them too. Yeah, I did that. What I love about this recipe is that it all happens right in the blender. I simply combine 1 cup of rolled oats with 3 quarter cup liquid egg whites, 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, some cinnamon, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend that all together until you have a nice, rich, creamy, pourable pancake batter, and then I'm going to cook them just like I would traditional pancakes. I've got a non-stick pan heating over a medium heat, and then you can coat that with a little bit of butter, coconut oil, or cooking spray, and then scoop about a quarter cup of the batter right into the pan, and cook them on both sides until golden brown on the outside and set through the center. I do like to keep these on the smaller side because they're a bit more delicate than a traditional pancake, and this just makes them easier to flip. Serve this with your favorite pancake toppings and enjoy a stack of pancakes that delivers 30 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving. Thanks again to Element for sponsoring this video. You can check them out down in the description box below, and thank you for watching. I'm Dannie Spees, and I will see you back here next time with some more clean and deliciousness. Cheers!