Everyday, all day

Hello everyone, hope you're having an awesome 2014 so far! 3 weeks have almost passed, what have you accomplished so far?

I'm trying to start an accessories store (more details coming up soon!), organise a flea sale, as well as do some volunteering work! Oh and of course, find a job/ways of earning $$$ so I can finance myself to pursue hobbies, so yes, busy January so far.

Anyway, in the midst of all the business, there's one thing that keeps me going everyday, and that's none other than...

BREAKFAST. 

I have many friends who actually skip breakfast to get more sleep & then rush to school, but it's a pretty bad habit! Did you know that breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day? Without it, you'll feel really tired and find it hard to concentrate for those morning lessons. (And fall asleep in tutorials!!!)

Also, breakfast can help with weight loss, especially when you eat food high in fiber like wholegrains (oats, brown rice), which keeps you satisfied for a longer period of time. Furthermore, breakfast kickstarts your metabolism and increases it. On the contrary, if you skip breakfast, your metabolic rate is slowed down and you'll tend to eat way more for lunch and dinner.

Lastly (but most importantly), food always makes us feel better! What better way to start the day other than eating and just taking the time to relax for a bit before heading off for a long tiring day of school? :-)

Some people decide to just gulp down Milo / eat a food bar for breakfast, but that's quite bad too. It's not even filling, and processed foods are high in sugar! It causes a spike in blood sugar levels, making you feel really energetic for a while and then extremely tired afterwards (like an energy crash).

I'm definitely no master chef (i'm LAZY) and unlike those food bloggers to make 'nice' looking breakfasts all the time just to post them up on Instagram. Also, i'm trying to kick the habit on relying on my mom for breakfast, so now I just tell her to head to work straight and i'll prepare my own breakfast (I'm already 19, can't rely on parents already...) What matters the most is the nutritional value! So in this post, I'm going to share with you some simple (aka: non-fancy) recipes that can be done in less than 20 minutes, and you don't have to be watching the food cook all the time for most of them (except the pancake recipe but it's really easy to prepare and very yummy!). Yeah, you can actually use the 20 minutes to go brush your teeth, bathe, change, whatever, and tadah food is ready to be served :-)  Start eating clean today, no more excuses!

 

OAT CEREAL: Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees, place rolled oats inside for 10 minutes, slice apples while waiting and you're done! I sprinkle cinnamon over mine to make it apple cinnamon flavored :-) Apples and oats are full of fiber! You can also add toppings like almonds, cashew, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate etc... it's up to you! YES, all these toppings contain fat, but they're healthy fat which helps you to cut body fat if taken in moderation.

   

YOGURT: Buy yogurt. (Preferably Greek Yogurt from Fage - greek yogurt doesn't have added artificial sugar that contributes to weight gain!!! Plus greek yogurt is concentrated with protein.). Open yogurt package. Throw in any sorts of fruit, oats, nuts and enjoy! :-)

 

FRUIT PARFAIT / OVERNIGHT OATS: Soak oats in milk/yogurt overnight, leave it in the fridge. In the morning, slice fruit if needed and throw em inside! You can also layer yogurt with it :-) Just scoop the oats first, then scoop yogurt into tall glass and repeat process.

 
SWEET POTATO & EGG SALAD: Preheat oven to 150 degree. Poke holes in sweet potato with a fork. Wrap sweet potato in aluminium foil. Throw sweet potato in oven. Throw eggs into a pot. Boil water with eggs inside to make hard boil eggs. Sweet potato is full of complex carbs, and eggs are a good source of protein. Wash and tear vegetables for salad and combine everything together. Done!

 

 FLOURLESS BANANA PANCAKES: Peel banana, peel peel banana ( I usually peel two large ones). Add eggs (I use 3). The consistency should be quite runny. Blend them together. Heat your frying pan, throw butter in. Slowly scoop mixture in. Be careful not to burn the 'pancakes', they cook really fast. Tip: just watch the edges, if it's solid enough to be flipped over, do it. Bananas are simple carbs that can give a boost to your energy levels before a workout :-)

Hope you've learnt something about clean eating from my post! You can also post up pictures on Instagram and mention me if you do prepare these simple breakfast ;-)