3 Healthy Alternatives to Cereal

It's National Cereal Day... and can we be honest? We're not huge fans of cereal. Yes, it has its place when feeding a family as fast and cheap as possible but its high sugar content and refined grains do not make for a healthy start to the day. We have three alternative breakfast ideas for you to sink your teeth into.

Spinach & red pepper shakshuka:  For the days when you have a little more time on your hands to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. 

Crushed peas, mint  & feta on toast: This speedy recipe takes 6 mins and is fresh, healthy,  cheap & delicious.

Banana & oat smoothie: For those hectic days when you are bolting out of the house but still need something filling & nutrious to keep you going.

1. Spinach & red pepper Shakshuka

This breakfast recipe is perfect for a leisurely brunch or when you've got a bit more time on your hands to enjoy a wholesome breakfast. Spinach is very low calorie but is extremely nutrient dense. It has iron, vitamins, minerals, promotes healthy eye-sight and is an excellent antioxidant. What more could you want? Oh, it's also absolutely delicious.

A note on the pan size: For 2 people a non-stick frying pan with a 24cm diameter and for 4 people a 32cm diameter is the perfect size. You also need a lid (or a make-shift lid eg.foil) for this recipe (takes about 40 mins).

Ingredients (serves 2 people):

• 1 tsp rapeseed oil
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 75g white cabbage
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tsp rose harissa paste
• 1tsp cumin
• 150g baby spinach
• 2 eggs
• 2 spring onions
• 15g fresh coriander
• Toast to serve (optional)

Directions: 

1.  Chop your onions and garlic and fry until lightly caramelised in the rapeseed oil (about 5 mins).
2. Stir in the harissa paste and cumin.
3. Slice the cabbage and red pepper and add to the pan. Heat on high for about 15-20mins with 2 tbsp water. Stir occasionally and cook until everything is softened and slightly caramelised.
4. Add your spinach (you might have to do this in batches so that it all fits).
5. Once your spinach is lightly soft, make two wells in the mix and crack an egg into each one. Cover with a lid and cook until the whites are set and the yolk is still a little runny.
6. Chop your spring onions and coriander and sprinkle over.
7. Serve straight from the pan with some toast.

2. Crushed peas, mint  & feta on toast

For the second of our breakfast recipes we are going to use the humble garden pea. This recipe takes about 6 minutes and is packed with all the good stuff: protein, B vitamins, vitamin C and carotenes. This recipe uses frozen peas for convenience but you can, of course, use fresh peas. We have used lots of fresh mint and dill but fresh coriander or parsley would be lovely here too.

Ingredients (serves 2 people):

• 200g frozen petit pois
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 2 slices sour dough
• 45g feta cheese
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, shelled

Directions: 

1. Cook your peas until still slightly firm and bright green (you can steam, boil or microwave).
2. Lightly toast your pumpkin seeds in a pan with no oil until they pop.
3. Blend peas with the mint and dill, pulsing, so that the mix remains chunky. You can also just mash with a fork.
4. Toast your bread and top with peas, crumbled feta and pumpkin seeds.

3. Banana & oat smoothie

Our final breakfast recipe is very fast and simple. It is a great on-the-go breakfast and is deliciously rich and creamy (almost milkshake-like). The oats are a good source of manganese, iron, vitamin B1 and soluble dietary fibre. The bananas are great for potassium. This smoothie makes for the best start to the day, even if you don't have much time.

Ingredients (serves 2 people):

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 500ml almond milk
• 4 prunes
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 40g oats

1. Chop your frozen banana (or you can use a fresh banana but then add a few ice cubes to the blender).
2. Blend all your ingredients until smooth and enjoy!

Image by: Sophie Nahmad

Recipe Developed by: Sophie Nahmad

Instagram: @soph_nahmad_chef