Ashley Gish

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5 Quick and Easy Fertility Friendly Breakfast Ideas

Everyone’s always talking about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, and it’s true! But WHAT you eat for breakfast matters! 

Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and you just need a reminder, but just because it’s common to eat sugary pastries or fill up on orange juice and cereal doesn’t mean it’s the best option.

AND in addition to leaving you feeling famished shortly after eating, it also sets you up for energy crashes, mood swings and out of control sugar and carb cravings all day. 

The truth is. . . there’s no such thing as ‘breakfast foods.’ You can eat whatever the hell you want for breakfast! 

Researchers have actually found that eating a protein rich breakfast is actually one of the best things you can do to help regulate your blood sugar all day long! (and it’s pretty simple too!)

And if you haven’t heard . . . balanced blood sugar = better health overall! 

Particularly for women, paying attention to your blood sugar is super important for everything from improving your energy to boosting your metabolism and optimizing your hormones! 

Eggs are an easy and delicious way to start your day because they’re not only a great protein source, they’re an important source of healthy fats and choline too! 

Choline is still somewhat underrated in terms of its benefits but it helps with DNA synthesis, fat metabolism, and maintaining a healthy nervous system. 

And a single egg provides around 100 mg of choline (about a quarter of the amount you need daily). 

But don’t worry, even if you’re not a fan of eggs, there are still a lot of delicious ways to pack protein into your morning meal. 

Here are  5 Quick + Easy Hormone Healthy Breakfast Ideas to get you started:

Avocado + Egg Bowls

Healthy fats are one of the secrets to healthy and happy blood sugar! 

Fat is the little building blocks that make up your hormones, helps you feel satisfied after meals, fuels your brain’s growth and development (your brain is made up of 60 percent fat!) and helps your body better absorb vitamins. 

So eat your yolks and don’t skimp on the guacamole! 

Ingredients

  • ¼  medium avocado

  • 2 pasture-raised eggs (fried or poached) 

  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

  • Handful of baby spinach

  • ½  cup brown rice or quinoa (cooked)

  • Soy sauce + hot sauce

  • Sauerkraut (optional) 

Directions

In a small bowl add about 3/4 cup baby spinach, add 1/2 cup cooked quinoa and a splash of soy sauce. 

Cook the eggs to your liking and place on top of the bowl. Top with 1/4 of an avocado, a spoonful of sauerkraut and your favorite hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! 

If you don’t have quinoa or brown rice already cooked, just load everything onto a tortilla or piece of sprouted grain or sourdough bread. 

Chia Pudding

This recipe is also rich in sugar-balancing protein + healthy fats from the cashew milk and chia seeds. Chia seeds are a serious nutritional powerhouse. They are an excellent source of calcium, fiber, antioxidants, and contain more omega-3's than salmon. Not bad for a tiny seed. You can easily mix this up the night before so it is ready to grab and go in the morning. Add some fresh berries for even more of an antioxidant boost! 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight) 

  • 1-2 T maple syrup 

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 1 tsp cinnamon 

  • Pinch of sea salt 

DIRECTIONS

Drain the cashews and add them along with 2 c filtered water to a high speed blender for 1-2 minutes, then add an additional 2 cups of water along with the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt and blend until combined. 

For the Pudding: 

Once you’ve made the cashew milk, whisk in: 1/4c chia seeds per 1 cup of milk. Make sure there aren’t any clumps of seeds. A scoop of plant based vanilla protein powder is a great addition as well for even more staying power. Place in the fridge until thick.

EASY BROCCOLI CHEESE EGG MUFFINS 

Clean protein and healthy fats = the perfect way to start your Sunday, and they keep well in the fridge and make for super easy but delicious breakfasts all week long. They’re a great way to sneak in some veggies in the morning and feature broccoli to help support your body’s detox pathways and hormone metabolism. 

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 eggs 

  • ½ cup greek yogurt or cottage cheese 

  • ¾ tsp sea salt 

  • Fresh ground black pepper 

  • ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese

  • 2 cups chopped and sauteed broccoli 

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, beat all of the eggs until well combined. Then stir in the yogurt or cottage cheese, broccoli and salt and pepper.  

Prepare your muffin pan with cooking spray or use a silicone muffin pan. 

Pour the mixture into the greased muffin tin until about ¾ of the way full. 

Top each muffin with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until set in the center. 

Adaptogenic Green Smoothie

Smoothies are a quick, easy, super-nutritious breakfast option and a great way to pack some veggies first thing in the morning. Reishi is a powerful adaptogenic mushroom that helps to support healthy blood sugar balance and blends up perfectly in smoothies. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or water 

  • Juice from ½ lemon 

  • 1 scoop plant based vanilla protein powder (four sigmatic makes great a protein one with adaptogens like reishi)

  • Big handful mixed greens ( 1-2 cups) 

  • 1/4 Persian cucumber (chopped) 

  • Small apple (chopped)

  • 1/2 frozen banana 

  • 2 T hemp seeds 

  • Ice 

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. You can add more or less ice depending on how thick you like your smoothies + enjoy! 

Swiss Oatmeal 

Long before overnight oats was a “thing” there was Corner bakery’s Swiss Oatmeal. My brother and I used to LOVE going out for breakfast dates to catch up with each other. He would order a blueberry muffin and I would order peppermint tea and Swiss oats.

It’s been at least 10 years since we’ve made those morning dates happen but I’ve never stopped making these oats. Especially during the warm Summer months it's a super simple make ahead breakfast for busy mornings. 

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2 cups Rolled Oats 

  • ¼ cup Ground flax seed 

  • 1 cup Unsweetened Almond MIlk (or other plant based milk) 

  • 2 cups Vanilla yogurt (dairy or plant-based) *

  • ¼ cup Dried cranberries 

  • 2 Green Apples (dieced) trust me on the tart apples here 

  • ¼ cup Sliced almonds 

  • 1 tsp vanilla 

  • ½ tsp cinnamon 

  • 1 Banana (diced)

DIRECTIONS 

Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized bowl, except the banana. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving, or in the refrigerator overnight. 

Before serving add the diced banana and more almond milk or yogurt until desired texture is achieved. You can top with additional fresh fruit if desired and add a drizzle of maple syrup if you want a little extra sweetness. Usually the yogurt is enough.

*typically i use unsweetened greek yogurt but in this case a sweeter vanilla yogurt is SO good!

If you saw my breakfasts you would think I’m a real weirdo! (and you wouldn’t be totally wrong. . .). 

Breakfast salads with an egg on top are my go-to!  But veggie tacos, a nourishing soup, or loaded avocado toast are all great options too! 

AND you can never go too wrong with leftovers! For even more healthy breakfast inspo, be sure to check out my cookbook Nourish and Thrive

What’s your go-to breakfast? Let me know in the comments below!