We get it. It’s so early in the morning (before dawn in fact!) and you’ve got little to no time to cook yourself a huge meal. Besides, you’re half awake and any extra beauty sleep will be of huge help. With that said, it’s so important to fuel yourself up for the rest of the day especially since you will be without food or water until sunset. Here are some sahur breakfast ideas featuring some high-energy foods that will keep you pumped throughout the day and the hunger at bay:
1. Peanut butter and banana overnight oats
Ingredients: 3/4 cup rolled oats, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1 ripe mashed banana, unsweetened peanut butter, maple syrup or honey, a pinch of salt and cinnamon, milk of your choice, extra toppings (optional)
Instructions: Add the dry ingredients in and mix well. Then, add the milk, banana, sweetener and peanut butter in. Stir to combine and leave overnight in the fridge. In the morning, simply load it up with any toppings you like! We love nuts, sliced banana and extra peanut butter. It’s simple, delicious and fuss free, especially when you get lazy in the morning.
2. Chickpea breakfast burrito
Ingredients: Vegetable oil, 1 can drained chickpeas, 1 sweet potato chopped, 1 clove garlic chopped, half onion chopped, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, tortillas, avocado, cilantro, hot sauce (optional)
Instructions: Fry up the sweet potatoes and chickpeas lightly with the oil, garlic, onion, cumin, smoked paprika and salt and pepper. Heat up the tortillas before assembling your burrito. Lay down the chickpeas and avocado, then top with cilantro and hot sauce. You can prepare it beforehand and wrap it in aluminium foil. For sahur, just pop one in the microwave.
3. Matcha chocolate protein and chia seed smoothie
Ingredients: 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, 1/4 teaspoon matcha powder, 1 frozen banana, 1 teaspoon honey or sweetener of your choice, 1 1/2 cups milk of your choice, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, ice
Instructions: Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blitz everything up. It’s like having dessert for breakfast, except this is actually good for you and keeps you full throughout the day.
4. Baked eggs
Ingredients: Olive oil, 1 clove garlic chopped, 2 cans diced tomatoes, salt and pepper, 2 bunches of spinach, 8 eggs, mushrooms (optional)
Instructions: Preheat the oven and grease your baking tray with a little oil. Roughly chop all your filling. Here it would be the spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms. Place all the filling in the baking tray, crack the eggs on top and season generously. Bake it for about 8 to 10 minutes or until your preferred doneness for the eggs. This one-pan breakfast is so easy and serves many at once. Eat with multi-grain bread or on its own.
5. Avocado toast
Ingredients: Shallots minced, 1 cup spinach, 2 eggs, salt and pepper, multi-grain bread, avocado, tomatoes
Instructions: Lightly sauté the spinach and shallots until wilted, then set aside. In the same pan, cook the eggs, scrambled. Assemble your toast by heating the multi-grain bread, then mashing the avocado and spreading it evenly on the toast. Top it with the spinach, scrambled eggs and tomato slices. Season and serve.
6. Raw bar
Ingredients: 1 cup oats, 4 tablespoons chia seeds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cups coconut oil, 12 dates seeded and chopped, coconut flakes to top and additional nuts of your choice
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 120°C. Toss the oats, chia seeds and coconut oil together, then spread on a parchment paper before baking for 15 minutes. Stir halfway and bake for another 15 minutes. Let it cool. Combine the chopped dates, nuts and granola together until everything sticks together. Line a dish with parchment paper then evenly press down the mixture until it is tightly packed. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top. Chuck it in the refrigerator and it will be ready in a few hours. This is a great and filling bite for sahur when you have absolutely no time at all.
7. Stuffed baked sweet potato
Ingredients: Chicken breast shredded, barbecue sauce, medium sweet potatoes, cheddar cheese, avocado chopped, herbs for garnish and ranch dressing
Instructions: Bake the sweet potatoes at 220°C for about 40 minutes until soft. You can also do this the night before to be heated up in the morning. Toss your shredded chicken breast in barbecue sauce. Assemble by cutting the sweet potatoes down the middle halfway through and stuffing them with the chicken mix. Top with avocado, cheddar cheese, herbs and ranch dressing.
8. Savoury oatmeal
Ingredients: 2 cups water, 1 cup oatmeal, olive oil, 1/2 medium onion sliced, cheese of your choice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup mushrooms of your choice, sliced, thyme, salt and black pepper
Instructions: Bring the water to a boil and add the oatmeal in. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the oats have softened. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms with the onion and garlic. Season well and add in the thyme. Mix the cheese with the oatmeal, and then top with the mushrooms.
9. Smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich
Ingredients: Bread of your choice, smoked salmon, cream cheese, chopped dill, cucumber sliced, onion sliced, salt and pepper
Instructions: Toast the bread and assemble your sandwich by spreading the cream cheese evenly before placing down the slices of smoked salmon, onion and cucumber. Top with dill for freshness and season with salt and pepper.
10. Breakfast mushroom ‘toast’
Ingredients: Portobello mushroom caps, eggs, olive oil, chicken sausage chopped, herbs, salt and pepper, cheddar cheese
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 200°C and rub the inside of the mushroom with some olive oil before baking them in the oven for about 4 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, fry up the chopped chicken sausage and stir in the eggs and herbs. Scramble everything and once cooked, pile them onto the mushroom caps. Top with cheddar cheese, pop them back into the oven for another few minutes to allow the cheese to melt, then serve.
