10 High Protein Make-Ahead Breakfasts For Mamas

Vegan. Vegetarian. Paleo. Gluten Free. It’s really hard not to fall into a nutrition “camp” these days. After all, slapping a label on something and dividing people is a classic power strategy.

Isn’t that how all the Mommy Wars started? You had to be EITHER an “Attachment Parent” or a “Cry It Out” mama. If you use any formula, you’re not an “Exclusive Breastfeeder.” You can’t be a “Full Time Mom” and have a full-time career.

Oh, put a sock in it, Susan.

OK, so back to breakfasts and following dogma.

You might be a “vegan” or survive only off wild salmon and the tears of unicorns, but one thing is for sure:

No matter which camp you’re in, you need protein. Well, love and tolerance and the end of dividing dogma. But also protein.

Of all the daily meals, protein seems to have the most dramatic effect in the morning meal, possibly because we tend as a culture to eat protein-deficient breakfasts like processed cereals and bakery muffins. Simply adding protein-rich foods to breakfast can be a game-changer, which might explain why it gets such substantial attention and research. We tend already to include protein sources at lunch and dinner meals, because it’s culturally normal but also because our bodies are less energetic in the later hours of the day and we will tend to crave more nourishment and heavier food.

High-protein doesn’t have to feel heavy.

Protein doesn’t even have to be meat.

Forget the bodybuilding glory days of the 90s when we told everyone they should eat 30 g of protein at every meal. Trying to choke down a giant chicken breast three times per day is so 1998. Plus, trying to get 30 g of protein when you’re eating plant-based, or even just trying to be a bit more plant-based, is nigh impossible while still holding down a career and keeping your children alive. That is just one hell of a lot of quinoa to chew.

Even 15-20 g of protein — what you’d get in a couple of large eggs or less than a cup of lentils — is plenty to stoke those metabolic fires and have an impact on your daily blood sugar levels. Adding protein to breakfast is associated with less excessive food intake — meaning, you’re less likely to overeat during the rest of the day — and with less snacking, craving and “hangry” feelings.

Of course, when your’e strapped or time and it’s Wednesday at 6:48 AM, your toddler is crying and your 6 year-old just ‘remembered’ he needs you to come up with something impressive for Silly Hat Day, that bakery muffin looks pretty freaking good, doesn’t it?

So prep these yummy, high-protein breakfasts in advance. Then, when the weekday morning sh*t hits the fan, you’re ready with something that gives you the mama power you need to get through your day!