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Protein-packed breakfast is the key to starting off your day on the right nutritional note. It will help you feel full longer and curb cravings.
Want an explanation why? Read 3 Reasons Why Breakfast Makes You A Better Person.
One of the easiest ways to make a protein-rich breakfast without cooking up a storm is a smoothie with high-quality protein powder. That’s an easy one.
But here’s the fun part: you can add a protein boost to pretty much any breakfast recipe, from chia pudding to oats, pancakes and açaí bowls.
They all have one thing in common, and it’s 22 Days Nutrition Plant Power Protein Powders, which are available at Target.
Let’s get this straight: I’ve tried a lot of protein powders. These are the things that are important to me when choosing the right one:
- Simple, readable list of ingredients
- Low sugar: Vanilla and Strawberry flavors have 1 gram of sugar per serving, and Chocolate has only 1 gram of sugar. These powders are lightly sweetened with stevia.
- High protein (at least 15 grams per serving). In this case, the protein comes from peas, flax seed and sacha inchi seeds.
- Dairy, gluten and soy-free
- Non-GMO
- Easily digestible
- Great flavor
Not only 22 Days Protein Powders get a seal of Breakfast Criminals approval on all of the above, but they’re also one of the very few ones out there that are USDA Organic (bingo).
Here’s a little back story.
I first got into 22 Days Nutrition thanks to their protein bars. Then I got to meet the brand’s founder, Marco Borges, over dinner at MindBodyGreen’s Revitalize and express my love for his bars in person. Later on, I realized that he’s the man behind Beyonce and Jay Z going vegan (NBD). After running into Marco once again at Expo West, we did a superfoods exchange (açaí for protein powders. Fair enough?)
This post is a result of my experiments with the 22 Days Nutrition Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla Protein Powders. Enjoy!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Recipe
This decadent breakfast is low carb, rich in iron and fiber, and can double as a dessert. On top of containing a generous serving of happiness molecule contained in cacao, this chia pudding has an addition of medicinal reishi mushroom which can help reduce stress.
Ingredients:
- 1 TBSP. raw cacao powder
- 4 TBSP. chia seeds
- 1 scoop 22 Days Nutrition Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 TBSP. maple syrup
- 1/4 tspn. sea salt
- 1 TBSP. coconut butter or Pearl Beauty Butter
- Optional: 1 serving of reishi mushroom powder
Toppings: Berries, raw cacao nibs, coconut flakes.
Directions: Mix all ingredients quickly with a fork (before the chia seeds start clumping!) Put in the fridge and let sit for at least 3 hours.
Almond Butter Protein Açaí Bowl Recipe
Açaí bowls are could be my favorite meal category – so much so that I went to Brazil to track down the roots of this nutrient-packed berry (see my report from the açaí rainforest here).
I love açaí bowls because açaí goes well with so many different ingredients, and you can make it completely your own – from ice cream-like bowls with tropical fruits to barely sweet versions with avocado and even cauliflower. This simple açaí bowl is extremely creamy, rich in protein and low in sugar. Perfect way to start your day!
Ingredients:
-
- 2 Tambor Acai unsweetened frozen packs
- 1 cup mixed frozen berries
- 1 scoop 22 Days Nutrition Strawberry Protein Powder
- 2 TBSP. almond butter
- 1 cup almond milk (or other nut milk of your choice)
Toppings: Berries and raw cacao nibs.
Directions: Blend all ingredients until smooth and serve with your favorite toppings.
Sunflower Butter Vanilla Bircher Muesli Recipe
Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss doctor and nutritionist, developed Bircher for patients at his Zurich sanatorium as a way of adding more raw fruit into their diets. Otherwise known as soaked oats or overnight oats, Bircher Muesli are different in that there’s an addition of a grated apple, which gives this dish a great chewy texture. Bircher Muesli is one of my go-to breakfasts for a few reasons:
- It’s really easy to make and you really can’t go wrong with making it a kitchen sink recipe and adding any nuts, seeds, nut butter or fruit that you have on hand.
- Make a big batch and it will stay fresh for up to 3 days. I’m talking about opening your fridge and having a delicious breakfast waiting for you!
- Sort your muesli into mason jars for a grab-n-go option.
This sunflower butter Bircher Muesli with protein will keep you full longer than traditional oats because of a winning combination of fiber, healthy fats and protein.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 1 medium Granny Smith grated apple
- 1 scoop 22 Days Nutrition Vanilla Protein Powder
- 2 TBSP. sunflower butter
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup yogurt of your choice (I used cashew yogurt)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Directions:
Mix all ingredients well in a bowl. Place the mixture in a jar, close the lid and let sit in the fridge for 4 hours to overnight. In the morning, serve with your favorite toppings. I used mulberries, blackberries and coconut flakes. Store in fridge for up to 3 days.
Also try our Coconut Bircher Muesli Recipe.
For more recipes, check out the Breakfast Criminals Recipe eBook with 75+ superfood recipes to keep you nourished and energized first thing in the morning.
This post features sponsored products and is in collaboration with 22 Days Nutrition. All opinions, as always, are my own.