Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when you’re rushing to get yourself and everyone else out the door in the morning, the first thing you drop off your to-do list is a balanced meal at the beginning of the day.
Creating a successful, healthy day starts with getting in a good breakfast!
Sitting down to make a full plate with eggs, turkey bacon, a whole grain bagel, and fruit can be too much to manage, but this quick kiwi chia pudding is hearty and filling without overloading you with calories.
Not to mention the fact that it comes together in just a few minutes!
Time Savers
No matter what you’re doing in the kitchen, there are always a few things that end up taking you way longer than you thought when you started.
It might be finding all of your ingredients only to discover that you forgot a vital one at the grocery store. Or it might just be getting ready to mix everything up and realizing that cutting all that fruit you need is going to take more time than you originally planned.
Regardless of what you’re planning to make for your next meal, here are some time savers that can help you get started on the right foot!
1. Plan the Week
Set out your meal plan for the week and check it over on Sunday to make an accurate grocery list. This might take you more time when you’re getting started, but it’ll save you precious time when you’re getting recipes made up! Scrounge the fridge, freezer, and pantry to make sure you’ve got everything you need.
2. Cut Fruits and Veggies
The biggest amount of time you have to set aside when prepping a meal is to dice, slice, and julienne all your fruits and veggies. Instead of doing it all when you’re rushing out of the house or the kids are breathing down your neck about supper, get it done when you have downtime earlier in the week! Prep your fruits and veggies for the week according to your meal plan and keep them refrigerated and easy to use. You can even freeze a few in pre-measured baggies or containers to make it simple past this week!
3. Measure Twice, Cook Once
The old adage goes that you should “measure twice and cut once.” Most of the time, it refers to the construction industry, but it applies to shortcuts in cooking too! Measure out your ingredients early on and set them aside for the week. Whip up easy-use containers with pre-measured ingredients that you or anyone else in your house can pull out and whip up for a quick meal.
Kiwi Chia Pudding
Let’s get down to the sweet and savory parts of the day! This kiwi chia pudding is sweet, nutritious, and an easy-to-make dish that you can grab on your way out the door.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk (dairy or dairy-free)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ cup chia seeds
1 large kiwi, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
Start by mixing together the milk and maple syrup together until the syrup completely dissolves. The maple syrup acts as your sweetener without overpowering or weighing down the entire pudding.
Stir in the chia seeds and allow it all to sit for 5 minutes.
Mix it up again and then let it rest for 5 minutes more.
Once the pudding is thick you can top it with kiwi and sunflower seeds. Serve up now or put it in the fridge to grab later as a snack!
Alternative toppings:
Top the pudding with granola, peanut butter, honey, strawberries, blueberries, or a mixture of them all for a different taste and texture for your next meal.
Storing:
You can keep your individual kiwi chia pudding cups in the fridge for a few days, but they are best fresh. With the short time frame needed to mix them up, they’re easy to put together and grab for an on-the-go snack or a simple sweet treat that won’t load you down with calories and carbohydrates!
Takeaway
Developing recipes that help you stay on track with your health and wellness goals can be hard to tackle on your own. Keeping things simple enough to be impactful to your body while also sticking within a short time frame is challenging enough!
Simple recipes like these are a great way to get a huge amount of nutrients and continue feeding your body well without leaving you spending hours in the kitchen.
If you want more easy recipes like these, please subscribe to my newsletter using the box to the right of this post where you will receive a free recipe guide every month. The guide is packed with good-for-you recipes that don’t leave you stuck in the kitchen day in and day out!
