- Breakfast provides your brain and body with essential nutrients to start your day energized.
- Ina Garten reveals what her typical breakfast entails—and it’s just two ingredients.
- Her coffee and toast are loaded with antioxidants and energy-boosting nutrients.
How we start our mornings can set us up for the rest of the day—and that includes eating breakfast. While some shun the first meal of the day (we’re looking at you intermittent fasters), starting your day with nourishment can give your brain and body what they need to power through the morning.
And it doesn’t have to be a big, fancy breakfast. A couple of hard-boiled eggs cooked the night before with a cup of fruit will suffice. Or you could do breakfast the Barefoot Contessa way.
In a new interview with Amy Poehler, Ina Garten revealed that she starts her day off simply, with coffee and toast. She gave even further detail in an interview with Air Mail—Ina opts for Dallis Brothers Ellis Island Blend Coffee and Eli Zabar’s health bread, to be exact. As she tells Poehler, a dab of good French butter on her bread and a splash of milk in her coffee is all she needs for tasty morning meal.
Zabar’s health bread is packed with stone-ground whole grains and seeds, including flax, sunflower and sesame seeds. The fiber in this bread will help fill you up and get things moving in the morning (along with that cup of joe). If you’re not near NYC to visit Zabar’s or don’t want to shell out the extra cash to have them deliver it to you, other great breads are also tasty and high in fiber, like Dave’s 21 Whole Grains and Seeds, Pacha’s Sourdough Buckwheat and Food for Life’s Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain breads.
While Garten opts for butter on her toast, we recommend garnishing it with protein or healthy fat to keep blood sugar stable and prevent the mid-morning crash. This might be something like peanut or almond butter, which is great for hurried mornings. Or if you’ve got the time, try our Avocado-Egg Toast or Avocado Toast with Burrata. Feeling like something a little less savory? Give our Pistachio & Peach Toast or Apple & Peanut Butter Toast a go.
Even Garten’s coffee habit has health benefits. When consumed in moderation, coffee not only perks up your mood and energy, but it also contains polyphenols that are good for your heart and brain.
If you’re tired of your usual coffee and want something special without having to visit a local coffee shop, you need to try our High-Protein Whipped Iced Coffee. We whip almond butter and coffee with a touch of sugar and cream, and then place this creamy concoction on top of ice and whole milk. Stir together and you’ve got a high-protein coffee that’s almost shake-like without the extra sugar rush.
Want to get back into a simple breakfast routine? Consider some of our favorite easy options, including this simple Watermelon-Peach Smoothie, a three-ingredient cozy farro porridge or some classic Two-Ingredient Banana Pancakes.
