Tag Archives: breakfast

6 Christmas Morning Breakfasts You Still Have Time to Make

With Christmas Eve finally upon us, everyone is checking those lists one more time to make sure nothing is forgotten. While we tend to focus on making sure the gift lists are marked complete, the grocery list can get overlooked. Make sure you’ve got a big festive breakfast planned for tomorrow morning. As your little ones stumble upon their prizes from Santa, the big kids can go ahead and settle in to a home-cooked breakfast that’s just special enough to enjoy one morning a year.

We’ve got six healthier breakfast ideas that we promise you’ve still got time to make (even on Christmas Eve!).

Baked Double Chocolate Peppermint Donuts

You won’t find any added processed sugar in these little gems. Instead we sweeten with honey, quality cocoa, and just enough crushed peppermint sticks to brighten your morning. A few mini chocolate chips baked in the pan with the batter create an instant glaze. All you have to do is serve! (more…)

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Natalie K

Double Chocolate Peppermint Donuts Make Christmas Morning Sweet

Quick, it’s Christmas morning, the kids are going bonkers, Santa and Rudolph departed hours ago (wink, wink), and you have a house full of hungry guests to feed – what do you do? Simple: Bake up a batch or two of these delectable and healthy double chocolate peppermint donuts to tide everyone over ’til lunch. Santa would certainly approve.

A few weeks back our editor assigned me the task of dreaming up a “Christmas morning recipe” and my mind immediately went to something sweet. Two things you should know about me are that 1) I absolutely adore donuts, and 2) there’s nothing I crave more during the holidays than all-things chocolate and peppermint. These cravings came together to form one amazing recipe that is perfectly suited for your holiday breakfast table.  (more…)

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Dana

5-Minute Breakfast Ideas to Fuel Your Mornings in a Hurry

By Bob Greene for TheBestLife.com

I’m a big fan of breakfast—in fact, starting off each day with a healthy, balanced breakfast is one of the key guidelines on my Best Life plan. A morning meal jump-starts your metabolism, delivers some much-needed energy after a night’s rest and can help with weight loss.

Don’t think you have the time? Check out these five dishes, which you can throw together in five minutes or less.


Speedy Cereal

Be picky about what you pour into your bowl. Our guidelines: Opt for a cereal that has at least 4 grams of fiber, no more than 5 grams of sugar, and no more than 120 milligrams sodium per 100 calories. (Click here for a list of healthy cereal choices.) Top it off with fat-free or one-percent milk or calcium-enriched soy milk. To add more nutrients and flavor, top with some fresh fruit or a tablespoon or two of nuts. Or try this shortcut: Mix a few healthy cereals together, put them in a re-sealable plastic bag, and go. (more…)

Posted on November 8, 2025 by BestLifeDiet

HealthBuzz November 2: Halloween Candy Buy Back, GMO Facts, and Halloween Candy Recipes

We are hours away from the weekend, which means it is time for your weekly dose of healthy news! This week we have rounded up stories from Entertainment Weekly, Best Life Diet, and Yahoo! Shine. And while Halloween may be over, we’ve got treats that can be made with your leftover candy.

Eating Healthy on $12 Per Day Food Stamp Budget is Impossible and How the Next President May Make it Worse

With the elections coming up, government programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, could be changed drastically. DIR’s staff writer Lacy J. Hansen tried to feed her family healthy meals on a food stamp budget and barely made it. Read about Lacy’s food stamp project and tell us what you think!

Vanessa Lembo Lost 120 Pounds After Deciding She Was Worth The Change

This week’s true weight loss story features Vanessa from Upstate New York. After Vanessa’s mother’s passed, she knew she had to start living a healthy life. She ditched the bags of Dove chocolate for cardio and weight training. Tell us what you think about Vanessa’s weight loss journey!

Kids Sell Halloween Candy for Cash at Dental Buy Back Programs Across the Country

There is a new trend sweeping the nation – kids selling their Halloween candy back to dentist offices. Tooth decay and cavities are a result of children eating loads of Halloween candy. We found one kid who received $22 for selling his Halloween candy to a local dentist office! This is a neat way to get rid of the sugar high will still giving them a reason to celebrate. (more…)

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Samantha

HealthBuzz October 26: DIR Releases First eCookbook, 57 Types of Sugar, and Halloween Party Food Recipes

It’s the final Friday of the month! The weekend is approaching in a few hours and that means it is time for a dose of healthy news from DIR and our friends. So take some time out of your schedule to read the headlines from this week!

Announcing Baker’s Dozen: Our First eCookbook with 13 Healthier Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

We have launched our first ever eCookbook with 13 different recipes! The eCookbook is filled with healthy and delicious breakfast and brunch recipes and it only costs $1.99! Each dish is fresh, flavorful, and pretty easy to make! Download the eCookbook now because the first 100 get some cool prizes!

John Thompson’s 202 Pound Weight Loss Story

Imagine losing 200 pounds! John Thompson did just that after two years of exercising and eating a healthy diet. A few weeks ago John finished his first half marathon, too! Read more to learn about the small steps John took to achieve a healthy life.

7 Facts About GMOs to Convince You to Vote Yes on 37

Earlier this week I had to explain what a GMO is to 90 college students. It shocked me to see how many people didn’t understand what GMO is and the health risks it poses. If you do not know the facts about GMO then check out our list of 7 things you need to know. Read why voting yes to Prop 37 can help Americans see what they are putting into their bodies. (more…)

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Samantha

7 Ways to Pimp Your Pancake

I’ve loved pancakes for what seems like forever and have held them in high esteem as my favorite breakfast ever since I was a kid. Perhaps that’s the reason they were the only item my mom could make – besides brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts – that was able to lure me out of bed in the morning for school. Somehow, 7 a.m. seemed a little more manageable if a stack of warm pancakes and maple syrup were greeting me at the breakfast table.

This love for flapjacks has led my friends to count me as the official “pancake queen” in our social circle, and they always seem to seek my expertise when they’re getting ready to cook up a batch of their own. While pancakes may have gained a bad reputation for being overly sweet and not the most nutritious breakfast dish on the block, it’s my conviction that they can actually be made quite healthy with a few simple tweaks.

In testing countless recipes and variations of pancakes myself, I’ve found that you can health-ify just about any pancake recipe out there and even make it vegan-friendly, gluten-free and far lower in calories, fat, and sugar than many would suspect while still maintaining amazing flavor and texture.

To help you get a leg up on the healthy pancake movement, I’ve compiled a list of seven simple says to “Pimp Your Pancake” and boost their healthy reputation on your breakfast table. With these easy-to-follow tips you’ll learn how to add more protein, flavor, and heartier texture to your pancakes without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. Click the slideshow to get started!

 Download Baker’s Dozen: 13 Healthier Breakfast & Brunch Recipes, our new e-cookbook including a recipe for Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pancakes!

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Dana

Announcing Baker’s Dozen: Our First eCookbook with 13 Healthier Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Price Break! Now Get Baker’s Dozen for only 99 Cents!

If it’s not entirely apparent yet, we really love food! We love food that’s fresh, homemade, wholesome, and pretty. We love food that tastes really, really good.

So we put all of that in our little mixing bowl and whipped up our first e-cookbook, a collection of our 13 best breakfast and brunch recipes. The book’s called Baker’s Dozen and will tempt you with each turn of the page. You’ll have no excuse not to get in the kitchen and prepare a healthier morning meal!

Download Baker’s Dozen Here for just 99 Cents! You’ll receive a PDF file to use on your iPad, iPhone, laptop, or other digital devices, which makes it easier than ever to have your favorite recipes right in front of you in the kitchen.

Some of the Baker’s Dozen recipes are personal favorites, like Sweet Potato Hashbrowns and Blood Orange Mimosas. Some forced us to step outside our own comfort zones to create something truly unique and delicious, like the Fig and Honey Breakfast Quinoa or the Savory Asparagus Prosciutto Crepes. Of course, we had to include exciting new takes on classic breakfast fare with our Sunny Side Up Breakfast Sandwich, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pancakes, and Mason Jar Omelets.

Beautifully appetizing photography adorns every page with approachable ingredient lists, clear and easy-to-follow instructions, and nutrition facts for each recipe, provided by CalorieCount.com. Plus, we tell the story behind each recipe so it feels like we’re enjoying a casual Saturday breakfast together as friends!

Get a taste of what’s inside Baker’s Dozen with a preview of our Apple Cinnamon Streusel Doughnuts. (more…)

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Natalie K

4 Healthy Breakfasts You Can Eat on Your Way to Work

By Kati Mora, MS, RD

In a perfect world, eating every meal at the table would be ideal. Yet in today’s busy world, that isn’t always possible. And unfortunately, breakfast is one meal that often gets left in our daily schedule’s dust.

If you have a busy morning getting yourself, your kids, and maybe even your spouse up and out of the house, don’t let breakfast pass you by! It really is the most important meal of the day and can help you feel more energized and perform your best at your day job. So instead of missing breakfast completely, choose one of these four meal ideas that will not only quench your hunger, but travel with you as you get up and go!

Four Healthy On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas

Power Up Smoothie. Smoothies are a great way to get a lot of nutrients fast! Pick out your favorite fruits, veggies, and protein sources, hit blend, and voila! You’ve got a healthy, on-the-go breakfast you can carry with you in a cup.

Need some smoothie inspiration? Check out these four phenomenal recipes from AroundthePlate.org. My favorite is the Vanilla Melon smoothie. Just mix together honeydew melon, an apple, avocado, lemon juice, vanilla extract, almonds and ice cubes for a delightful morning treat. (more…)

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Around The Plate

Homemade Blackberry Muffins are a Sweet Vacation Souvenir

Last week I ran far, far away from home, where it’s been six-digit temperatures for the better part of the summer, in to the cool, loving arms of Portland, Oregon. I’ve never been to that part of the country and I can say it was just about love at first sight. To you Portlanders – well done! It’s one of the most beautiful, friendly, genuinely unique places I’ve ever visited.

I took in the scenic hikes at Mt. Hood, enjoyed tastings at local wineries, had lunch at the downtown food carts, and even picked up a bottle of honey (my go-to souvenir for any vacation). One of the things I loved the very most were the blackberries. They were very much in season while I was there, with many restaurants advertising all sorts of blackberry treats. The ones I enjoyed most were right out of a basket at the Portland Farmers Market on the PSU campus. Plump, juicy, and perfectly sweet… they were a far cry from any blackberry I’m used to having in Kansas.

When I returned home, I couldn’t get that sweet taste out of my mind. So this weekend, I made due with the blackberries I had access to and made what my husband called the best muffins I’ve ever baked. It seemed only right to share them with you.

I wanted a muffin that would let the blueberries shine, not be too heavy, and complement a breakfast rather than be the main course. I found a recipe that I could easily modify over at DozenFlours.com. Her recipe was great as-is, but I had to add a few of my own tricks to truly make it mine, make it a touch healthier, and help me savor that Portland blackberry flavor I was after. (more…)

Posted on September 10, 2025 by Natalie K

4 Breakfasts Worth Waking Up For, Including a Vegetable Frittatta Recipe

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D. for TheBestLife.com

I love breakfast foods, so I’ve always wondered why anyone would deliberately skip this meal. Cereal, oatmeal, waffles, eggs, latte—what’s not to like? And if you opt for healthy versions of these foods, breakfast could be your most nutritious meal of the day. Here’s how to make the most of your morning meal.

Cereal

Check the ingredient list to make sure that all the grains in the cereal are whole. Then check the label to make sure that you’re getting no more than 5 grams of sugar and at least 4 grams of fiber per 100 calories. If your cereal is very low sugar, such as Food for Life’s Ezekiel cereals or Uncle Sam’s, it’s fine to sprinkle on a few tablespoons of granola (which might exceed the “5 g sugar per 100 calories” rule in larger amounts). Here’s what to put in your bowl: (more…)

Posted on August 22, 2025 by BestLifeDiet

How to Eat Gluten Free: Breakfast

By no means am I a gluten-free expert, but I am an enthusiast learner. And as more and more people in my life begin to consider gluten-free as a new way of life, my natural tendency is to want to do the same. Call me a follower, I prefer extremely health curious.

As we highlighted earlier this week, a new study from the Mayo Clinic reported that nearly 1.8 million Americans have celiac disease, but around 1.4 million don’t even realize it.

This statistic made me wonder if I had a sensitivity to gluten myself as I often experience such symptoms as bloating and fatigue after eating an especially high-carbohydrate meal. As a result, my curiosity led me to where it usually does – the kitchen, to see if I actually could make this type of major diet change work after all.

It turns out, I have hardly a clue about what eating gluten free looks like. But that’s where a little research and trial and error come into play. So in my quest to know what gluten-free eating is all about, I’ve decided to do a three-part mini series on how to eat gluten free without missing out on taste. The first of which is breakfast; lunch and dinner are soon to follow, naturally. (more…)

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Dana