Five-Minute Breakfasts Worth Getting Up For
Overnight oats, a mug scramble and a yogurt parfait. Three easy breakfasts for one or two, with hardly any dishes.
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Some mornings, breakfast is a cup of coffee and good intentions. I get it. When you’re cooking for one or two, it hardly seems worth dirtying a pan. But a real breakfast doesn’t have to be a production. These three take about five minutes, and one of them you make the night before.
1. Overnight oats
Make it while the kettle’s on at night, and breakfast is waiting for you in the morning.
- Stir together half a cup of old-fashioned oats and half a cup of milk in a jar or container with a lid.
- Add a spoonful of yogurt and a little cinnamon if you like.
- Top with fruit: sliced banana, berries, chopped apple or a few raisins.
- Put the lid on and refrigerate overnight.
Eat it cold, or warm it in the microwave for a minute. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can make two at once.
2. The mug scramble
No pan, no splatter, and only one mug and a fork to wash.
- Lightly grease a microwave-safe mug.
- Crack in one or two eggs, add a splash of milk and a pinch of pepper, and beat with a fork.
- Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then cook 20 to 30 seconds more until the eggs are set all the way through.
- Slide it onto buttered toast, or into a tortilla with a little cheese.
Microwaves vary, so watch it the first time. Toss in leftover vegetables or a bit of chopped ham to dress it up.
3. The yogurt parfait
It looks like something from a fancy hotel and takes about two minutes.
- Spoon some yogurt into a glass or bowl. Plain or vanilla both work.
- Add a layer of berries. Frozen berries are fine and often cheaper; thaw them in the fridge overnight.
- Sprinkle on a few nuts, a little granola or a drizzle of honey.
- Repeat the layers if you’re feeling fancy.
Try this today
- Pick one of the three to try this week.
- Put the ingredients on your next grocery list.
- Make two overnight oats at once and enjoy the second one tomorrow.
Make breakfast a little occasion
Sit at the table instead of standing at the counter. Put on the radio, open the curtains, and read a few pages of a book or the paper. A few quiet minutes at the start of the day is one of the nicest things you can give yourself.
Keep a breakfast shelf
It’s easier to eat a good breakfast when the makings are already in the house. Keep a small stock of old-fashioned oats, a dozen eggs, a tub of yogurt, a bag of frozen berries, bread for toast and a jar of nuts or granola. With those on hand, any of these three is ready in five minutes, even on a morning when the cupboard otherwise looks bare.
Breakfast for company
All three double easily. Overnight oats in little jars with a ribbon make a nice surprise for a houseguest, and a parfait bar with yogurt, fruit and toppings turns a grandchild’s sleepover breakfast into an event.
Our free large-print Meal Planner and Grocery List makes it easy to plan a week of easy breakfasts and suppers.
What’s your go-to breakfast these days? Tell me in the comments.