Breakfast in a Jar

The common reason why people skip breakfast before their 9-5 office shift is that preparing breakfast can take up to 15 minutes of extra snooze time. Other reasons include the availability of breakfast bars and coffee machines at the work place or university campuses. But we all know that they are only supplements that only trick us into thinking we're fuelled till at least noon. And if you are into cereals for a quick fix, you want to know that they are not any different from un-toasted pop tarts; you might as well eat a bar or snickers for breakfast.

Disadvantages of not having or at least not preparing breakfast from home includes the obvious: spending money, and that too on coffee or shingara with no good nutritious value.

If you don't want to prepare your most important meal in the morning, you can do it the night before, and mason jars are meant to do this— as seen by the popularity of the Breakfast in a jar on Pinterest. However as pretty as it looks, we can't really get all those luscious berries easily here. But, we can definitely get creative with alternatives.

The concept of breakfast in a jar promotes healthy eating, and it is also a cool way to give a pretty visual of nutrition facts.

OVERNIGHT OATS

Measure out in a glass or bowl the amount of oats you would eat in a meal and transfer it into a jar of your liking. Then add your choice of milk like, soy, coconut, almond, rice. Then add your favourite topping which could include not only fruits but different kinds of nuts and seeds as well to give it an extra crunchy texture like, banana, cherries, apples almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nut butters, coconut flakes, greek yoghurt, plain yoghurt, the list goes on. For added flavor add a spice like cinnamon, cocoa powder, vanilla, ginger powder, date syrup or even honey. Cover the lid and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

GRANOLA WITH FRUITS

Make alternate layers of yoghurt and granola and top it off with your favourite fruits or seeds like bananas, mangoes, berries, almonds, hazelnuts and many more. For added sweetness honey or date syrup works best!

POACHED EGGS WITH SAUSAGE

Create alternate layers of mixed vegetables (you can also add cooked quinoa with it) and shredded sausages of your choice in a jar. In between the layers add spice mixtures of your choice such as Italian herb mixes, garlic powder, and paprika. Cook two poached eggs and place it on the top and finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil. Store in the refrigerator overnight and just heat it up in the microwave for a minute before eating. 

COCONUT CHIA PUDDING

This can be eaten for breakfast or as a quick sweet fix for any time of the day.  Blend coconut milk, maple syrup/honey, vanilla, cardamom powder and then add chia seeds or tokma into the mixture and pour it out into the jar. Refrigerate overnight and serve it with your favourite chopped fruits!

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Recipes: Collected