Prep-ahead breakfast with 25g+ of protein without protein powder


Hi Reader,

It is warm enough now that I have stopped wanting to stand over a stove at seven in the morning. Maybe you have too.

So this week I went back to the breakfast I make when I want one less decision before the day starts. Overnight oats. You build it the night before, it sits in the fridge, and in the morning it is just there. No heat, no cooking, no thinking.

I don't use protein powder in any of these, but you're welcome to add some on top if you want to up the protein even more. It also has enough fiber to hold you till lunch, which is the whole point of a breakfast you can eat with one hand on the way out the door!

Here are my favorites:

​Peanut butter banana​

The one that tastes like dessert and disappears the fastest in my house. Use a plant milk and skip the honey for the dripped sweetness, maple syrup works, and it is vegan.

If you are skeptical that oats can be exciting, this is your one. Start here.

​Strawberry cheesecake​

Currently eating this as I write this email. Cottage cheese does the heavy lifting, so it eats rich and creamy without anything fussy. Good for the week berries are cheap. For a vegan jar, swap the cottage cheese for a thick plant yogurt and use plant milk.

​Click here for my summer favorite. ​

​Cookie dough​

Yes, for breakfast. It scratches the chocolate-chip itch and somehow still gets you to lunch. Use a plant milk and a dairy-free yogurt, and check that the chocolate chips are vegan, to make it fully plant-based.

​Get the dessert-turned-breakfast​

​Mango coconut ​

The summer one. Ripe mango and coconut milk make it taste like a vacation you ate with a spoon. It is already dairy-free, just use soy milk and you are set. Frozen mangoes thaw overnight btw, so it's the most convenient one too.

​Make the most indulgent one of them all. ​

​Almond butter and jam​

Think PB&J you eat with a spoon, except better, AND it happens to be dairy-free / vegan start to finish. If you are cooking vegan, this is the one to reach for first..

​Make my favorite one out of the lot. ​

Or check out my full round up that is sorted by base (Greek yogurt vs. cottage cheese vs. soy milk) - no protein powder in sight but still packs a punch!

Toodles,
Shruthi from my kitchen, before the coffee has kicked in

P.S. If you are already an overnight oats person, tell me your go-to flavor combination. I am collecting flavors for the back half of summer and the good ideas always come from you! high

Shruthi B. Makanju

Mom. Engineer. Vegetarian friend on your shoulder.

Will travel for good food; then bring it home for Tuesday dinner.

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Urban Farmie

Urban Farmie has vegetarian recipes inspired by Shruthi's life and travels to 60+ countries! Shruthi shares healthy-ish, weeknight dinners, one pot meals, and quick recipes for busy folks, as well as food and kitchen tips and tricks to live a more sustainable life.

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