14 Three-Step Breakfast Recipes for a Healthy Brain By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 10, 2023 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is the senior nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Credit: Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf Make these simple and delicious breakfasts to help your noggin function at its best. While an overall balanced eating pattern has the biggest impact on brain health, we’ve packed these recipes with ingredients like blueberries, eggs and walnuts that go the extra mile to support the brain, improve memory and reduce risk of cognitive decline. Plus, these meals come together in just three steps or less to make a brain-supporting breakfast as easy as any other. Recipes like our Baked Oatmeal With Banana, Raisins & Walnuts and Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie are flavorful and nutritious ways to support a healthy body and mind. 01 of 14 Baked Oatmeal with Banana, Raisins & Walnuts How do you make oatmeal even easier? Bake it! Here, we combine oats with milk and yogurt and flavor them with spices. Banana and raisins add natural sweetness. Once combined, the oatmeal is baked in the oven for a healthy breakfast the whole family will love. View Recipe Save 02 of 14 Chickpea & Potato Hash The eggs cook right on top of this chickpea and potato hash--cook them a few extra minutes if you prefer hard-set eggs. Serve with warm pita bread and a cucumber salad with mint and yogurt. View Recipe Save 03 of 14 Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Oatmeal In this satisfying, on-the-go oatmeal recipe, protein-rich Greek yogurt, crunchy pecans and sweet berries make this the perfect healthy breakfast. Short on time in the morning? Try our overnight oatmeal variation. View Recipe Save 04 of 14 Spinach & Mushroom Quiche Antonis Achilleos This healthy vegetarian quiche recipe is as simple as it gets. It's a quiche without the fussy crust! It's filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Enjoy it for breakfast or brunch, or serve it with a light salad for lunch. View Recipe Save 05 of 14 Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf The kale, hemp seeds and green tea in this bright, lemony smoothie all contain antioxidants that can help fight inflammation. If you can’t find baby kale, baby spinach will work well in its place. Banana adds natural sweetness. If you want it a little sweeter, just a touch of honey will do the trick. View Recipe Save 06 of 14 White Bean & Avocado Toast Mashed avocado and white beans make for a fiber-rich and creamy topping, the perfect partner for a crispy slice of toast. Try it for a quick breakfast or snack. View Recipe Save 07 of 14 Low-Carb Blueberry Muffins Just because you're watching carbs doesn't mean you can't have the classic breakfast pastry. In place of all-purpose flour, nutty almond and coconut flours make these muffins fluffy while slashing carbs. A bit of brown sugar blunts the tartness of fresh blueberries. Make these ahead for a grab-and-go breakfast for the week. View Recipe Save 08 of 14 Easy Sheet-Pan Eggs with Mushrooms & Spinach Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly Make these easy sheet-pan eggs the next time you're serving a crowd for breakfast or brunch. Mushrooms add texture and flavor, while spinach adds a pop of color. You can also make these eggs for a meal-prep-friendly breakfast. View Recipe Save 09 of 14 Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Omelet The key to this healthy smoked salmon omelet recipe is cooking the eggs over low heat so the curds set up nice and soft. A splash of milk in the eggs is added insurance to keep the salmon omelet from turning rubbery. View Recipe Save 10 of 14 Anti-Inflammatory Beet Smoothie Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This vibrant beet smoothie combines sweet and earthy beets with berries, banana and orange juice for a well-balanced flavor. Look for packaged cooked beets where the prepared fruits and vegetables are sold. Beets are high in belatins, an antioxidant that may help decrease inflammation in the body. Other nutrient-packed ingredients add even more anti-inflammatory power, like the anthocyanins in blueberries and the gingerol found in ginger. View Recipe Save 11 of 14 Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Wild Rice Hash Photographer / Jacob Fox, Food styling / Sue Mitchell, Food Styling / Kelsey Bulat Cooking this hash in cast iron ensures you'll get crusty bits, but any nonstick skillet will work fine. Serve with your favorite hot sauce. View Recipe Save 12 of 14 Mocha Overnight Oats Give your oatmeal an energy kick with this coffee-drink-flavored overnight oats recipe. Chocolate, walnuts, maple and cacao nibs make give this healthy breakfast luxurious flavor. View Recipe Save 13 of 14 Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs Make a big batch of this healthy scrambled egg recipe and serve it with bagels for a fun brunch. View Recipe Save 14 of 14 Breakfast Beans with Microwave-Poached Egg In Costa Rica, this popular breakfast bean dish is called gallo pinto, which means spotted rooster, referring to the dark beans amid the pale rice. We call for cooked barley here, but you can use whatever leftover cooked grain you may have on hand. View Recipe Save EatingWell.com, December 2023 Explore more: Healthy Recipes Mealtime Breakfast & Brunch Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit