5 Breakfast Hacks For Busy People

Mornings aren't exactly everyone's cup of tea — especially when life's responsibilities force a person to live and die by the volume of an alarm clock, kicking off the day with a foot-dragging dirge from bed to the bathroom for a little primping to the front door with just enough time to actually get to work in a punctual fashion. But what about the whole "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" business? Here are some breakfast hacks to get you through to lunchtime with a functioning brain and body.

I started typing "time is of the essence" when I realized that I didn't actually have any idea where that phrase came from. Sure, everyone loosely agrees that it means that you need to get something done promptly, but the origin is actually traced to contract law, in documents where both parties mutually agree and consent that any delay in the completion of the contract terms would cause material harm. First thing in the morning, and I'm already throwing contract legal jargon in your face (I'm the worst).

But, time in this case is actually of the essence, since the most common reason why people skip breakfast is because they feel like they don't have time to prepare it. "Sorry, boss, I was dicing garlic for an amazing and well-balanced frittata" isn't exactly an excuse many supervisors are likely to shrug off for chronic tardiness. And, let's just take waking up earlier off of the table right now. We may be learning about contract legalese between alarm-snoozes, but we're not masochists.

So here are five breakfast hacks to get you back on track when it comes to the most important meal of the day.

1. Treat your future self to a freezer-friendly feast

You might not have time to get your chef on in the morning, but you can sacrifice one episode of whatever you're binge watching in the evenings to make some freezer-friendly breakfast wraps (or these delicious looking Crunch Wrappy quesadillas from The Kitchn) with scrambled eggs and your favorite veggies. Just individually wrap these beauties, and heat one up when you're ready to eat! It's like having a Taco Bell right in your apartment but better, faster, and cheaper.

2. Or, go grainy with overnight granola

My favorite thing about overnight granola parfait is that it is infinitely customizable. Greek yogurt is great, or make it vegan with coconut cream like in the picture above (a fabulous recipe from Oh She Glows). Pick your favorite seasonal fruits, or spice things up with cinnamon and nutmeg. The possibilities are literally endless.

3. Freeze-ahead smoothies are a thing

Freeze all of the ingredients to your favorite smoothies in a plastic bag (or better yet, spread onto a baking sheet to prevent clumping, followed by a bag). In the morning, you can just dump the ingredients in your blender with a little bit of juice or coconut water, and voila! Breakfast is served. Check out this recipe form Damn Delicious for inspiration.

4. Stock up on fresh fruit

There will always be mornings when you barely have time to brush your teeth let alone turn on a blender to make yourself a smoothie. Fresh fruit like grapefruit and banana are great for an energy boost on a busy morning, but bananas are slightly more portable.

5. Breakfast bars are there for you too

And just when you thought you were going to skip breakfast again, in waltzes the resurgence of the breakfast bar. When choosing a pre-packaged bar, you want to look for a few things— namely, low sugar content, plenty of fiber, and measurable protein. Kind, a snack bar company, boasts that its bars contain "ingredients you can see and pronounce," which is always a nice touch early in the morning.

See, eating breakfast is totally possible, and with a little planning, majorly delicious.

Images: Pexels (2); The Kitchn; Oh She Glows; Damn Delicious; Kind/Amazon