- Insider health reporter Rachel Hosie has tested lots of easy, quick, high-protein breakfast recipes.
- These 11 recipes are perfect for "lazy girls" who still want to lose weight and build muscle.
- They include chocolate chip oat cookies, berry flavored mousse, and baked oats.
First "lazy girl" jobs, which pay the bills but don't become your identity, were all over TikTok.
Now, "#lazygirl" has over 295 million views, with "lazy girl" day-in-the-life videos, hairstyle hacks, workouts, and recipes to make life as easy as possible flooding the platform.
When it comes to staying in shape by working smarter rather than harder, Insider's health reporters, including Rachel Hosie, have been writing about this long before the "lazy girl" trend.
As Insider has previously reported, to achieve or what's known as body recomposition, or a "toned" look, you need to be in a small calorie deficit to lose weight while eating lots of protein to maintain and build muscle. You also need to do strength training, and be sleeping and recovering well, Dr. Mike Molloy, founder of M2 Performance Nutrition, previously told Insider.
Here are 11 dietitian-approved high-protein recipes for "lazy girl" breakfasts to help you lose weight and gain muscle easily.
1. Baked oats
Rachel has been eating baked oats since before they went viral on TikTok a few years ago. They are essentially oatmeal baked in the oven so that they turn into something resembling cake and can be customized according to your favorite flavors, such as banana bread, apple cake, triple chocolate raspberry brownie batter, and blueberry muffin.
2. Protein pancakes
These pancakes contain oats and Greek yogurt, which means they don't come out with a rubbery texture like other protein pancake recipes. All you have to do is whisk all the ingredients together and fry for a few minutes on each side — and you can make the mixture ahead of time to save time in the morning.
Plus, adding fruit on top helps you get some of your five-a-day and adds fiber to your diet.
3. Avocado toast with eggs and turkey bacon
Eating avocado toast won't help you buy a house, or so they say, but it can be a great vessel for protein. Rachel adds eggs and sometimes turkey bacon for protein and satiety, and dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine recommended using seeded bread to maximize your fiber intake in a previously Insider article.
4. Overnight oats
Another easy way to start your morning with high protein is overnight oats, because you prepare them the night before. Rachel always starts with a base of oats, Greek yogurt, protein powder, and almond milk, and then adds whatever toppings she's craving that day, whether that's grated apple, mashed banana, sultanas, peaches, chia seeds, or cinnamon.
5. Greek yogurt parfait
This breakfast Greek yogurt parfait is probably the laziest of the lazy girl breakfasts, and is super quick to throw together in the morning; just put greek yogurt and whatever add-ins you'd like in a bowl, and eat! Rachel suggested trying granola, fruit, nuts, or nut butter, while Ludlam-Raine said to watch out for granolas with high added sugar.
6. Chocolate chunk oat cookies
You can eat cookies for breakfast and still get your protein in with these healthy chocolate chunk oat cookies. Instead of flour and refined sugar, they have oats, mashed banana, and protein powder to make a sweet breakfast treat. Rachel eats hers with some fruit and yogurt.
7. Peanut butter oat smoothie
Smoothies are great on a summer morning, but if they're just fruit and veg they tend not to be very filling. So, add ingredients like Greek yogurt, nut butters, protein powder, and, of course, oats to make smoothies more filling and to increase your protein intake.
For this peanut butter oat smoothie, just whizz up some milk, banana, raspberries, Greek yogurt, oats, and peanut butter, in a blender, and then add cinnamon and honey to taste.
8. Protein chia pudding with strawberries and almond butter
Another overnight recipe, this can be beefed up by adding protein powder. Mix chia seeds and your milk of choice, leave in the fridge overnight, and add in whatever you like in the morning — Rachel suggests honey, maple syrup, cocoa powder, fruit or nut butter.
This protein chia pudding with strawberries and almond butter recipe includes fiber and one of your five-a-day from the strawberries, and healthy fats from the almond butter.
9. Whole grain bagel with peanut butter and banana
Whole grain bagels release energy slowly so are a great start to the day, and adding healthy toppings means you can get a bunch of nutrients in before you've left the house.
Rachel recommends adding peanut butter and banana to your bagel. Ludlam-Raine said this is a great idea because the banana adds to the fiber from the bagel, and, if it's not very ripe, the less-resistant starch in the banana will "support blood glucose management and feed the good bacteria in your gut."
10. Chocolate chunk banana bread with peanut butter
Adding just the right amount of protein powder to your banana bread can result in a moist, fluffy cake texture while still giving you plenty of protein and ensuring you stay fuller for longer. This breakfast is best prepared the night before because it takes a little more work, but you essentially just need to mix all the ingredients together and bake.
11. Berry cottage cheese mousse
This berry cottage cheese mousse only has three ingredients: frozen raspberries, sugar-free jelly powder, and fat-free cottage cheese. Just blend the jelly powder and cottage cheese together, pour over the raspberries, and leave to set in the fridge overnight. It's a great option for those wanting something sweet in the morning, but still gives you lots of protein from the cottage cheese.