Sunrise Senior Living : Start The Day Right With a High-Fiber Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and selecting the right dish can go a long way toward staying healthy.

Eating a breakfast full of fiber is great for keeping your digestive system feeling great and working as intended. These recipes are a delicious and beneficial way to start your morning.

Cardamom-Crumb Coffee Cake
This breakfast is unique because cardamom adds a special blend of floral flavors and distinct spice to a favorite dish. It is similar to ginger and can be replaced with cinnamon in this recipe. Either way, this dish is an exciting twist on the traditional coffee cake.

Ingredients

Oatmeal Crumb

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cake

• 2 cups white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Combine butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 flour and 1/2 tsp. of cardamom in a food processor and mix until crumbly. Place mixture in a bowl and add remaining oats and the chopped walnuts. Blend with a fork and set aside. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F, and coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.

Sift 2 cups flour, baking power, 1 tsp. cardamom, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs and 1/2 cup brown sugar until blended. Slowly add buttermilk, oil and vanilla while continuing to whisk. Add half of the smaller bowl's ingredients to the larger bowl, and blend thoroughly before adding the remaining wet ingredients.

In the prepared pan, pour in half of the batter. Sprinkle half of the oatmeal crumb evenly over top. Cover with the remaining batter and top with the rest of the oatmeal crumb.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is browned. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Tofu Fruit Smoothie
Because the fruit flavors in this recipe are so delicious, it is easy to add protein-rich tofu without changing the taste. Along with protein, this smoothie is packed with potassium, calcium and vitamin C.

This is perfect for folks on-the-go, and will be enjoyed by children or adults. It is also a great recipe because you can experiment by adding different fruits.

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup silken tofu

Directions

Combine the berries, banana, apple juice and tofu in a blender or food processor. Mix until smooth. For an added bit of flavor, top with a mint leaf.

Banana-Bran Muffin
This is a perfect recipe for anyone with old bananas in the kitchen and is packed with fiber and other nutrients. Additions like chopped walnuts or chocolate chips can be added to the batter for even more flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup wheat bran
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking power
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Coat a muffin tray with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 F

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and brown sugar. Add mashed bananas, buttermilk, wheat bran, oil and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combined flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Stir well with a rubber spatula and add chocolate chips if desired. Walnuts can be used as a topping.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tray. Bake until golden brown, usually 15 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Breakfast On-the-Go

If you're in a rush, one of the easiest breakfasts or snacks on-the-go is an assortment of nuts! If you get the unsalted variations, they are low-sodium, high in fiber and packed with protein for a breakfast that will tie you over in a bind. Nuts are, in fact, considered a 'superfood'! Learn more about their health benefits and snack ideas at Nuts.com.