I'm trying to level up my breakfast game at work. My office has a fridge but it's tiny and always packed, so I've been keeping breakfast at my desk and just grabbing it when I get in.
Current rotation:
- Protein bars (convenient but getting boring)
- Instant oatmeal packets (filling but texture isn't great)
- My current fav is when I grab an Arla protein yogurt on my way in (keeps me full but requires the fridge run)
I'm looking for something that:
- Has decent protein (15g+ ideally)
- Doesn't taste like cardboard
- Won't make my coworkers hate me (no reheating fish obviously)
- Relatively quick to eat at my desk
What's everyone else doing? I see people with elaborate overnight oats setups and I'm wondering if I'm missing out on something obvious.
by Glum_Drop7683
16 Comments
I make traditional rolled oats with cinnamon in the microwave. They have a better texture than instant, and still pretty instantaneous at 2 mins to cook. Stir in protein powder and banana after cooking. Also sometimes fresh cranberries and cut up apple…smells like Christmas. I top with a tablespoon of peanut butter, but I don’t stir that in b/c the flavor gets lost
When I worked in an office I used to take 20 minutes on a Sunday, fry and slice some sausages, scramble some eggs, shove it into wraps with ketchup and salt, parcel up into greaseproof wrap, and stick them in the freezer. Grab one on the way out of the house each morning, microwave on a slice of kitchen roll, and voila! An office rammed full of jealousy and ‘WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FROM??’
I make my wife a smoothie every morning.
150g milk
150g plain yoghurt
1 scoop strawberry protein powder (I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey very good flavour )
10g chia seeds
100g frozen strawberries
50g frozen blueberries
50g frozen pineapple
You could use full fat or fat free dairy, scale up or down the amount, remove the chia seeds, add oats, or use different fruit.
The combination of protein powder plus dairy is shockingly filling for the number of calories.
Blend the ingredients at home, take to work in an insulated flask. Drink at your desk. Takes 5 min to throw together with a blender and a cheap digital scale.
An even easier alternative is a meal replacement shake, or even just protein powder with milk. One scoop with 500ml of whole milk gives you about 40g of protein. Add a fruit like an apple or a banana which you can keep at your desk and it’s a balanced meal with ~500 calories and great macros. I keep a shaker in the office kitchen and a tub of protein powder in my desk for my morning shake.
Egg bites! Or overnight oats
So some ‘low spoon’ options that contain at least 15g of protein.
Trail mix and a piece of fruit
Cruskits and protein spread of choice
Cereal and a small popper of long life milk
Chia puddings
My 2nd breakfast (when I get to work) is:
0.5 cup yogurt
30 g some combination of Cashews and Almonds
20g Rolled Oats
1 sliced apple or pear or peach
Protein smoothie I’ve been having for breakfast everyday for the past 3 years
-30g whey protein (24g protein)
-75g oats
-15g chia seeds
-80g frozen blueberries
-30g kale
-400ml unsweetened soya milk
-15g smooth peanut butter
I prep chia pudding jars. It’s greek yogurt +chia seeds+ honey and vanilla. I add some fresh fruits that don’t spoil like whole berries. In the morning, just top it off with granola. It’s been my go to easy breakfast for ages.
Make mini frittatas in muffin tins. They will keep in fridge for about a week. The next morning; take a couple out of the fridge, bring to work, they become soft and room temp when I arrive and enjoy them at my desk.
I have a container with sections like a bento box.
180g yoghurt in the bottom section, mix in 30g protein powder.
Top section divides in two, so I put 50g cheerios (or rather the Aldi knockoff) and 100g frozen fruit in the other)
Protein works do a diet pancake mix, 120ml milk, 45g of the powder and it makes 4 5″ pancakes (bought a 4 pancake pan on Amazon). I then pair it with bacon, sausage or fruit with Skyr yogurt. My partner prefers them as a little snack in the day as she doesn’t like breakfast.
It also makes a good waffle mix but only use 80ml of milk.
I make different combinations of egg muffins each week. They will stay good in the fridge all week.
Frozen fruit with greek yogurt and honey also. Take the fruit out of the freezer the morning and put yogurt on top and by the time I get to work its thawed.
I love the huel and yfood drinkable meals
Overnight oats or cottage cheese and berry chia puddings.
I love egg bites. Throw whatever you want in them, portion and freeze. Super easy and delicious.
Overnight oats!! I eat mine on the bus ride to work. I usually make mine with oats, milk, chia seeds, protein powder, peanut butter (or any kind of nut butter) and hemp hearts. You can add other stuff to make it more fun like frozen fruit, chocolate chips etc. Without protein powder, should be around 15-20 grams of protein depending on what you add or milk you use.