--- title: This 21-Day Breakfast Challenge Helps Busy Mornings description: Eating a balanced plate first thing gives you an energy surge to kick off your day and helps keep your hunger in check. canonical: https://time.com/4525237/better-breakfast-challenge/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-14T12:00:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:05.159Z article:section: Health og:title: Try This 21-Day Better Breakfast Challenge og:description: For even the busiest of weekdays og:url: https://time.com/4525237/better-breakfast-challenge/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefb1f5d00b127669/6988a9608e0601ab33467cae/better-breakfast-challenge.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: homemade healthy Chia seeds banana pecan and strawberry overnight oatmeal og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Try This 21-Day Better Breakfast Challenge twitter:description: For even the busiest of weekdays twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefb1f5d00b127669/6988a9608e0601ab33467cae/better-breakfast-challenge.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Try This 21-Day Better Breakfast Challenge > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: How to Cook Eggs Over Easy [Watch (HLS stream): How to Cook Eggs Over Easy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WuCccsVR.m3u8) (0:39)  _Published 2015-10-14. Runny, fried eggs taste great when served over salads, grains, or pasta. And of course, eggs over easy are also great for breakfast, too. Here's how to cook the perfect egg over easy._ by [Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com Contributor Oct 14, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  homemade healthy Chia seeds banana pecan and strawberry overnight oatmeal in jars. toning. selective Focus homemade healthy Chia seeds banana pecan and strawberry overnight oatmeal in jars. toning. selective FocusGetty Images by [Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com Contributor Oct 14, 2016 12:00 PM UTC Eating a balanced plate first thing gives you an energy surge to kick off your day and helps keep your hunger in check. “What you eat for [breakfast](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20668029,00.html) sets the tone for the whole day,” says Leah Kaufman, RD, a dietitian in New York City. This is how to make that starter meal healthy yet uncomplicated. Your action plan: Create a habit of eating something smart in the a.m. every day for three weeks by mixing and matching the strategies below. When assembling meals, follow this formula: a bit of protein along with a healthy carb and a good fat (like nuts or [avocado](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20395687,00.html)). ### **Strategy #1: Make prep-ahead moves** Spend time Sunday setting up several days’ worth of breakfasts. A few simple solutions: **Go mini:** Use a muffin tin to prepare mini egg frittatas; eat two per morning. (This [Egg Frittata recipe](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20945343,00.html) makes eight, enough for nearly the whole workweek.) **Make it in your sleep:** Mix a big batch of [overnight oats](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20945356,00.html) or [chia pudding](http://www.health.com/health/recipe/0,,50400000126381,00.html). Both are yummy, nutrient-rich breakfast bowls. **Bag smoothies:** Grab plastic baggies and put 1 cup berries, half a banana, and 1 tablespoon flaxseed into each. Stash them in the freezer; when your alarm goes off, toss one serving into the blender with ice, almond milk and 1 tablespoon almond butter. **_Health.com:_** [_13 High-Protein Breakfast Recipes_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20692801,00./?xid=time) ### **Strategy #2: Have an arsenal of 5-minute meal ideas** No chance to make ahead? These eats can be ready in a flash. **Follow the two-topping rule:** Plain quick-cooking oatmeal is an easy way to get a hearty breakfast fast. Limit yourself to two add-ins, like berries and raw peanuts. One should always be a source of protein, but don’t stick with just [nuts](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20585485,00.html). Try one of Kaufman’s creative oatmeal mix-ins: 1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese or three egg whites. **Pick PB:** Peanut butter is a tasty protein source, perfect on whole-grain toast with a piece of fruit. In a real hurry? Make a peanut butter sandwich. **Think outside the yogurt cup:** Have an unsweetened Greek yogurt and apply the two-topping rule (try [cinnamon](http://news.health.com/2014/11/21/health-benefits-of-cinnamon/) and granola). Or pair the plain yogurt with an [energy bar](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20957784,00.html). One of Kaufman’s faves: Zing Bars ($32 for 12; [amazon.com](http://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/Qs968Jm2gnP6%5FB9JQhnUfNsAAAFXr2UZ7QEAAAFKASqTkZw/https://www.amazon.com/Zing-Nutrition-Bar-Chocolate-Coconut-Box-1-76oz/dp/B0042MXRC0/ref=as%5Fat?creativeASIN=B0042MXRC0&linkCode=w50&tag=healthcom04a-20&imprToken=LaQefmPG90P-b7wIMIfOBQ&slotNum=0)). **Enjoy dinner leftovers:** “A cold slice of vegetable [pizza](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20464374,00.html) tastes great at breakfast,” says Ruth Frechman, RD, author of _The Food Is My Friend Diet._ **_Health.com:_**[_12 Breakfast Recipes You Can Eat for Dinner_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20920617,00.html/?xid=time) ### **Strategy #3: Master get-out-the-door hacks** When making (and sitting and eating) breakfast at home is absolutely not happening, try these on-the-go options. **Stock up at your destination:** Keep [nut butter](http://www.health.com/food/best-nut-butters) and plain oatmeal packets in a desk drawer. Have an office fridge? Stash [yogurts](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20754525,00.html) and hard-boiled eggs. **Swing by the supermarket:** “People forget that you can stop at a grocery store and only buy a [banana](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20954606,00.html) and a yogurt,” says Abby Langer, RD, a dietitian in Toronto and the owner of Abby Langer Nutrition. “You have more control than when you’re limited to [menu items at a drive-through](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20630037,00.html).” **Make a coffee shop pit stop:** But order a healthy item that you would prepare in your own kitchen, says Kaufman—like a feta-and-egg-white wrap or a box of apple slices, nuts and cheese. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/nutrition/breakfast-challenge/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4525237/better-breakfast-challenge/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4525237/better-breakfast-challenge/"},"headline":"Try This 21-Day Better Breakfast Challenge","datePublished":"2016-10-14T12:00:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:05.159Z","description":"For even the busiest of weekdays","url":"https://time.com/4525237/better-breakfast-challenge/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefb1f5d00b127669/6988a9608e0601ab33467cae/better-breakfast-challenge.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jacqueline Andriakos / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefb1f5d00b127669/6988a9608e0601ab33467cae/better-breakfast-challenge.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"homemade healthy Chia seeds banana pecan and strawberry overnight oatmeal","caption":"homemade healthy Chia seeds banana pecan and strawberry overnight oatmeal","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4525237/better-breakfast-challenge/","name":"Try This 21-Day Better Breakfast Challenge"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Cook Eggs Over Easy","description":"Runny, fried eggs taste great when served over salads, grains, or pasta. 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