Have you ever woken up excited to eat breakfast? If not, you probably haven’t found a quick, go-to breakfast yet.

Don’t worry, your Hy-Vee dietitian is here to help. Both slow-cooker and one-minute warm breakfasts are great because you wake up with breakfast ready for you to enjoy in a matter of minutes.

For a slow-cooker breakfast, just put together the recipe the night before, set your slow-cooker on low, fall into a deep sleep and wake up to a delicious and nutritious meal. As for a one-minute warm breakfast, try Quaker Warm & Crunchy Granola or Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal or reheat the Spiced Breakfast Quinoa recipe you prepare the day before.

These quick breakfasts are packed with complex carbohydrates to start your day off right.

Not only are these breakfasts convenient, they also guarantee that the entire family will have a healthy start before a busy day at work and school.

Breakfast has many other benefits, too. Research shows that breakfast may help to have a more nutritionally complete diet, increase concentration and performance in the classroom or at work, increase strength and endurance for physical activity and lower cholesterol levels.

If those benefits don’t excite you, then maybe this recipe will. Contact me, your Hy-Vee dietitian, for more recipes to get you looking forward to your morning.

Slow-Cooker Banana Bread Quinoa

(Makes 6 servings, ½ cup each)

All you need

•1 ½ ripe bananas

•2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

•3 tablespoons brown sugar

•1 cup uncooked quinoa

•1 cup low-fat or fat-free milk

•1 cup water

•1½ tablespoons butter, melted

•½ teaspoon vanilla extract

All you do

1. Mash the bananas in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix together walnuts and brown sugar.

2. Pour quinoa, milk, water, butter and vanilla into a slow-cooker. Stir in the mashed bananas and walnut mixture.

3. Set slow cooker to the LOW setting, and let it cook overnight or 6-8 hours. If needed, add additional liquid or sugar to the mixture to taste.

4. Serve warm with additional sliced bananas for garnish if desired.

Recipe adapted from: www.nutritionfor.us

Spiced Breakfast Quinoa

Serves 2 (scant 1 cup each)

All you need

•1/2 cup quinoa

•1 cup Hy-Vee low-fat milk

•1 cup water

•1/2 tsp Hy-Vee ground cinnamon

•1/8 tsp Hy-Vee ground nutmeg

•1/8 tsp Hy-Vee ground ginger

•Pinch of salt

•2 tbsp honey

•1/2 tsp vanilla extract

•1 large egg white

•2 tbsp currants or raisins

All you do

1. Place quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well with cold water. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add quinoa and cook, stirring, until the grains are separated and smell fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in milk, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in honey and vanilla.

2. Whisk egg white in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the hot cereal. Repeat with 5 more tablespoons until the egg white is completely incorporated. Stir in currants (or raisins). Return the cereal to the saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.

To make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day; serve cold or reheat over low heat or in the microwave; thin with water or milk as desired.

Source: adapted from Eating Well, Inc.

The information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.