breakfast

I’m always being asked to come up with breakfast recipes to help convince kids to move away from the processed cereal isle, to a more nourishing start to the day. This Breakfast Fruit Pizza maybe your answer. It jams a lot of protein, good fats and fibre into each slice and is easy to make ahead for a breakfast on-the-go.

Protein deficiency

In my experience, insufficient dietary protein is surprisingly common. The one thing that a swing towards processed foods has done, is dramatically reduced the amount of protein many kids (and adults) consume. You see most processed, convenience foods are generally a combination of fat and carbohydrate (breads, breakfast cereals, crackers, muesli bars, pasta and noodles). Anything with a shelf life is generally protein deficient.

Although it’s rare to see frank protein deficiency, subclinical signs are increasingly common. These include:

• poor immune responses (getting sick frequently or difficulty recovering from illness)
• poor appetite or very picky (or more of a snacker, craving simple carbohydrates)
• poor concentration and trouble learning
• moodiness and mood swings
• poor sleep patterns
• muscular weakness, aches and pains
• poor growth and development (failure to thrive)
• skin problems
• delayed wound healing

The importance of protein

Protein is essential to form antibodies to protect your body from foreign invaders, such as disease causing bacteria and viruses. So ensuring you and your family are eating adequate amounts of protein is really important, especially at this time of the year when our immune systems need to be at their best.

In addition to supporting immune function, protein is used to make digestive enzymes, to repair the digestive tract, to grow skin, hair, nails, to make blood cells, for strong bones, to build muscle, to make hormones, to stabilise our blood sugar (so we have lots of energy and good focus)….as well as many more critical functions.

We cannot store protein, so it’s safe to say, that in order to replace, rebuild and repair, we need to consume protein very regularly.

Breakfast is a meal where protein is most critical, but is often lacking the most. No matter the claims, it’s a stretch to find anything in the supermarket isles that’s nutritionally adequate for breakfast. Not only that, but most exceed the World Health Organisations recommended daily intake for sugar in one foul swoop.

Personally, we eat a cooked breakfast a few days a week, but I also love to mix it up with other nourishing brekkies as I don’t always have time for cooking. The best thing about this Breakfast Fruit Pizza is you can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to enjoy it. My family also loves it as a snack for arvo tea.

The vast world of protein powders

I really wanted this breakfast pizza to have a protein rich base, so you’ll see I’ve boosted it with my favourite, wholefoods protein powder by 180 Nutrition.

Navigating the many types of protein powders available is tricky business. Many brands are derived from feed-lot, grain-fed cows (also often fed GMO’s), highly processed soy proteins and contain franken-sugars, fructose, maltodextrin starches (aggravate blood sugars and the GIT), additives and more yuk ingredients.

Most also contain absolutely no plant fibre, good fats or micronutrients (vitamins and mineral) so nutritionally they are incomplete and not at all reflective of a well rounded, whole food meal. Thankfully, there are a select few which offer balanced nutrition and do what we need them to do – provide a sustaining, nutritious supplement, and here’s the clincher, that actually tastes good. It’s just got to taste good right?

My preferred choice –180 Nutrition protein powder (and a special offer to try before you buy)

I have once again partnered with 180 Nutrition as a product that ticks all of my tough to tick boxes. I love that they have vegan AND grass fed whey protein options (to suit everybody) and that they couple their proteins with nourishing whole food to make it nutritionally complete (so much more than just protein). I’m a fan of their ethos in general and they’re an Aussie company that I know and trust.

Their 180 Superfoods Protein is a simple, balanced blend of clean, Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate (or Pea Protein Isolate in their vegan range), Flaxseed, Almonds, Sunflower Kernels, Shredded Coconut, Coconut Flour, Cocoa (chocolate flavour only), Chia Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Psyllium Husks, Stevia. So this protein powder contains loads of essential minerals and B vitamins from plant sources for stable energy and mood, healthy fats and plant based fibre.

They are also super low in sugar (and fructose-friendly) so they will keep you full for longer, without a mid morning blood sugar crisis.

Now for a special offer – you get to try 180 Nutrition Protein Powders for FREE

Click HERE to get:

• 4 x Free Serves of the 180 Superfood Protein Blend (2 serves of each flavour – Coconut & Chocolate). So that’s 2 x 80g packs.
• All we ask is you cover a small shipping and handling fee.
• This is a limited offer until we run out of samples! So be sure to get your free samples today!
• Offer is for Australian residents only.

Click HERE to try them out for yourselves. 180 Nutrition is such a great thing to have in your pantry for those days you need a fast, good quality breakfast or a sustaining snack.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Breakfast Fruit Pizza

This Breakfast Fruit Pizza jams a lot of nourishment into each slice and is easy to make ahead for a breakfast on-the-go.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Servings: 4

Author: Georgia Harding

Ingredients

• 50 g pecan or walnuts (½ cup) roughly chopped
• 125 g almond meal (1¼ cup)
• 40 g 180 Nutrition Superfood Protein Blend
• 2 tbsp true arrowroot flour 
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 free-range or organic egg/s
• 2 tbsp rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon yoghurt

• 250 g full-fat natural yoghurt (1 cup) or coconut yoghurt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup (optional)

Fruit

• 1 cup fruit of choice

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F (fan-forced).
• In a large bowl, mix together the nuts, almond meal, 180 Nutrition Superfood Protein blend, arrowroot and coconut flour.
• In a jug whisk the egg, sweetener and vanilla. Add to the dry and mix until a dough forms.
• If it's too wet, add coconut flour teaspoon at a time to form a slightly sticky dough.
• Place onto a piece of baking paper and flatten into a oval/ rough rectangle. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll until a thin, flat base is formed.
• Peel off the top layer and place onto a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Allow to cool completley and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
• Make the cinnamon yoghurt by mixing the cinnamon, sweetener and yoghurt together.
• Assemble by smearing the cinnamon yoghurt over the base and topping with the fruit. To get a nice crumb-free slice, cut chilled, on a chopping board with a large sharp knife.

Thermomix

• Start by chopping yor pecans or walnuts. Pulse (turbo button) 1-2 times to roughly chop.
• Add the almond meal, 180 Nutrition Superfood Protein powder, arrowroot and coconut flour. Mix 30 seconds, speed 5.
• Add the egg, sweetener and vanilla and mix 10 seconds, reverse speed 5.
• If it's too wet, add coconut flour teaspoon at a time to form a slightly sticky dough. Mix 5 seconds, reverse speed 5.
• Place onto a piece of baking paper and flatten into a oval/ rectangle. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll until a thin, flat base is formed.
• Peel off the top layer and place onto a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
• Make the cinnamon yoghurt by mixing the cinnamon, sweetener and yoghurt together.
• Assemble by smearing the cinnamon yoghurt over the base and topping with the fruit. To get a nice even slice, cut once chilled, on a chopping board with a large sharp knife.

Store

• You can store the base either whole or sliced in the fridge or freezer. Then simply top with yoghurt and fruit and enjoy for breakfast.

Notes

Chocolate Pizza

Use the chocolate flavoured protein powder plus a tablespoon of cacao in the base.

Fructose friendly

Choose rice malt syrup as your sweetener and top with berries and kiwi fruit (or any tolerated fruit).

Egg-free

Sub the egg with a flax of chia egg.

Vegan

Use a flax or chia egg, the 180 Nutrition Vegan protein powder, rice malt or maple syrup and top with coconut yoghurt.

 

I hope you and your family love this simple, delicious and sustaining breakfast.