I find having brunch at a restaurant to be too overpriced for breakfast food. Also, my version of brunch is yum cha / dim sum!
But Easter is a time to celebrate and get together with friends and family. Here are some tips on how to throw a healthy-ish Easter brunch, as discussed on CHCH Morning Live!
Serve Brunch at Home Serving brunch at home on Easter Sunday is great because:
- It saves you money – instead of dining out for brunch
- It’s easy to do – I will teach you how!
- And people LOVE breakfast food
Make Your Own __________ Stations
These stations are great for for families and kids, because kids LOVE assembling their own meals. It’s also great for you as a Host because it is less work on your part, if everyone is making their own meals!
Juice Bar
Choose your favourite juices – fill up the glass halfway. Fill up the rest with club soda.
Nutrition Tip: If you’re worried about sugar, you are cutting the amount in half because of the club soda.
Finish with a lemon or lime garnish.
Oatmeal Bar
Cook a large batch of slow cooking or steel cut oats.
Nutrition Tip:
- Buy slow cooking oats or steel cut oats.
- The instant stuff is good for a busy weekday morning, but during brunch you take your time to eat your meal.
- Slow cooking/steel cut oats have a lower glycemic index – which is better for our blood sugar levels.
Once you have your bowl of oats add whatever you like to it. Here are some ideas:
- Greek Yogurt – protein
- Nuts – heart healthy fats
- Chia Seeds – fibre and protein
- Hemp Seeds – omega 3s
- Dried fruit – mangos and raisins
- Chocolate shavings – just because!
Fruit
I always have fresh fruit on the table. It can also go in the oatmeal as well, especially the berries.
Protein
To balance out brunch, I like to have eggs for protein, but here are other fun things:
Smoked salmon and cucumbers. Often they go with cream cheese and bagels, but I wanted to make this brunch healthy-ish so I put out the oatmeal.
If you wish to have bread/bagels, makes sure they are whole grain!
Entertaining Tip: When it comes to keeping meals fun and family friendly, as the Host, you provide the food.
Because it is a self-serving brunch, guests decide how much they want to eat and they might try new foods they’ve never had before.
And someone who is a picky eater will find it easier to try a new food when they can choose how much they want to eat.
Chocolate
Of course, what is Easter without chocolate?
Have some fun Easter chocolates on hand. Make sure they are small treats. The idea is to choose quality over quantity – not that giant Easter bunny!
- Bunnies
- Eggs
- Rabbits
- And these beautiful and delicious chocolate truffles.
When we choose the good, high quality stuff, we feel more satisfied.
Health Benefits of Chocolate
Cocoa pods, this is where the cocoa beans are found, inside used to make chocolate. The health benefits of chocolate come from these cocoa beans – they are high in minerals magnesium, copper and phosphorus and they’re also high in flavonoids, the antioxidants that can help fight cancer and heart disease.
This is why they say dark chocolate is healthier, because it has more cocoa in it – where the health benefits are. If you’re not a dark chocolate fan, choose a high quality milk chocolate instead. It will have less health benefits, but remember, we are eating smaller amounts of high quality chocolate.
Chocolate Oatmeal
This is very popular right now in the meal prep and fitness community. Usually I will search key words, “chocolate + oatmeal + protein” in my search engine and find some good recipes!
So YES – you CAN have chocolate for breakfast – as long as you balance it out with other good things, such as oatmeal, Greek yogurt, fruit, nuts and/or chia or hemp seeds!
I hope you enjoyed my tips and watch my segment for the TV version!
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