Ballerinas know that peak performance starts with proper nutrition, especially a healthy breakfast. With their busy schedules, quick and energizing meals are a must. That’s why we created this one-week ballerina meal plan—seven easy, nutrient-packed breakfast recipes to fuel your day without slowing you down.
Sweet Breakfast Recipes
1. Avocado Smoothie
Looking for easy breakfast recipes that you can grab and go? This delightful Avocado Smoothie is the one! Thanks to the minimal prep and easy clean-up, you’ll want to make it again and again!
Ingredients
· ½ cup frozen pineapple cubes
· 1-2 handfuls fresh spinach
· ½ ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
· ½ banana
· 2 TBSP fresh lime juice
· ½ cup milk (or non-dairy alternative)
· 1 tsp chia seeds
· 1 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
1. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!
2. Healthy Lemon Blueberry Bread
You might think that breakfast bread recipes are off the table for a ballerina diet, but not this one! This delicious breakfast loaf utilizes fantastic ingredients like whole wheat flour, avocado oil, and fresh fruit for a tasty but nutrient-dense breakfast you can make ahead of time!
Ingredients
· 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
· 1 tsp baking powder
· ½ tsp baking soda
· ¼ tsp salt
· 1/3 cup avocado or coconut oil
· ½ cup honey
· 1 cup room temperature Greek yogurt
· 2 eggs
· 1 TBSP lemon juice
· 1 TBSP lemon zest
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· 1 ½ cups blueberries
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add oil, honey, yogurt, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Mix until combined, then fold in the dry ingredients.
4. Coat the blueberries in flour, then fold into the batter.
5. Pour the batter evenly into your prepared pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Allow to cook for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Banana Blender Pancakes
For a quick and tasty breakfast that dishes out carbs, proteins, and fiber in under 10 minutes, these mouth-watering pancakes should be at the top of your list! It’s also an excellent option for little ballerinas!
Ingredients
· Avocado oil
· 2 ripe bananas
· 2 eggs
· ½ cup cottage cheese
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· ½ cup quick-cook oats
· 1 tsp cinnamon
Fresh fruit for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. Coat your skillet with avocado oil and heat on medium.
2. Add bananas, eggs, cottage cheese, vanilla extract, oats, and cinnamon to a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour a scoop of batter into your pan and cook for 2-3 minutes (until bubbles start forming), then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Top with maple syrup and your favorite fresh fruit.
4. Chocolate Strawberry Overnight Oats
Strawberry breakfast recipes are timeless, thanks to their fresh flavor and versatility. We love these sweet and creamy overnight oats with all the good stuff you need to enjoy your first meal and power through the day!
Ingredients
· 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
· 1 TBSP ground flaxseed
· 3/4 cup milk
· 1 TBSP cocoa powder
· 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
· 1 tsp maple syrup
· Handful of fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
· Handful of chocolate chips
Instructions
1. In a large jar, Combine oats, flaxseed, milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Screw on the lid and shake to mix.
2. Add in strawberries and chocolate chips, stirring to mix.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.
5. Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bowls
Want high-protein breakfast recipes without eggs? Quinoa is a fantastic option for the ballerina diet because it packs in 8 grams of protein per cup! Plus, thanks to the rich chocolatey flavor, these naturally sweetened bowls will be a favorite for all the ballerinas in your household.
Ingredients
· ½ cup quinoa
· 1 cup milk (or non-dairy alternative)
1 TBSP cocoa powder
· 1 TBSP nut or seed butter
· 1-2 TBSP maple syrup
· ¼ cup dark chocolate, chopped
· 2 TBSP dried coconut shavings
Instructions
1. Rinse quinoa in a mesh strainer and add to a pot with the milk.
2. Cook on medium heat for 20-25 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in cocoa powder and maple syrup.
4. Add more milk as needed to adjust the texture.
5. Top with dark chocolate, nut or seed butter, and coconut shavings, and serve.
High-Protein Breakfast Recipes
6. Shrimp Breakfast Tacos
Looking for something a bit more savory—with a healthy dose of proteins, fats, and carbs? You might not automatically think about shrimp breakfast recipes, but these easy shrimp tacos pack a lot of flavor and nutrients in every bite!
Ingredients
· 8 white corn tortillas
· 8 to 10 shrimp
· ½ avocado, cubed
· 4 eggs
· 4 slices Colby jack cheese
· ½ cup sliced baby tomatoes
· ½ tsp olive oil
· Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Toast your tortillas in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using two tortillas for each taco, double them up and fold them into a “taco” shape as you remove them, placing a slice of cheese inside.
2. Once you’ve toasted your tortillas, add the olive oil and heat. Season your shrimp with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then sauté for 5-6 minutes. Shrimp should be completely pink and slightly charred.
3. Remove shrimp from the pan and scramble your eggs. Divide them evenly between the prepared tortillas and top with shrimp, tomatoes, and avocado.
7. Southwest Chicken Frittata
Chicken breakfast recipes loaded with veggies are always great for a busy day. This mouthwatering chicken frittata gets bonus points for 15 grams of protein per serving and the option to make it once and have breakfast all week! Little ballerinas will also love this recipe because it has a lot of flavor and no heat.
Ingredients
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1 TBSP olive oil
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1 ¼ cups diced peppers
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½ cup diced red onion
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1 cup frozen corn
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Green chilies (optional)
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1 tsp diced garlic
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1 1/2 tsp chili powder
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½ tsp paprika
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1 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice
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1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
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½ cup diced tomatoes or Rotel
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6 eggs
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¼ cup 1% low-fat milk
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Dash of salt and pepper
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Fresh chopped cilantro for topping
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to a low broil.
2. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet.
3. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, corn, and lime juice, then mix in chili powder and paprika. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the chicken and diced tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the chicken and vegetables and cook on the stovetop until the eggs bubble (approximately 5 minutes).
7. Place the skillet into the oven for 12 minutes or until the eggs are cooked and firm.
Common Ballerina Diet Mistakes
Even with the best intentions for eating healthy, ballerinas often run into several of the same breakfast mistakes that can do more harm than good. Here are a few common issues that dancers experience at breakfast time:
1. Not getting enough fiber. Fiber is essential to keeping your energy up and helping you stay full between meals. That’s why complex carbs are so important.
2. Eating too few calories. Looking good in that leotard doesn’t call for starving yourself. On a ballerina diet, weight loss will come naturally as you fuel yourself with good ingredients and train. You’ll make more progress by eating a healthy meal that allows you to work harder and build muscle than by giving yourself a calorie deficit and crashing.
3. Not getting enough fats. While fat may seem like a diet no-no, healthy fats are essential to a ballerina diet! They’re another key component to helping you feel full for longer and giving your body something to burn. Not to mention, they can balance your blood sugar!
4. Skipping breakfast altogether. There are many reasons that ballerinas skip breakfast, from nerves to missing hunger cues. But when you skip breakfast, you go into your day without the necessary fuel you need. This often results in unhealthy end-of-day snacking or unbalanced lunches and dinners.
You can also learn about more common nutrition issues for dancers in this post from Dance Nutrition.
Following a ballerina diet plan doesn’t have to be hard! The key is to find recipes you enjoy and can make easily so you’re more likely to stick with them every day. And with these seven easy breakfast recipes to choose from, you’ll be crushing those dance goals in no time!
