SIX HIGH-ENERGY BREAKFAST BOWLS

More Loving the Foods That Love You Back: A fast winter muesli, nourishing congee, colorful açai bowls and three other favorites worth their weight in nutritional gold.

Feb 13, 2025

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Good morning!

Our world is covered in white. The snow started lightly around 9 PM and fell like a whisper all night. We had hoped for much more. Mátyás put spoons under our pillows and ice cubes in the toilets, a children’s myth that promises to deliver snow days. We all need a break from screens and schedules here.

On snow days, you would think that the only breakfast for us is a warm, steamy bowl of hot cereal, the very thing I wrote about just four weeks ago: It’s Hot Cereal Season. But somehow, we took a U-turn into a strong cold breakfast bowl streak the last ten days and aren’t ready to quit.

Partly, it’s because by mid-February, after all the soups and oatmeal you can eat, you start to crave the kind of fresh foods you might get on spring break or over the summer—to shake things up. Partly, it’s because we’re all fruit freaks in this house. Mostly, it’s because these bowls are so good we keep coming back for more. Here are the breakfast bowls on repeat at home right now:

3 WINNING COLD BREAKFAST BOWLS

AÇAI BOWLS* (pictured below, in a pair), a blend of frozen fruit, dairy or non-dairy, and açai powder (like a super thick smoothie), topped with berries, granola, and sometimes freshly ground peanut butter (ground to order at our local store—it comes out still warm and deliciously fragrant). I wing ours each day depending on what we have on hand (frozen cherries, a berry kale blend, or simply mixed frozen berries) but here’s a recipe you can reference. [*pronounced: ah-sigh-ee bowl]
YOGURT BOWLS with a chunkier, seeded granola (like this one), plus fresh fruit, chai or flax seeds, bananas or any topping of choice. With this bowl, you can use straight up plain yogurt or, a mash-up of yogurt with defrosted, frozen rasberries or strawberries swirled in. Try to resist the honey drizzle since most granolas are sufficiently sweet, but the goal here is to load up on nuts, seeds and berries all in one bowl.
WINTER MUSELI, a favorite from visits to Switzerland and Austria that has carried me through my twenties, thirties and beyond, with shredded fruit, yogurt and oats. My recent favorite is apple-ginger heavy but there’s a dozen ways to take this (see the full recipe for a jumping off point, below).

Muesli wins because it is fast, nutrient-dense, and satisfying, and just like yogurt bowls or açai bowls, you can tweak and modify it daily to suit your needs. The one pictured (top) starts with a large juicy apple grated and blended with grated fresh ginger, yogurt, chia seeds, rolled oats, and fresh fruit (both the apple and the ginger release liquid while grating that furthers the flavor and softens the oats). Unlike hot cereal, muesli is ready to be enjoyed in minutes, with a drizzle of syrup and sliced banana or pear. Add berries if you have them (I added strawberries for that burst of spring flavor), or try citrus fruits like Cara Cara orange or blood oranges instead for a juicy finish.

The common denominator on all these cold breakfast bowls is FIBER: they are chock full of nutrient-dense fruits, nuts, and seeds, and a small amount of fermented dairy (think: whole or low-fat, plain yogurt, ideally grass-fed, or some non-dairy alternative that you love). Every bite delivers good-for-your-gut vital nutrients and antioxidants, giving them a high Loving the Foods That Love You Back status, an eternal mission of my work and a theme you’ll be seeing again and again from me this year. Importantly, high-fiber foods are also extremely filling. Unlike pancakes or eggs (which come with their own set of issues at the moment), you’ll stay amply full until lunch.

But, let’s say you’re a fully devoted hot-food person. I see you. I’ve got three dreamy bowls for you, too. Congee (or Jook), in case you’re not familiar, is a deeply nourishing rice porridge popular in Korean and Chinese households that I fell in love with two decades ago (I wrote about it here when I was a wee newbie on Substack!). Congee is the most savory of our favorite hot breakfast bowls and a perfect fix for slow, snowy mornings.

The other two lean sweeter but are far from traditional low-impact bowls of oatmeal, since they are loaded with fiber-rich grains and boast antioxidant-rich fruit toppings, which sweeten without added sugar. You can make any of these porridge bases on the stovetop or use the shortcut of an instant pot or rice cooker (on the porridge setting). Another route: employ a slow cooker to slow cook your porridge overnight. Here are our three go-to warm breakfasts:

3 NOURISHING HOT BREAKFAST BOWLS

BROWN RICE CONGEE WITH FRIED EGG and CHILE OIL is the simplest of rice porridges, made with short-grain rice and chicken stock steeped in ginger and garlic, and topped with a fried egg. You can see another version (below, in the bright pink bowl) made with white rice, a fried egg, avocado, scallions and leftover pulled pork, for meat lovers. The pork could be replaced with shredded short ribs, pulled chicken, or bacon—or if your family skews plant-forward, top your bowl with wilted/cooked kale or another garlicky greens, and cubed tofu.
MIX GRAIN PORRIDGE WITH SUNBUTTER AND MARMALADE. This bowl plays off this Mixed Grain Cereal and my Perfect Creamy Porridge formulas. You see it below (in the sun-drenched blue-rimmed bowl) with sunbutter, orange marmalade, sliced pear and pomegranite seeds. It can just as easily be topped with juicy wilted berries (recipe here), a dollop of peanut butter or tahini, honeycomb, or grated dark chocolate and fresh berries. Find more topping inspiration, here.
AMARANTH AND MILLET PORRIDGE with Figs, Papaya and Yogurt is a tropical take on my classic porridge. I make this in a rice cooker or instant pot using equal parts amaranth and millet (both gluten free grains) cooked in water, with ginger and a pinch of salt. Like the congee, you want these grains to be soft and soupy— you can thin them to taste with milk (traditional or non-dairy). A drizzle of yogurt, fresh squeezed limes and tropical fruits like figs and papaya nourish and transport you with vital nutrients and a hint of sunshine.

I’m doubly excited to share these breakfast bowls with you today because it coincides with the start of my friend (and fellow cookbook author)

Julia Sherman

and Mina Stone’s Great American Granola Exchange—an effort to send sunshine in the form of a granola care package across the U.S. from coast to coast. Imagine waking up one morning to a handmade granola lovingly crafted for you by a sweet soul on the other side of this country. Bonus: Anyone who participates can sign up to send a GranoLA care package to a family affected by the wildfires in LA (get it—Grano-LA!)

Sign up to join in HERE. So far, there are many super talents on the list; you might receive a care package from me or one of many other cooks and cookbook authors I adore, including

Alexis deBoschnek

Colu Henry

, or

Camille Becerra

Things are wild in the world right now, but the people I admire most take small, simple actions to care for themselves and others each day.

Never underestimate the power of small acts done with great love.

As we close, I hope you’ll share a note below with which of these bowls you are most likely to make first and why. As always, I’m here (in comments or DMs) to answer any questions or help you modify these ideas to work for your needs. Scroll down for heaps of visual inspiration and the full muesli recipe.

Lots of love,

Sarah

This letter wouldn’t be possible without YOU! Thank you for being here and enormous thanks to all who choose to support my work with a paid subscription.

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WINTER MUESLI WITH CHIA, GINGER AND FRESH FRUITS

Muesli is slow-burning energy in a bowl—packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. If you’re new to muesli, the texture can take some getting used to, but it’s so addictive you’ll soon wish for it every morning. Usually a blend of oats, fruit, and often dairy or sometimes juice (like apple juice, to soften the oats)— muesli delivers whole grains, fiber, and fast protein without all the sweeteners commonly found in packaged granola or sugary cereals. Make it with your favorite add-ins and tuck it into small jars overnight for easy grab-and-go breakfasts, or stir together bigger batches to dip into over the week.

SERVES 2 to 4

1 large Honeycrisp apple, coarsely shredded

1 knob fresh ginger, finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not thick cut)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 cup plain full-fat or low-fat yogurt (no sugar added)

pinch ground cinnamon (optional)

1 banana, thinly sliced

5 large strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

1 ripe pear, thinly sliced

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Maple syrup, honey, or molasses (optional)

Shred the apple and ginger into a medium bowl. Add the oats, chia seeds, yogurt, and cinnamon and stir loosely together. Set aside for 20 minutes for the oats to soften slightly.
Spoon between two bowls or jars and garnish with additional fruit (banana, strawberries, pear) and nuts as desired. Drizzle with maple syrup or honey and serve.

NO FRESH FRUIT? NO PROBLEM

In Europe, Muesli often includes dried instead of fresh fruits (or both). Try mixing with raisins, dried cherries, apricots, or figs chopped into small, bite-size pieces.

EDIBLE LIVING by Sarah Copeland

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