3 delicious breakfast ideas using yoghurt – and their hidden health benefits

You may have been encouraged at some point in your life to try yoghurt recipe as a breakfast alternative. But did you know yoghurt is packed with a number of benefits for over 35s? 

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” – how many times have you heard that?

We get the struggle of prepping a meal first thing in the morning, when all you feel you have time to do is shower and get out the door for work. And if you’re prepping for a family of little ones, sometimes it can feel impossible to get a healthy breakfast on the table and a healthy lunch in the school bag too.

So IMAGE writers have rounded up some fuss-free breakfast options that you can make in minutes at home. All you need is yoghurt, a blender and some healthy ingredients easily found in most supermarkets. And the best bit? They’re so delicious the kids won’t even realise they’re healthy!

Vanilla yoghurt loaf

A baked loaf is a beautiful alternative to toast in the morning. Photo: Getty Images 

A beautiful alternative to morning toast, this light and fluffy vanilla yoghurt loaf is the ideal accompaniment with your morning coffee. (It also goes down very well as an after-dinner treat). You can dress this loaf up or down. We’ve given you the option of a vanilla glaze, but for an even healthier option it works just as well without. Try it with a yoghurt and fruit topping for summer months!

Health benefits: We’ve used 1 + 1/3 of Yoplait’s Yoplus vanilla pot, but you can use more depending on how moist you like your bread. Yoplus are packed with calcium and vitamin D for bone health. Yoplait says a single pot of Yoplus (125g) will provide you with 100% of your vitamin D daily intake. This one is formulated specifically for adults and children over the age of 10.

Serves 6. 15 minutes prep time, 60 minutes baking time.

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 150g vanilla yoghurt (we use Yoplait Yoplus vanilla pot)
• ¼ cup rapeseed oil
• ¼ cup coconut milk

For the glaze

• ½ cup icing sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp water or milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease your loaf tin.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla extract, vanilla yoghurt, rapeseed oil and milk. Ease in the flour mixture to this bowl, combining both mixtures.

Pour the combined mixture into your loaf tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. Place baking paper over the top after about 30 minutes if you feel the outside is baking quicker than the inside.

Remove from the oven and leave your loaf on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Mix the icing sugar, vanilla extract and water in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the loaf.

Supercharged smoothie bowl

Made in just minutes, a smoothie bowl is packed with supercharged ingredients. Photo: Getty Images

Serves 2. 5 minutes prep time.

Inspired by a trip to Bali, this smoothie bowl can be made with whatever fruit you already have. We love to include whatever berries we can get our hands on, and we always throw in some desiccated coconut and mint leaves to give it that extra zing.

Health benefits: Berries are loaded with antioxidants and are believed to help improve blood sugar and insulin response. They are high in fibre, which is beneficial to our digestive systems. The desiccated coconut contains a good amount of copper, which supports healthy blood. According to cookbook authors Mimi Spencer and Sam Rice, research has shown that people who eat natural yoghurt every day have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown to help lower blood pressure. Yoplait’s Yoplus strawberry flavour pot (125g) is packed with calcium for good bone health.

Ingredients

• 10 blueberries
• 10 strawberries
• 10 blackberries
• 3 tbsp yoghurt (we use either natural yoghurt or a Yoplait Yoplus strawberry pot)
• Mint leaves
• Maple syrup
• 2 tbsp granola

For the toppings

• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 4 tsp desiccated coconut

Method

Blitz the berries and yoghurt in a blender until they whizz into a smoothie consistency.

Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add in granola, maple syrup and whatever remaining fruit you’re using.

Sprinkle with chia seeds and mint leaves, and serve.

Avocado and yoghurt smoothie

Avocado is a superfood with myriad health benefits. Photo: Getty Images 

Serves 1. 5 minutes prep time.

This is one we’ll admit we’ve been adding and subtracting to for a few months, but we think the below recipe is spot on if you’re looking for a breakfast smoothie that will keep you full right up until lunch time, and is packed with health benefits.

You’ll need a blender or smoothie maker for this one but once you freeze some ice cubes the night before this takes just a couple of minutes to make. Stick it in your KeepCup and you can even enjoy it in the car!

Feel free to add your own ingredients of whatever fruit and vegetables you have in the house. Seeds and nuts work well too, but this is a filling smoothie with the ingredients below so be wary of overpacking!

Health benefits: This is just 370 calories; 17.9g total fat and is full of protein. Avocado is loaded with potassium, heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and fibre. Avocados are said to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. High triglycerides increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vanilla yoghurt (We use Yoplait Yoplus vanilla pot)
• 3 tbsps honey
• 8-10 ice cubes

Method

Mix the avocado, milk, yoghurt, honey, and ice cubes all in a blender until you produce a smoothie consistency.

Yoplus vanilla and strawberry flavours are available to buy in all good grocery stores now. For more details, see yoplait.ie.

Yoplait has launched a ‘You Time’ campaign to inspire people to take time out of their day to do something which makes them happy, be it baking, crafting or trying new recipes. If you’re experimenting with a Yoplait ingredient, be sure to tag them on Instagram @yoplait_ire.