High protein breakfasts for hungry teen, prep in advance

[Badgerstriper]

Hi. I’m looking for recipes for easy make ahead breakfasts. It’s for my DC (17yo) who is doing full time dance training. He’s coeliac which makes things a bit more complicated, but we’re looking for high protein options that he can eat cold or reheat in the microwave (he doesn’t have access to an oven or hob where he is boarding).
Basically he only started training mid August and he’s lost a lot of weight due to the constant training. It’s not quite as easy for him to snack throughout the day due to coeliac so I’m trying to set him up with energy in the morning.
The makeahead would be done on a Sunday, so ideally things that will last all week in either a fridge or freezer.
The easy bit is that he is not picky at all! If anyone has any tried and tested recipes that might fit the bill then I’d love some ideas.

Overnight oats Either a gluten free brand or you/he make your own (presuming he is allowed oats). Hard boiled eggs, do several at once, are useful.

Was also going to say overnight oats if you can adapt to make it gluten free. Greek yoghurt with fruit, honey and so on

I make overnight oats with Greek yoghurt for breakfast most days, you could add protein powder if he needs more protein. So easy and I make 2 or 3 days at a time.

Or you could pre portion Greek yoghurt, fruit and granola for him to have.

Could do something like these but I’d imagine he also needs a good amount of carbs too? https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-egg-muffins

I also often have a big protein shake with frozen banana, almond butter, cacao powder and protein powder. You can add other frozen fruit in or add oats to bulk it out. It doesn’t do well being made ahead but it’s v quick in the morning and can be taken on the go if he needs.

I see people batch cooking and freezing breakfast sandwiches or burritos like these but I’ve never tried myself! https://www.tamingtwins.com/meal-prep-breakfast-muffins/
https://inquiringchef.com/make-ahead-breakfast-burritos/

Breakfast burritos - gluten free wraps filled with scrambled eggs, peppers, onion and ham

Spanish omelette or frittata lasts pretty well and much more interesting than just hard boiled eggs!

At the risk of being annoying I follow ‘performance canteen’ on Instagram - sports nutritionists - who are insistent that a high amount of carbohydrate is more important for a very physical teenager. Is there a reason you’re asking more about protein? (I’m not a nutritionist so this is not a criticism)

I use brilliant whey protein powder from the Organic Protein Co - the vanilla one is very versatile, the cacao & cream one is amazing.

I use the whey to make overnight oats with Greek yoghurt & soya protein crispies (80% protein) plus fruit, nuts & seeds.

I also use they whey to make high protein pancakes (add eggs & bananas) serve with yoghurt. You can btach cook & freeze the pancakes.

I also use the whey & flour / milled seeds and defrosted frozen bananas to make a high protein banana cake - i serve with nut butter. Also freezes well. The defrosted frozen bananas add moisture & natural sweetness to things.

Finally I've adapted a Tesco flapjacks recipe to make high protein ones using the bananas, oats, milled seeds, protein crispies & dried fruits, nuts & seeds. Store & freeze really well again.

A big slice of frittata - a thick egg and potato omelette. You can buy them ready made (we get them in Lidl but I imagine they’re available in most supermarkets). Delicious cold or warmed up and he can have it with a couple of slices of ham or chicken (in the continental style) for a bit of extra protein. They’re quite energy dense too.

Baked oats - lots of recipes around, but basically oats,milk, eggs, nuts and/or seeds, flavour, eg cocoa powder, date and walnut, almond- freeze really well. Can also add whey protein powder.

There are some good gluten freee oat brands to do the oat things

If he’s losing weight it’s not just protein he needs - he needs tons of carbs too. Lots of energy. What are his favourite carbs that are safe for him? Could he eat Japanese breakfast eg tofu and miso with a load of rice

Ive started making breakfast bagels for the teens in this house. I make a sheetpan frittata full of veg (we're veggie) and veggie sausage and grated cheese.

I then slice it add a slice of mozzarella and sandwich it between bagels. Put them in foil. Fridge half and freeze half. They air fry brilliantly.

So if he could have an airfryer that would help. And a gf bagel/english muffin instead?

Lots of good ideas already but I would also add a look at lindahl’s protein Gouda - I will eat a slice just on its own as a snack but it’s also nice melted and can be used for lots of the things already suggested!

Wow - so many amazing ideas, thank you so much for taking time to reply. @ilparadodosdoltos I don’t have much nutrition knowledge either - I think I get shown a lot about protein needs on SM since I’m of a certain age! On the carbs thing - his residence have been great with making GF dinners at night for him and it’s pretty much always pasta. He has whatever he has for lunch with chips too so I think he’s doing ok on the carb front. I’ll bear this in mind though.
He’d Love so many of these ideas so I’ll pop some things on a shopping list and he can try them this week. He’s only boarding sun night to fri afternoon so I can get him off on the right track tomorrow. Thanks again x

I was going to say this.

if he’s dancing full time he needs carbs. Does the school not have a dietician? When my dd was training full time they had regular lectures and a dietician on hand to consult.

if he’s coeliac a dietician is even more important.

anyway the gist dd got was “eat to appetite” and not to focus on high protein or low fat etc as for high performance a balanced diet is key.

have you been told he needs high protein? Or are you thinking to fill his hunger? Which if you think about it is self defeating as if he feels fuller after high protein he won’t eat as much.

what would he eat given the choice? Dd went for gluten free peanut butter wraps a lot of the time, quick, easy and portable.

I like a protein heavy breakfast and often make a big baked omelette which I then cut into 8 slices, 4 in the fridge (I find I can keep it for 4 days), 4 in the freezer. My base recipe is 6 eggs, 300g cottage cheese, 150g of cheddar and 4tbps of either ground almond or pea flour or a mix of the two. I then add whatever veg I have knocking around so yesterday it was 4 grated and drained courgettes, but I've also used peppers and olives, and even frozen peas and ham. Just mix it all together well and bake in a lined baking tray in a medium oven until puffed up and no longer wobbling.
I get the pea flour from Hodmedod's hodmedods.co.uk/products/green-pea-flour

That sounds delicious!

Thanks @Yetanotherone12 - no dietician at the school that I know of. I’ve focused on protein just because I know he’s getting a good amount of carbs at his other meals and the GF dinners don’t seem to include a lot of protein. My main aim is basically getting more calories in him.
Hes a big fan of peanut butter so I think that will definitely feature!

Savoury flapjacks are good. Oats, cheese and egg, with veg, seeds, nuts in any combination of his choice. Edited to add: and herbs & spices

If there isn’t one through his dance it might be worth asking his gp for a referral? Or paying private if you can afford it- especially if you can find one knowledgeable about coeliac and high performance.

the coeliac aspect makes it much harder, and needs a lot more planning as they can’t just nip for a sandwich on a break, they need to make sure they always have food available. Which is more planning than your average student has to do.

DD’s dietician recommended shakes etc- but she needed to be careful as some of them aren’t suitable for performance, and some can have additives which would fail a sports drug test. Another go to here for easy fuel was chocolate milk after training, dd also bought herself a velvetiser and would make her own hot chocolate to drink on the way or have late at night before bed…