You just had a life wakeup about the way you’re waking up: Your morning routine just isn’t cutting it anymore. That morning cup of coffee while navigating your way through traffic, work, and emails isn’t enough. You feel slow, sluggish, and know you need a change — and frankly, eating your Wheaties doesn’t sound like a solution.

Rather than up your number of alarms from three to four, let’s consider another tweak to your morning routine. What could be missing (minus that extra hour of sleep) is protein. Most standard American breakfasts come loaded with sugar and carbs, causing most of us to fall prey to a sugar crash before noon hits. And while we’re not ones to judge second breakfast (we put our cereal in a grab-n-go bag for a reason, mind you), there might be a better alternative.

If scanning through recipes on Pinterest is raising your cortisol levels, know this: Adding protein to your morning meal doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some easy-peasy ways to up your protein intake with as few changes as possible:

• Keep hard boiled eggs on hand: Rather than reaching for muffins, breakfast bars, and bagels in a pinch, make a batch of hard boiled eggs at the beginning of the week to store in the fridge.
• Now that you're at it, keep eggs on hand, period: Scrambled eggs, egg whites, poached eggs, protein pancakes, breakfast sandwiches. You'll never be bored as long as you have a dozen eggs stored in your fridge.
• Make parfaits with nuts and seeds rather than granola: Flaxseed, chia seeds, and hemp seeds make a great addition to any yogurt parfait, with higher protein and fewer carbs.
• Rethink your dairy: Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are high in protein, and will hold you over much longer than any low-fat yogurt on the shelf.
• Aim for dense smoothies: Fill your smoothies or smoothie bowls with healthy fats like avocado or almond butter, leafy green veggies such as kale or spinach, and finished off with a protein-punch from collagen or whey.
• Aim for high-protein grains: If you’re still eating grains, trade in your whole grains for something higher in protein, such as a quinoa breakfast bowl.

To help keep you pumped through the morning, try swapping out your peanut butter toast and bagels for something a little more hearty. Below, you’ll find 10 protein-loaded breakfasts to make any day of the week. 

Image: Skinnyfitalicious

Looking for a breakfast that you can eat on your commute? (Only on public transportation, of course — we’re big fans of two hands on the wheel.) Try this blueberry protein smoothie. Packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, this smoothie combines zucchini, spinach, frozen blueberries, and vanilla protein powder into a delicious drink you can sip on the go. 

Image: Shuangy’s Kitchen Sink

If you just started a ketogenic diet or desperately seeking low-carb muffins, allow us to introduce you to the saving grace that is egg muffins. This lifesaver of a dish is easy to make, easy to store, and easy to eat on the run. Make a batch at the beginning of the week and then eat one each morning throughout the week. 

Image: Bowl of Delicious

Let us guess: You’ve tried a million and one ways to make hard boiled eggs, and yet every single one is either overdone, cracked, or not done enough. You’ve tried them in the microwave, in the oven, in a pot of boiling water more times than you could ever count, yet to no avail. With this fool-proof recipe, you’ll make the perfect hard boiled egg every single time. 

Image: Sprinkle of Green 

Sometimes, the meals that seem most random often end up being the most delicious. Don’t overlook the image above as being a hodgepodge of items carelessly thrown together. Seasoned avocado, black beans, roasted cherry tomatoes, seared salmon, and greens is one of the most delicious combination of flavors you’ll try. Looking to cut down on the carbs? Leave off the toast!

Image: The Toasty Kitchen

If you’re looking for an on-the-go breakfast idea, you’re not limited to breakfast bars and granola. These breakfast burritos are made with chicken sausage, cheddar, and onions, then frozen for later use. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply pop one in the toaster and scoot your beautiful behind right out the door. 

Image: That Girl Cooks Healthy

Here’s a fun little lunch-to-breakfast switch you can do any day of the week: Take your go-to, first love, never-fails-you sandwich, and whip it up into an omelet. You might think we’re crazy, but cheeseburger omelets, Reuben omelets, and Philly cheesesteak omelets are 100% a thing, and you 100% need to try it this week. This Philly omelet comes packed with 18 grams of protein and 12 grams of fat, fueling you well through the noon hour.

Let’s be real here: When you first start a low-carb, high-protein diet, sometimes you just crave a crunch. Gone are the chips, pretzels, crackers, and cereal you once loved, replaced with hard boiled eggs, salmon, and greens. And while all those things may be delicious, sometimes you just need to satisfy your crunch craving. Luckily, the Cereal School created a high-protein cereal made with just one gram of carbs, zero grams of sugar, and all the convenience you need to enjoy a sweet and crunchy breakfast on the go. 

Image: Healthy Fitness Meals 

Not a fan of veggies? Hey, we’re not ones to judge — but we do have a suggestion. If you’re skimping on veggies all day long (but particularly around breakfast time) try hiding them. Hide them in omelets, blend them into smoothies, or as is the case with this garden veggie frittata, bake them into a crustless quiche. Packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals, it’s the most satisfying serving of vegetables you’ll enjoy this week. 

Image: Fearless Dining 

Some of the most high-protein breakfast options aren’t your standard breakfast foods. But if you’re down to eat cereal for dinner (we know we are), then you can certainly enjoy last night’s dinner for breakfast. With this recipe, you can easily make turkey chili the night before — loaded with peppers, onions, black beans, and ground turkey — then use the leftovers the following morning to make your shakshuka. Crack your eggs in the tomato sauce to poach, and you’re ready to sprint out the door in less than 10 minutes.

Image: Meal Prep on Fleek

Let’s be real: Oatmeal is one of the single-most comforting foods in existence, and one of the hardest to give up when you switch to a low-carb, high-protein diet. If you’re missing your morning oats like cray, try this keto oatmeal, made with hemp hearts, unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, and almond butter. Add a few low-carb toppings like fresh berries and you can enjoy that creamy bowl of oats you’ve been craving.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, allowing you to power through board meetings, dense traffic (hello horns), and all that Insta-scrolling you have yet to accomplish. For the mornings when you don’t have time to flip an omelet (or the day after you ate your last frozen burrito), don’t worry — Cereal School’s got you.

We’ll satisfy all those crunchy cravings, whether it’s in the morning or during your 10 a.m. conference meeting. With Cinnamon Bun and Fruity varieties available, this is a high-protein, low-carb breakfast that tastes just as sweet as you are. But be quick — we keep selling out, so grab a bag (or 24)!