Keep Portions in Check and Lose Weight With These 19 Calorie-Saving Breakfast Hacks

Make a big batch of turkey sausage egg muffins or egg and veggie muffins in advance, freeze them, then microwave a couple in the morning.

The time and effort of having to prepare your protein- and fibre-packed smoothie can make you want to skip it for a scone. So prep all the fruits and greens and freeze individual DIY smoothie packs. It not only makes a fast breakfast even faster, but it ensures you stick to a portion-perfect calorie amount.

If you're a fan of steel-cut oatmeal for keeping you full all morning long, this freezer hack is a huge time-saver. Just make a big batch on the stove, and freeze smaller portions using a muffin tin. Pop the little oatmeal pucks into a freezer bag and a week of healthy, fibre-full breakfasts is ready.

While baked goods aren't the healthiest breakfast, recipes made with added protein will keep you full and satisfied. Try these chocolate courgette protein muffins or this protein banana bread. Make a batch on Sunday night, and freeze slices or muffins you can reheat quickly and grab throughout the week.

Tired of tossing out wilted greens week after week? This ice cube hack is a must. Pick up some BPA-free ice cube trays and buy a variety of greens. You can puree them separately in a food processor or blender or puree them together, adding a little water to yield a smooth consistency. Pour the puree into the little wells, attach the lids, and freeze them. Add cubes to smoothies, oatmeal, or baked good recipes. The extra fibre will keep you full longer.

Pre-make a batch of protein balls to keep in your fridge or gym bag for breakfasts on the go. Try these delicious recipes:

• Coconut-covered chocolate almond protein balls
• Chocolate peanut butter protein balls
• Three-ingredient vegan protein balls
• Lemon coconut protein balls
• Chocolate chip cookie dough balls

Steel-cut oats are lower on the glycemic index than quick or rolled oats, which means they'll stabilise your blood sugar levels and keep you feeling full longer. They take over 40 minutes to cook though, so make a batch of this pumpkin pie overnight steel cut oatmeal and it'll be ready for you first thing in the morning. Store leftovers in separate glass containers so you can quickly warm them up all week.

DIY your own healthy pancake mix using whole wheat flour for added fibre. You can even add protein powder, flaxmeal, or chia seeds to your jar.

If you love pancakes for breakfast but A) they're too time-consuming to make, and B) you wish they offered more protein, then freeze a batch of these whole wheat protein pancakes. Enjoy then as pancakes, or use them to make tacocakes or parfaits. Each 100-calorie pancake offers almost five grams of protein.

Mix the few simple ingredients together, flatten it on your plate, pop it in the fridge, and when you wake up, you'll be so excited to get your mouth around this no-bake chewy, cinnamony cookie! You'll get a whopping 20 grams of protein and seven grams of fibre in this 330-calorie no-bake cookie.

If you're into protein in the morning to sustain your energy and always seem to be running out of eggs, this freezer hack is for you. Just scramble a dozen eggs, freeze them in muffin cups, and they'll stay good up to six months.

Don't stop at oatmeal! You can cook up other grains such as quinoa, rice, millet, and barley and freeze those, too — they're just as delicious as oats. You can even combine two or more grains, and it's a great, quick way to get some protein and fibre into your meal without having to spend 20 minutes cooking them up in the morning.

If you like fresh fruit in your smoothies, bowl of oatmeal, cereal, or you just like eating a big fruit salad for breakfast, cut up high-maintenance fruits ahead of time that take a little time to prepare, such as apples, melon, and pineapple. Then you can grab what you need in the morning without having to get out the knife and cutting board.

How do you make the quickest breakfast even quicker? Prep your entire week of overnight oats all at once.

Take 20 minutes of prep the night before, set your slow cooker to low while you sleep, and wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen.

For a twist on oatmeal, cooked quinoa offers more protein. Make a quinoa breakfast bake before bed, and you can eat a square warmed up with a dollop of yoghurt. Each serving is under 400 calories and offers nine grams of filling protein.

Bake up some protein bars ahead of time, and you'll feel like you're eating cookies for breakfast. Powered with protein powder, oats, eggs, and almond butter, these gluten-free almond oatmeal protein bars can be made the night before and grabbed the next morning. Or go for these chocolate almond protein bars.

Pair eggs with whole grains for a filling breakfast, and prepare a quinoa egg bake ahead of time. Microwave while brewing your coffee, and you'll have a hot breakfast served in minutes. Each low-carb 250-calorie serving offers almost 19 grams of protein.