How one Aussie Mum is taking the stress out of breakfast time

Tired of preparing quick and nutritious family breakfasts? Meet the Aussie parent who is changing the breakfast game.

Eating breakfast like a king may be too remote an idea for parents juggling work and family life.

Having raised two daughters while working several jobs to make ends meet, single mum and nutritionist Cinzia Cozzolino, 52, knows it can be a struggle to serve up healthy food every day.

“I was busy trying to make a living and here was my teenage daughter, Lana, rushing to school without breakfast,” Cinzia says.

Recognising the importance of a healthy breakfast, at 42 and after her divorce, Cinzia returned to school to study nutrition, a topic about which she had always felt passionate.

It was the first step towards The Smoothie Bombs, her now successful business, which was developed at her kitchen bench in 2011.

“It’s as easy as blending fruit and coconut water with one bomb for a nutritious smoothie instead of having to buy expensive superfood powders,” Cinzia says.

“I started supplying clients, friends and cafes. Orders kept coming in, and it grew organically from there.”

Her big break came in 2014 when a distributor ordered 2400 balls for a hotel in Dubai.

Cinzia was still rolling the balls by hand.

“It was time to find a manufacturer who could take on growth with us,” she says. “When I saw the balls from the production line for the first time, I cried.”

Lana, 18, is now running the business with her mum, taking care of social media and branding, while Nina, 23, took up coding to build the website.

“I’m excited to have turned my idea into a product that makes good nutrition easy. We’re a real family, trying to make a difference,” Cinzia says.

Cinzia’s breakfast hacks

Fibre-full

A good breakfast contains fibre, such as whole grains, a range of vitamins and minerals from fruit or vegetables and a serve of protein from nuts, seeds or eggs.

Whole fruit

Opt for a piece of fruit instead of juice. The fibre in fruit helps to release natural sugars evenly for energy throughout the day.

Label love

Inspect the labels. Sugar content in cereal should be under 5g per serve and fibre should be above 7g.

Mix ’n’ match

Mix and match vegetables and fruit for optimal nutrient intake, and to get kids’ tastebuds used to variety.

Best butters

Use nut butters, such as almond or cashew, instead of dairy butter. Peanut butter is high in protein and mostly contains good unsaturated fats.

Snack right

Make your own fruit and nut mix instead of buying sugary packaged snacks. There are great recipes for healthy muesli bars online. They can be frozen for convenience.

Fresh is best

Food needs to taste good for it to be enjoyed! For best taste, buy seasonal, fresh produce.

Routine rules

Setting up an easy morning routine is key. Mondays are smoothie days, Wednesdays are for avocado on wholemeal toast and Sundays are buckwheat pancake days.

The Smoothie Bombs are available in five flavours and each contain 10+ natural ingredients. Available online and in all Chemist Warehouse stores. 

Written by Anna-Lena Janzen