Love thy Morning Routine

February is the time when most resolutions drop off and let me start by telling you that this article isn’t about preaching in some way or another to hack your morning routine into some unrealistic schedule of events. This will be more about nourishing moments that you can add to the first hours of your day that will ease you into whatever the next few hours hold. But first, I’ll share how other cultures start their mornings and see what we can learn from them. 

I’ll start with my own, coming from a much warmer island–this one in the Caribbean–the Dominican Republic. Back home, breakfast is a very composed meal of carbs (in the shape of root vegetables like plantains or yucca), fats (served up as fried cheese or salami), and protein (with eggs generally providing that nourishment). Top all that goodness with freshly pickled onions and you’re ready to start the day. 

Hopping over to another Caribbean island, my friends in Jamaica are having a similarly delicious breakfast. Here’s what Junior Griffiths, of Edgartown Meat and Fish, shares: “A typical Jamaican breakfast for me back home, is usually porridge (cornmeal, peanut, or plantains) paired with fried dumplings, and most public transport depots will have a street vendor whipping up this inexpensive, simple and tasty start to our days. As Jamaicans, our traditional breakfast is quite heavy, with boiled starches such as yam, unripe bananas, breadfruit, potatoes, hard-dough bread, or dumplings. All these starches can be paired with traditional options such as ackee and salted fish (cod), stewed chicken, callaloo (spinach), steamed vegetables, or organ meats such as kidney or liver. Paired with hot beverages such as Milo, Blue Mountain coffee, or herbal tea, and that rounds breakfast for us!” 

Fly down to Brazil in South America and Gislaine Donaroma of Donaroma’s Nursery, tells me about what an iconic Brazilian breakfast starts with: “Us Brazilians love to have French rolls ( pão francês/pão de sal) for breakfast, it’s definitely a breakfast staple in so many Brazilian family homes. I’m usually hungry in the morning so I love to make avocado toast. I like to toast my French roll in half, then spread sweet potato on each side, layer fresh avocado, top it off with sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. That, alongside freshly brewed black coffee, is one of my favorite breakfasts. Brazilians absolutely love coffee as well, and most kids in my generation have grown up since very young having their “pão Frances” with butter dipped into a cup of coffee with milk.”

Book yourself on a flight to Eastern Europe for a simple and hearty breakfast. Iggy Vukoje, owner of Cozy Corner Cafe who is from Serbia, reminisces about his childhood breakfasts: “Eastern European breakfasts that I grew up on usually consisted of fried eggs, dry-cured meats (ham, bacon, sausage), bread, and vegetables like tomatoes, spring onion, and/ or cucumbers. In the winter time, we would eat more pickled vegetables like pickled carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, and cabbage on top of everything else. Occasionally, we would eat french toast, polenta or burek, a traditional phyllo-dough filled with cheese, spinach or ground beef, which you can actually find here at Cozy Corner! In any case, breakfast was always heavy and filling so you would have enough energy for the rest of the day.” 

After listening to my local friends share their breakfast menus, I’m already enlightened by a few things: 

• Building a breakfast around savory starches provides us with steady, longer-lasting energy;
• Protein is often central – eggs, yogurt, meats help with blood sugar balance and once again, sustained energy; 
• Healthy fats like avocado help with brain function, which we all need more of. 

As we work on trying to become healthier in 2026, taking some guidance from other cultures is a delicious way to re-route your goals when they start failing, because the way you start your day is key to the energy you’ll have throughout the next ten hours.  

Now, with the lessons from above, here’s how we can put this into practice in a way that can be approachable and something I’ve been doing for the last two years: let’s talk about meal prepping. Even if you’re not a chef, let’s break down meal prepping how-to’s and align the process in a way that can work for you, whether you’re a novice or expert in the kitchen. Look at it this way – the more prep you have in your fridge, the easier it will be to put together meals that are nourishing, satiating, and delicious. Here are seven locally-sourced ideas that will make your breakfasts in 2026 worth waking up for:

1. Start with local protein – whether it’s local eggs from Ghost Island Farm, yogurt from Mermaid Farm, or ground meats from Morning Glory Farm. If you’re on a plant based diet, many of our local farms also carry gorgeous beans from companies like Rancho Gordo, one of my favorite bean producers. 
2. Add in a delicious starch like a slice of fresh seeded loaf from Beetlebung Farm bakery, locally grown potatoes, or make warm porridges with oatmeal, grits, or rice. A warm starch not only grounds us, but provides the body with the energy it needs. 
3. Purchase or make your own sauces and condiments. Edgartown Meat and Fish Market has some delicious pickled onions in their cold cases, or make your own sauerkraut for gut biome balance. Stop into Catboat Coffee Co. for dips such as labneh, muhammara, or toum – all exceptionally well made and delicious! 
4. Round it out with nutrient-dense vegetables from local farms like North Tabor Farm – look for whatever is seasonal and fresh at the moment and add it to your breakfasts raw or cooked. 
5. Locally-roasted coffee beans – we’re lucky to have a few roasters on Island. Chilmark Coffee Company is what I’ve drank at home for over a decade and can be found at a variety of spots on the island. Other roasters include Martha’s Vineyard Coffee Company and East to West Coffee Roasters. 
6. To sweeten your coffee or your breakfasts, consider a drizzle of local honey from Island Bee Company or any other local beekeepers. Honey will also provide a great energy source and it’s my go-to sweetener for my morning coffee. 
7. Winter is the season for all things citrus, and although not locally-grown, worth adding to your mornings whether whole or as juice. Plus, we all need those extra vitamins during winter to stave away cold and flu symptoms going around! 

Insider Local Tip: Stop into Vineyard Grocer in Vineyard Haven for two things: cottage cheese and yogurt, specifically if you’re as obsessed as I am with cottage cheese and can’t find the Good Culture brand, they are normally well-stocked. Now, about this yogurt – it’s a yogurt from Lowell, MA made at a spot called “Sophia’s Greek Pantry” and it’s gone viral on social media for good reason. It’s one of the most delicious yogurts I’ve ever tasted and I can’t recommend it enough. 

With these tips, I hope your morning can start out even more delicious than usual. A lot of the items above can be prepped in advance and kept in the fridge for quick reheating in the mornings, making the start of your day a bit easier. Cheers to loving your morning routine in 2026! 

Disclosure: Marnely Murray works in marketing and with a food industry background, has connections, ties, and clients in this industry. For the sake of transparency, if she mentions an Island brand that is/has been a client of her business, Shored Up Digital, it will be noted at the end. In this piece, clients mentioned are Morning Glory Farm and Cozy Corner Cafe.

This article is published as a part of The Grapevine–a monthly email newsletter dedicated to our local events and culinary scene. Click here to subscribe to the Grapevine.