Rise and Thrive: Fueling Your Day with Wholesome Breakfasts
It's widely acknowledged that breakfast plays a crucial role in starting the day right. Research supports the idea that for most individuals, three balanced meals a day, with an emphasis on breakfast and lunch, can optimize our nutritional intake. The key is to focus on whole foods packed with essential nutrients and dietary fiber. When it comes to breakfast, the possibilities are endless, and you need not limit yourself to traditional 'breakfast' foods. Any meal that strikes a balance between protein, healthy fats, fiber, and a dose of fruits or vegetables can work wonders for your day. Here are a few breakfast options that have become staples in my household, but don't hesitate to get creative and adapt these ideas or come up with your own. I'd love to hear about your breakfast innovations!
Baked Omelet
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion, chopped*
½ green bell pepper, chopped*
½ cup chopped cooked ground turkey or chicken, optional
8 eggs
¼ cup milk or non-dairy alternative
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese, optional
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in meat if desired and continue cooking until heated through, 5 minutes more.
Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in Cheddar cheese and vegetable mixture; season with salt and black pepper. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until eggs are cooked and puffy, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.
*Can use different combination of vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, green onions, zucchini, tomatoes, and asparagus
Notes: I like to make two at a time and reheat throughout the week. Often serve this with a handful of berries or 1 cup smoothie or roasted sweet potatoes - basically whatever else my kiddos requested to go with it that morning :)
Sausage Hash Brown Egg Muffins
from Real Food Dietitians
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups frozen hash browns
¾ cup diced green pepper
¾ cup diced sweet bell pepper, any color
½ cup diced yellow onion
½ lb. ground pork sausage (see homemade sausage below)
8 whole eggs
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Cooking fat of choice
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven 350℉. Grease the wells of a muffin pan. We highly recommend you use a silicone muffin pan for easy release of the egg muffins from the pan.
On medium high heat, brown the sausage in a skillet or pan. Once no longer pink, drain and remove from pan. Place on a plate with a paper towel. Set aside.
To the skillet or pan over medium high add a little cooking fat. Once hot, add the hash browns and cook until lightly brown. Split the hash browns up amongst the muffin wells.
Now to the skillet, add additional cooking fat if needed as well as the peppers and onions. Saute until tender and cooked through.
Top the hash browns with sausage and top the sausage with the peppers and onions.
In the bowl crack the eggs and add the salt and pepper. Whisk well. Pour the eggs into the muffin wells over the hash browns, sausage and peppers. Muffin wells will be full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until centers of egg muffins are firm and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Homemade Sausage:
In a bowl combine 1 lb. ground chicken/turkey/pork plus 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. dried sage, 1 tsp. fennel seed, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of nutmeg. Add seasoned meat to a skillet over medium heat. With a wooden spoon break up the meat and continue cooking until browned.
Tips:
For nicely formed egg muffins, make sure the wells are really full before adding the egg. That helps them stay formed and not shrivel up.
Our favorite muffin pan for making these egg muffins so they release easily from the pan is this 12-cup silicone muffin pan. It’s a game changer for making a recipe like this, as well as any other muffin recipe you make.
Paleo Pancakes —From the Funk’tional Nutritionist
INGREDIENTS
Makes 4 pancakes
3 eggs
2 Tablespoons grass-fed ghee* (or fat of choice), melted plus extra for pan
¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup coconut flour
2 scoops collagen peptides
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then stir in melted ghee. Add flours and collagen. Lastly, add baking powder and ACV at the same time. You’ll notice it bubbles. That’s good! It makes the pancakes fluffy. Stir it all in.
Drop onto a hot cast iron skillet greased up with ghee or coconut oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. (Cook time depends on how hot your pan is—keep your eye out so they don’t burn!)
I love to cook down frozen blueberries in a small pan and top the pancakes with them. And/or spread some nutbutter on them for a little extra protein and savory taste.
Notes: *Ghee is clarified butter which is able to withstand a higher smoke point (aka won’t burn). It is also suitable for those with dairy sensitivity. You can purchase it premade or make your own. How to make ghee: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=how+to+make+ghee&type=E210US1290G0#id=1&vid=97ad6e45c1771af962d57586896dd513&action=click
Other Options for pancakes/waffles:
· Simple Mills Almond Flour Pancake & Waffle Mix (gf) – I prefer it as waffles
· Kodiak Power Cakes (whole wheat)
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
From Simple-Skillet.com
Ingredients
Overnight Oats Base
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 dates
2/3 cup carrots, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cashew milk
Peanut Butter Yogurt:
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
1 tsp maple syrup
Top with: Pumpkin seeds
Instructions
First, combine all the ingredients for the overnight oats base in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix to combine, then set aside.
Combine the ingredients for the peanut butter yogurt. Mix until uniform, then set aside.
Bring out two jars and fill them up with yogurt + oats. Mix to combine then put in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Top with pumpkin seeds!
Anti-inflammatory, Gut-Loving Smoothie Bowl
From the Funk’tional Nutritionist
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup frozen bluebuerries
1/3 cup roasted sweet potato* (cold)
1/2 avocado
1/2-inch chunk fresh ginger root, peeled
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup coconut milk or water (more as needed to thin)
2 scoops grass-fed beef gelatin, collagen or protein powder
Optional: for a sweeter bowl, add 1/2 banana, 2 tsp honey or 1-2 pitted medjool dates
INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the skin from the sweet potato. Add to the blender with all the other ingredients. (Throw a large handful of greens to further boost the nutrition and antioxidant power!) Blend until smooth.
*It’s nice to have roasted sweet potatoes on the ready. You can cube and roast them with olive oil for about 25 minutes or throw a few whole potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees, let cook for about 30-40 minutes, then keep in the fridge to use whenever. When you roast them in their skin they become incredibly sweet!
These recipes come from www.realfooddietitians.com, www.funktionalnutritionist.com, and www.simple-skillet.com — all excellent resources for recipes — check them out!!
If you are looking for more guidance on what YOU should be eating, schedule a 1:1 appointment with me here! I look forward to continuing to guide you in your health journey!
