Green Veggie + Egg Scramble

break·fast /ˈbrekfəst/ Noun A meal eaten in the morning, the first of the day. 

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" and my personal mantra:  "You can't eat greens all day unless you start in the morning!" ;) Eating a solid breakfast is important to ensuring sound nutrition, and for kicking metabolism into gear for the day.  An ideal way to break your fast in the morning is with a full 16 oz glass of h2o (with a lemon wedge if you have it), even before a morning cup of joe.   Within a couple hours of waking, it's a really good idea to eat.   Despite what General Mills has decided is a "complete" breakfast (sugar, carbs and several servings of OJ - more sugar-), here are the essential components to include when putting together a nourishing breakfast that will tide you over until lunch: Fiber: to keep us feeling full and maintain healthy digestion (think: veggies, banana, oatmeal) Protein: it's essential to get a decent amount of protein in EVERY meal as our bodies do not store it up for later, unfortunately (think: eggs, organic tofu, soaked beans, nuts and seeds, nut butters, chicken or turkey) Fat: gives us the staying power to tide us over if it's going to be a while before eating again.  It curbs a dip in blood sugar which would cause us to seek out sugary snacks.  Also - if we're including veggies with lots of fat soluble vitamins (GREENS!), the fat allows them to be easily absorbed Carbs: mostly if you're going to be expending a bunch of energy between now and lunch. A "complete" breakfast does NOT require toast or cereal. ;)  Also, good to remember that 1/2 a banana is actually 1 whole serving of fruit, and a serving of fruit juice is 4 ounces. NOT a pint glass. Our breakfasts alternate between the following:

 - Oatmeal: whole rolled oats topped with whatever sounds good - nuts, seeds, honey, fruit, coconut oil  or a combination

 - Vegan chocolate-banana flax pudding: Mmmmmmmm.............

 - Shakes: generally with a base of banana + coconut or almond milk and then add ins: almond, cashew or peanut butter, tahini, spirulina, dulse, soaked flax seeds, ice, honey, bee pollen, blueberries, greens.

 - Yogurt:  plain, *full fat* Greek or European style yogurt topped with almonds, pepitas, fruit, etc. (The link has some of my favorite ways to prepare it...)

 - Coconut Banana Pancakes:  always a favorite!

 - Egg + veggie scramble with whatever veggies are stocked in the fridge plus organic eggs, cooked in organic butter and olive oil.

Eggs scrambled with kale, onions, broccoli, romano-parm cheese.

Can't eat greens all day unless you start in the morning!   ;)

I love adding greens and other veggies to egg scrambles.  It helps make the breakfast more filling and ensures a GREAT start to the day with all of those vitamins and minerals!  The best part is being able to customize it every day with different veggie additions from the fridge, so it never gets boring.  Sometimes it's peppers, mushrooms and spinach, other times it's kale, broccoli and onions.  If there is cheese in the fridge, I might a bit of that too. Here's what I made this morning:

Green Veggie Scramble

(Recipe for 2)

Ingredients:

1/3 c white onions, diced

2 handfuls of chopped tuscan kale 

1 c broccoli florets, roughly chopped

Pat of organic butter

Drizzle of olive oil

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

4 organic eggs

1/2 an avocado - makes a pretty delish garnish!

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan to medium and add butter + olive oil.  (The olive oil helps keep the butter from getting too hot which causes it to sizzle and brown). Sautee the onions, kale & broccoli in together for several minutes until soft and fragrant.  Add the eggs (I don't usually even bother whisking them first) and the cheese and scramble for another 5 minutes or so, until done.   Plate with avocado and bring out your favorite hot sauce(s) from the fridge.  Done!

Food Renegade!

Saturday at Eastern Market: How to Shop & Eat Clean on a Budget

Generally we do our weekly shopping every Saturday at Eastern Market in the summer while local produce is bountiful!   Applying budgeting and awareness to the farm market trip is not unlike the way we choose to look at most areas of life.   First, a walk around the market to see who's got what and what prices are like.   By now, we have a good idea of which farmer stalls are local, who is growing 100% organic, who is growing "almost organic" (fertilized soil but organic sprays) and who the conventional supermarket re-sellers are. We know which farm to avoid; the ones who use a soy-based to feed for chickens, and the ones who have the highest prices on berries and greens!  After the walk-around, we get down to business; the whole process taking about 30 minutes.  Essentially, we've figured out our own personal "art" of farm market shopping and would encourage others to think more strategically about food too.  Without a bounty of good, fresh food in the house, it's MUCH easier to resort eating poorly.

So why the selection seen above?

We know we want/need 3 bunches of dark leafy greens every week - an essential part of our produce consumption - , mirepoix staples, a grill-able veggie (eggplant), tomatoes because they looked good and were cheap, some good "juicing" items (carrots, beets) and some gorgeous blueberries because they are almost gone for the season.  As far as protein, we chose eggs as they are a great, cheap source of protein ($2.25/doz) and a naturally raised chicken.

The list:  

Veggies

Chard (1 lg bunch)
Kale (1 lg bunch)
Broccoli (1 lg head)
Eggplant (1 lg)
Hot Peppers (1 quart)
Heirloom Purple Carrots (1 bunch)
Carrots (1 box)
Beets (2 lbs)
Ginger Gold Apples (1/2 peck)
Sweet Onions (3 large)
Blueberries (2 pints)
Amaranth (1 large bunch)
Heirloom tomatoes (4 very ripe large)

Protein:

3 dozen free range eggs
Whole chicken (6.25 lb)

Total cost $47.25  
((This will last a week for 2 people, including a few other staples in the pantry - beans, rice, etc.))

Metro Detroiters, if you could use some help coming up with your own strategy of eating clean (real, whole food diet) on a budget,  would like to learn some healthy snack recipes, food prep tips or do an entire "green" overhaul, check out our local business:
Green Dreams All-Natural Kitchen & Home Makeover