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!

Southern-Style Greens {BACON}

(The tasties. Not pictured: brown sugar)

I like greens. A LOT. Since many people associate "greens" with any green vegetable: lettuce, celery, asparagus, etc., I'll refer back to this post that clarifies what constitutes a Dark Leafy Green.

Greens should be eaten with fat in order to properly absorb the fat-soluble vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin K. Hmmm. Usually I go for the standard, yet ever-delicious combination of olive oil, lemon and fresh garlic. Every once in a while, I have to switch it up. Enter: bacon in all of it's glory!

Southern Style Greens {with bacon...}
(Serves 2-4, takes approx 25 min)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb thick-cut organic bacon (preferably from a butcher, not from a package!)
1 large bunch organic collard greens (washed and prepped like pictured below)
1 sm-med brown onion (cut in half and sliced thinly)
3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1/4 c water
1/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar (I like Bragg's)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper
Black Pepper

Directions:

Wash and prep your veggies. For the collard greens, I find it easiest to cut the stems off, and then roll the leaves up into one large jelly roll. Then slice into approx 1 in ribbons:
After than, cut the "ribbon circles" in half again.

Cut your bacon into bite-sized chunks. Sautee in a pan until most of the fat is rendered and they look nice and golden-brown, like so:

Is your mouth watering yet?? Ensure it is by adding in the onions, garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Sautee on medium-low until flavorful and soft. Then add your green ribbons.




Whisk together the water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and a small pinch of sea salt. Pour over your mixture. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 8 minutes, or until greens are softened, stirring often.

Season with fresh cracked black pepper. Careful, these are WAY delicious. Greens might be tricky to get your family to eat...but mix some bacon in, and they won't be able to resist! :)