No-Egg Breakfast Ideas

My husband and I have been taking a little break from eggs.  Now don’t get me wrong… we love eggs!  But we had gotten to a point where we were having them every single morning.  It is so convenient to pre-boil eggs, or to scramble some up quickly.  BUT, there are two problems with over-doing the eggs:

You will quickly get tired of them.  When you start thinking “I could probably go the rest of my life without seeing another egg,” you know you’re at a place where you need to take a break.  HAHA!

You can give yourself an egg allergy.  Did you know this?  I didn’t either, but I’ve heard it’s true.  

(Note: This was just confirmed by Diane of Balanced Bites: “You can become sensitive to any food if you overdo it and your body is prone to it. It may not be a frank allergy, but an intolerance or sensitivity, sure.”  Thanks Diane!) 

Our little break from eggs has been quite nice!  It’s been about a month since we’ve had eggs in our house, and we’re getting to the point where our egg appetites are returning.  For now, I think we’ll just keep enjoying some of our favorite non-egg breakfasts mentioned below.

1. Diced Chicken and a Smoothie – We love dicing chicken, sautéing it in coconut oil with a little salt and pepper, and just finger-fooding it.  Pair it with a coconut milk smoothie, and it’s a perfect, filling breakfast.

Make ahead: you can definitely do this the night before and pop it in the fridge.  Just re-heat the chicken in the morning, grab your smoothie from the fridge, and you’re good to go!

2. Breakfast Sausage and Sweet Potato – I love picking up some local, pastured pork sausage from my Farmer’s Market.  It is already spiced with sage, and several other ingredients.  I form them into patties, and cook them in coconut oil until they are no longer pink inside.  Pair with some buttered (grass-fed!) sweet potato, and you have an amazing combination!

Make ahead: I like to cook my sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker, and them mash them with a potato masher (imagine that!).  Add a little salt and lots of grass-fed butter, and then refrigerate.  In the morning, I like to cut up the sausages and heat them with the sweet potatoes.  SO good!

3. Bacon and….. Anything!  We love bacon.  Our favorite brand is Applegate Organics Sunday Bacon.  And guess what?  It goes with more than just eggs.  We usually pair it with some leftover veggies that have been hiding in the fridge from a recent dinner.

Make ahead: I have definitely cooked bacon the night before, and it is still almost as yummy re-heated the next morning.  However, my favorite way to enjoy bacon is to set my alarm 20 minutes early, run to the kitchen to toss the bacon in the oven, and then hop back in bed until it’s ready.  There is nothing like waking up to the smell (and taste!) of fresh-cooked bacon.

4. Leftovers!  Breakfast food does not have to be breakfast food.  Do yourself a favor and get over the notion that you can’t have Paleo Spaghetti, steaks, or beef stew for breakfast.  This morning I had leftover “secret liver burgers,” leftover swiss chard/onion saute, sauerkraut, homemade ketchup, and decaf coffee (with full-fat coconut milk and cinnamon). It was delicious and very filling!  Now I will admit… I’m not a big fan of super-spicy leftovers first thing in the morning, but other than that, I’m cool with leftovers!

Make ahead: No instructions needed here!

5. Primal Oatmeal – We love this recipe from Mark Sisson.  I’m taking a break from nuts right now as well, so this option is currently out for me, but it is oh-so-good!

Make ahead: This can also be made the night before!  Just pop it in the microwave with some extra coconut milk or almond milk, stir, and top with a little cinnamon.  It’s a nice, warm breakfast for cool, cozy mornings.

6. Garden Meatballs – These are perfect little breakfast packages.  They are made with grass-fed beef, and packed with veggies.  Pair with some sauerkraut, and you have a fantastic combination!

Make ahead: These are great pre-made, and even frozen ahead of time.  Pop them in a toaster oven for a quick re-heat.  YUM!

7. “Cereal” – This is a yummy little breakfast, but I definitely recommend making it with coconut milk rather than almond milk.  You will get some good fat from the coconut milk, and it will be much more filling than a nut milk.

Make ahead: You can definitely chop your fruit and nuts the night before.  Then just pour the coconut milk in the morning, and enjoy!

Fantastic Breakfast Add-Ons:

Sauerkraut: This is a great way to consume some fermented food on a regular basis.  And in my opinion, it goes with just about everything.

Decaf Coffee: Brew your favorite blend, and then stir in a generous amount of full-fat coconut milk.  Top with cinnamon.  This is a wonderful, creamy, filling addition to any breakfast.

Bacon: Enough said.

A Paleo Packed Lunch

I get this question all the time… “What can I send for lunches every day?”

If you have read my blog or my eBook, you already know that my husband and I usually lunch on leftovers from the previous evening’s dinner.  This is easy for us because we always have access to refrigerators and microwaves.

When my parents started transitioning into Paleo-eating, one of my Mom’s biggest concerns was what she could send my Dad for lunch.  He is a painting contractor, so most of his days are spent in empty houses.  Before Paleo, she would often send him sandwiches.  What would she do now?

Well, I tried to help, but my best ideas were salads.  And a salad every single day is not too desirable.  But on Saturday, I got the question again on my Facebook Page (from a lady whose husband is also a contractor), so I decided to give my Mom a call and see what she’s been doing for my Dad.

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I AM SO IMPRESSED!

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Every day, she sends him a lunch box full of delicious grub.  For lunches, she usually keeps a big pot of chili or vegetable soup in the fridge.  In the mornings, she prepares a thermos (she uses this one from Target – get a nice one like this… it’s worth the money!) by filling it with boiling water to heat it, and then filling it with hot soup, or hot chili, etc.  Sometimes she will put hot meat in the thermos, and send other items as sides. My Dad reports that sometimes the contents are still so hot at lunch-time that he has to wait a while for them to cool!

On other days, she might send chicken salad or coleslaw.  The thermos also keeps things cold!  She prepares it by adding ice first, and then filling it with the cold items.

For snacks, she makes her own trail mix, and she sometimes sends plantain chips, apples, Paleo cookies, etc.  You could also send carrot sticks, jicama, raw vegetables, beef jerky, Larabars, etc.

Thanks Mom!

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If you have packed-lunch ideas, please post them below!

Also, check out my related posts:

A Paleo Lunch

A Paleo Snack

My Favorite Egg “Muffins”

I have told you before how much I DETEST mornings.  I am not a morning person (regardless of what time I went to bed, or how much sleep I have had).  When I wake up, I do not feel like cooking.  Therefore, I usually try to make breakfast the night before.  This means that we eat alot of frittatas, boiled eggs, lukewarm bacon, diced chicken, leftovers from dinner, or my personal favorite… Egg Cupcakes!  They are easy to make, and SO yummy!

Click here for some other breakfast suggestions.

I have tried several recipes for these hand-held breakfast goodies, and this one is my favorite.  It comes from Paleo Comfort Foods.

Breakfast Egg Muffins

1 TBS olive oil

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional, but I LOVE the spice!)

12 large eggs, whisked

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onions in olive oil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add peppers, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.

While peppers are cooking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl.

Once onions/peppers are cooked, remove from heat and let them cool for a few minutes.  Dump them into the egg mixture, and stir well, sprinking in the salt and pepper.

Coat a large muffin pan with oil.  Using a 1/4 C measuring cup, fill each muffin cup.

Place in oven for 10-15 minutes.  Remove them once the tops get high, fluffy, and golden brown.

Enjoy!

Dinner for a Whole30er + Some Whole30 Advice

My good friend, Anna, came over for dinner last night.  She is currently working on her FIRST WHOLE30!  She started on Sunday, and she is doing great!  Anna has powered through a few cravings, some headaches, and some changes in digestion, and she is already seeing a change in her food-mindset.  I cannot wait to hear the final results once she finishes her 30 days!  The perseverance is TOTALLY worth it!  My first Whole30 completely changed the way I think about food and health.  It is such an exciting journey, and I’m thrilled that Anna accepted the challenge!

I really wanted to make Anna a big, delicious, Whole30-approved, FILLING meal, so I decided on Smokey Roast (a new recipe for me), roasted brussels sprouts, and a salad (this is what I had planned to make for dinner anyway… Whole30 is not too different from regular Paleo!).

The Smokey Roast recipe came from Sarah Fragoso of EverydayPaleo.com.  It had a yummy flavor, and it was very tender.  The recipe tells you to cook it in the crock pot on high for 5-6 hours.  I didn’t have that much time, so I just placed the roast in a glass baking dish (with a chopped onion and 1/2 cup of water), and baked it, covered, in a 350-degree oven for about an hour.  I let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving.  It was cooked perfectly!

For the brussels, I quartered them, steamed them for about four minutes, then dumped them onto a foil-lined baking sheet.  I drizzled a little olive oil, and sprinkled some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  They roasted in a 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges of the leaves started to blacken.

We had a great time eating, laughing, and discussing Paleo!  I love spending time with Anna, so I was thrilled that she joined me for dinner!

One of the things we discussed was how much to eat.  I have noticed two common concerns among first-time Whole30ers… they are either CONSTANTLY hungry, or they are afraid they’re eating too much.

Both of these concerns can be remedied with a simple rule: Eat to satiety whenever you feel hungry.

You should not feel hungry all the time!  If you are, consider why you might be so hungry…

During the first several days of our Whole30, we were not as prepared as we should have been, and we were very hungry.  We mainly just ate eggs and salads, and we were not staying full for very long.  Once we started preparing more meats and vegetables (actual hearty meals), we started feeling that comforting “that-was-a-good-meal” type of satiety.

I also believe that our bodies were simply not used to digesting our food so well.  We were ready for more food more quickly because the foods we were eating were passing through more rapidly (I have no scientific knowledge to back up this theory… that’s just how we felt).

Hunger is a shout from your body.  It is telling you that it needs nutrients!  Ever wonder why you used to feel hungry soon after eating a big meal full of pasta or rice?  Probably because you were not giving your body the nutrients it was craving.  Once your body gets accustomed to getting the nutrients it needs on a regular basis, those constant hunger-pains will become less frequent.

So how can you prevent constant hunger?  Well……….. eat!  Eat GOOD food!  I cannot stress enough the importance of BEING PREPARED!  Make a meal plan, get lots of great meat and produce, and cook!  Make extras so you have leftovers! Pack tons of healthy snacks to get you through the day (not just fruits and nuts, either!).  Remember, you are not on a diet.  You are eating the way your body was designed to eat… these foods will not make you fat if you are not gorging out on them!  It is amazing how our bodies are capable of slimming down, or shaping up, exactly as they should when we feed ourselves real, whole foods (you don’t have to starve yourself!).

Again… eat when you are hungry.  

And when you eat, enjoy each bite until you are full, and then stop.  

Simple, huh?

I have tons of tips and suggestions on being prepared and keeping things simple in my $4.99 eBook.  You do not have to have an e-reader device to get it.  It’s available as a PDF instant download.  You can also put it on your Kindle or Nook.

Here are a few posts I’ve written with some meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.

Be sure to check out the Recipe Tree too!

Food Diary: Top 3 Easiest Paleo Meals

I love cooking.  There have been many days that I have cooked all day… just for the fun of it.  My husband works on Saturdays, so sometimes I will wake up, do my grocery-shopping, and then just make one recipe after another, after another, etc.  By the end of the day I am ready to be off my feet, but I have had so much fun! However, there are other days where cooking falls last on my list of  ”things I’d like to do right now.”  On these days, I am especially thankful for the quick and easy Paleo meals… These three meals are super-quick, and super-healthy!  I keep the ingredients stocked so I can pick one to make any day of the week.

Paleo “Fajitas”

This was actually our dinner tonight!  I came home exhausted, and my back yelled at me when I mentioned cooking a big meal.  We love Mexican food, so this meal is ALWAYS a welcome sight at our table.

Saute an onion and some peppers (tonight I only had 1 green pepper, so it got tossed in).  Brown some ground beef, or cook some diced chicken- whatever you’re in the mood to eat.  Season with some chili powder and cumin, salt and pepper.  While the meat is cooking, whip up some quick guacamole (my super-simple version here) and dice some tomatoes.  When the meat is done, lay down a bed of spinach or lettuce, pile the meat/onion/pepper mixture on top, accessorize with some tomatoes (I had yellow tomatoes tonight- pretty!!), and top with big blobs of guac and salsa (I love salsa from Trader Joe’s).

Done!  Easy Peasy, right?

Breakfast!

Whether you are trying to whip up a quick breakfast OR a quick dinner, frittatas are a quick and easy choice.  This is also a great way to get rid of some miscellaneous items in your fridge.  Tonight, while my beef was browning, I whipped this up so we’ll have a ready-breakfast for the next few days.  Just whisk together 10 eggs, salt, pepper, your choice of spices, and whichever vegetables you wish to add (tonight I used red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, broccoli, and spaghetti squash).  Pour into a HOT skillet and allow it to cook for about 2-3 minutes (do not stir).  Then put the entire pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes.  Done!  Cover, and store in the refrigerator if you are saving it for breakfast.  If not, be sure you start some bacon before your frittata starts cooking!

For more frittata combo ideas, click here.

Paleo Spaghetti

This is probably my favorite Paleo meal right now.  Not only is is fast, it is mind-blowingly delicious!  There are several ways to make it… pictured is the simplest version- sliced zucchini rounds, sautéed with onions and spices, and topped with ground beef and marinara.  You can also julienne the zucchini if you like it to feel more like noodles.  But my favorite way to make it is with the fabulous spaghetti squash.  Cut the squash in half, and microwave one half for 9 minutes.  When done, scrape the strands onto plates using a fork.  Top with ground beef that has been browned with sauteed onions, and then add a generous scoop of marinara.  I use a delicious pre-made marinara that is made from all-natural ingredients.

So good!!

I hope this makes your life a little easier!  For 21 other SIMPLIFYING tips, check out my eBook…

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Robb Wolf describes it as “fantastic!”

Food Diary: Indian Chicken

Last night I decided to try making an Indian-flavored chicken dish.  It turned out DELICIOUS!  Actually, it tasted alot better than some of the dishes I’ve had at Indian restaurants. The sauce is creamy and delicious.  Dustin loved it too!  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Indian Chicken

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breats, diced

4 TBS coconut oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 6-oz can tomato paste

3/4 can full-fat coconut milk

sea salt to taste

5 TBS grass-fed butter

8 C spinach or kale

Directions:

In a large skillet, saute onions until soft.

Add the garlic and spices, and stir well to combine.

Add tomato paste and coconut milk.  Whisk thoroughly.

Bring the sauce to a simmer (it should be bubbly).

Add the chicken, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cover for 20 minutes, or until chicken is done.

While the chicken is cooking, saute the spinach until wilted.

Just before serving, add the butter, and mix well to combine.

Serve mixture over sauteed spinach, and enjoy!