What’s For Breakfast?

Traditional Chinese Medicine tells us that it’s important to eat a warm breakfast. Our digestive tract has been sleeping all night, and just like it takes a few minutes to warm up a car engine on a cold morning, it makes it a whole lot easier on your body to warm it up first. It’s also important to include protein, whole grains and/or some kind of vegetable - cereal or toast is just not enough to regulate your blood sugar and give you energy for your day… 

That can be difficult when we’re rushing to get the kids off to school, get the grown ups to work on time, and maybe even squeeze in a work out!  On top of that, my kids will most definitely groan if I try to serve them the same breakfast twice in a week. (Do they know how lucky they are? No, they most definitely do not.)

Here are some of our favorites… leave a note, let me know if you have any to add. My kids will thank you!

1. Oatmeal with Toppings

• Ingredient ideas (be creative!):  Cooked steel cut oats, and top with fresh fruit (berries, banana slices), nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds (chia, flax, sesame, sunflower), honey, dates or maple syrup.

• Winning combinations: 

  • Banana, Macadamia nuts, coconut flakes

  • Cook blackberries, blueberries and strawberries with a bay leaf

  • Chopped dates, tahini and sprinkled with sesame seeds and cacao pieces

  • Cacao powder, vanilla extract,  bananas and a sprinkle of sea salt

• Make ahead: Prep toppings and keep in the freezer, so you can just add the morning of. Soak the oats overnight for quicker cooking. 

2. Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables

• Instructions: Saute any veggies you have on hand, add scramble eggs. Stir until cooked. 

• Ingredient ideas: peppers, zucchini, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. Add cheese, bacon or pancetta for a little extra flavor.

3. Whole Grain Toast with Avocado and Poached Egg

• Ingredients: Whole grain bread, avocado, eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper.

• Instructions: Toast the bread. Mash avocado with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spread avocado on toast. Poach the egg and place it on top of the avocado toast.

4. Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

• Ingredients: Cooked quinoa, almond milk, cinnamon, fresh fruit (apple slices, berries), nuts (pecans, almonds), honey or maple syrup. Go back to the oatmeal for ideas!

• Instructions: Warm the cooked quinoa in almond milk with a pinch of cinnamon. Top to your heart’s content!

• Make ahead: use leftover quinoa, millet or other grain from dinner. 

5. Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

• Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, onions, bell peppers, spinach, eggs, olive oil, salt, pepper.

• Instructions: Dice and sauté sweet potatoes, onions, and bell peppers in olive oil until tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted. In a separate pan, cook eggs to your preference (scrambled, fried, poached). Serve eggs over the sweet potato hash.

• Make ahead: Cooking up a pan of diced sweet potatoes can be used for breakfast hash, lunch bowls or an after-school snack. 

6. Banana Pancakes

• Instructions: In a blender, blend 2 bananas, 2 eggs, 1.5 cups oats, 1 t cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons baking powder until smooth. Add almond milk as needed.  Cook as you would any other pancakes.  Serve with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup… OR any of the creative toppings from above!

• Make ahead: These are super easy in a blender, but if the cooking is too time consuming in the morning, make ahead and freeze. Toast up and top as desired.
  

7. Miso Soup with Tofu and Vegetables

• Ingredients: Miso paste, tofu, spinach, scallions, seaweed, water.

• Instructions: Dissolve miso paste in hot water to make broth. Add cubed tofu, spinach, chopped scallions, and seaweed. Cook until spinach is wilted and everything is heated through. My kids are more likely to eat this if I add soba or udon noodles, but that does add a lot of time.

8. Breakfast Burrito

• Ingredients: Whole wheat tortilla, scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa, avocado, bacon or crumbled sausage, cheese.

• Instructions: We make a burrito bar with all of the toppings available so everyone can add what they like.

• Make ahead: (No one gets to choose, Mom decides!)  I still set up a toppings bar for myself, and I make 8-10 burritos in one go, freezing them all individually wrapped in foil. Reheat them in the oven at 375. 

9. Shakshuka

• Ingredients: Eggs, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, olive oil, salt, pepper.

• Instructions: Sauté chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add diced tomatoes and spices, and simmer until the mixture thickens. Make small wells in the mixture and crack eggs into them. Cover and cook until eggs are done to your liking.

10. Almond Flour Banana Bread (From ElanasPantry.com)

• Ingredients: 3 cups almond flour, ½ t salt, 1t baking soda, ¼ cup honey or maple syrup, ¼ cup coconut oil, 3 eggs, 1 T vanilla extract, 2 mashed bananas.

• Instructions: Mix everything together, pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 40 min. 

• Make ahead: Bake as muffins, and freeze. They are great to warm up and eat on the go if needed (though I will strongly encourage you to sit down and eat your breakfast!)

  
  

11. Congee (Chinese) or Jook (Korean) - Rice Porridge

• Ingredients: 1 cup brown rice (or other grain), 6 cups bone broth, 1 chicken breast, salt to taste

• Toppings: Your choice of green onions, spring onions, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, corn, spinach or baby kale/chard, sesame seeds.

• Instructions: In an Instant Pot, use "saute" function to brown all sides of chicken breast. Add 1 cup of broth to loosen browned bits from bottom of pot. Turn off "saute". Add rice, the rest of the broth. Set to "Porridge" for 30 minutes. Add any (or all) toppings and serve.

• Make ahead: Double the recipe. Place leftovers (with all toppings) in mason jars and freeze for individual grab and go servings.