Veggies and Breakfast

[SassyinSTL]

So... I'm on Day 8 and it's going pretty good.  But something I am really having a hard time with is veggies in the morning.  

 

Let me be honest, I don't like a lot of vegetables - I've tried three new ones last week (spaghetti squash, cauliflower and avocado (not in guac).  Only 1 of those is continuing on (spaghetti squash) and even that will need to be buried in something else.

 

And I can't eat a lot of lettuce or spinach every day so 1-2 salads a week at most. My digestive track really doesn't like leafy veg. 

 

The thought of carrots or broccoli or green beans in the morning makes me wanna puke a little. 

 

So, if I'm not having eggs for breakfast, where I don't mind adding onion and tomatoes, I'm quite stumped. And even then, veg is not 2/3 of my plate.  

 

Any suggestions?

[jmcbn]

Have you considered blended soups?

Or frittatas with grated veg such as carrot, parsnip, potato, and sweet potato, or sliced mushrooms & thinly sliced leeks?

Curries are a good way of getting spinach in as it wilts so much, and could be served with a jacket potato.

 

Courgettes/zucchini don't have much flavour and chop up finely...

[Kaelisan]

I hear ya! I love veggies and don't have a problem incorporating them into breakfast. My issue is getting enough in my breakfast.

Jmcbn, what would you say the minimum amount of vegetables is required? All I see as a guideline is "LOTS"!

[jmcbn]

Jmcbn, what would you say the minimum amount of vegetables is required? All I see as a guideline is "LOTS"!

The recommendation is for 1-3 cups, with 3 being optimum. However, this measurement was formulated so that people ate at least the minimum. Really we want you to plate your protein & literally FILL the remainder of your plate with veggies (that is FILL not thinly spread out), and then add your fat - so around 2/3 of your plate should be veggies.

[Kaelisan]

Thanks! Yes, I am a huge veggie eater and my plate is usually chock full of them. I just sometimes overshoot it at breakfast and end up feeling queasy. I don't think that's a good thing.

[ShannonM816]

So... I'm on Day 8 and it's going pretty good.  But something I am really having a hard time with is veggies in the morning.  

 

Let me be honest, I don't like a lot of vegetables - I've tried three new ones last week (spaghetti squash, cauliflower and avocado (not in guac).  Only 1 of those is continuing on (spaghetti squash) and even that will need to be buried in something else.

 

And I can't eat a lot of lettuce or spinach every day so 1-2 salads a week at most. My digestive track really doesn't like leafy veg. 

 

The thought of carrots or broccoli or green beans in the morning makes me wanna puke a little. 

 

So, if I'm not having eggs for breakfast, where I don't mind adding onion and tomatoes, I'm quite stumped. And even then, veg is not 2/3 of my plate.  

 

Any suggestions?

 

When you tried cauliflower, how did you prepare it? With any vegetable, that can make a huge difference in how it tastes. If you steamed it, try it roasted, or try making cauliflower rice or this cauliflower rice pilaf. In general, most vegetables seem to be better roasted to me -- it caramelizes them and brings out a natural sweetness, and for some vegetables makes edges crispy.

 

To me, good breakfast veggies could be something like on of these (although definitely try other things if you want -- these just seem like good ones for someone not used to eating vegetables in the morning): Golden Cauliflower Soup, Velvety Butternut Squash, Comfort Noodles (I'd probably spiralize the noodles the night before and leave them in a colander in the fridge overnight, sitting on a towel in case they drain), Belly Dance Beet Salad, or this Easy Breakfast Salad. 

 

You could also do something where the veggies are in the recipe already, like this Paleo Pad Thai, this Chinese Pork Fried Rice (sub whatever leftover meat you have -- beef or chicken would work just fine), Meat & Spinach muffins, or just a roast or stew.

[MrsPefy13]

I like saute'd peppers, onions, and mushrooms for breakfast - you could also make a veggie omelette with them or whatever veg you have left in the fridge.

Also, roasted brussel sprouts actually taste pretty great with fried eggs

[SassyinSTL]

I like saute'd peppers, onions, and mushrooms for breakfast - you could also make a veggie omelette with them or whatever veg you have left in the fridge.

Also, roasted brussel sprouts actually taste pretty great with fried eggs

 

Thanks - I can't do brussel sprouts or mushrooms. And any kind of pepper bother my insides - I can do the flavor, but not the actual plant material. 

 

I was hoping for non-egg options.  If I'm having eggs, I add potatoes, onions and tomatoes - that's easy for me.  It's the non-egg breakfasts that are the problem.  

 

Some of this is in my mind but I grew up in a house that had foods you had at breakfast and foods you had at lunch and foods you had for dinner and they didn't cross over except for the rare "Breakfast for Supper" nights.  Soup for breakfast?  No.  Haha!  The options presented are mostly foods I bristle at having for breakfast!  I'm not asking for cereal or french toast or pancakes.  

 

I'm really trying to stay away from starchy vegs too. 

 

I'll admit, I do have my food quirks!  Trying to overcome them, too!

[SassyinSTL]

When you tried cauliflower, how did you prepare it? With any vegetable, that can make a huge difference in how it tastes. If you steamed it, try it roasted, or try making cauliflower rice or this cauliflower rice pilaf. In general, most vegetables seem to be better roasted to me -- it caramelizes them and brings out a natural sweetness, and for some vegetables makes edges crispy.

 

To me, good breakfast veggies could be something like on of these (although definitely try other things if you want -- these just seem like good ones for someone not used to eating vegetables in the morning): Golden Cauliflower Soup, Velvety Butternut Squash, Comfort Noodles (I'd probably spiralize the noodles the night before and leave them in a colander in the fridge overnight, sitting on a towel in case they drain), Belly Dance Beet Salad, or this Easy Breakfast Salad. 

 

You could also do something where the veggies are in the recipe already, like this Paleo Pad Thai, this Chinese Pork Fried Rice (sub whatever leftover meat you have -- beef or chicken would work just fine), Meat & Spinach muffins, or just a roast or stew.

 

So for the cauliflower, I riced it in the food processor and then followed a recipe to cook it on the stovetop with bone stock.  It smelled terrible.  My husband loved it but I could not get it in my mouth. 

 

If someone has a recipe for cauliflower rice that really masks the flavor of the cauliflower, I'm game!  

 

And I'm checking out your recipes, ShannonM816 - thank you!!

[ultrarunnergirl]

Sweet potato soup served with a side of breakfast sausage is nice -- if you make it thick  it might seem more palatable to you. If you don't want blended, how about making sweet potato hash with your sausage? (cubed sweet potato, onions, spiced to taste)

 

Since you found spaghetti squash tolerable I highly recommend our favorite -- spaghetti squash bake. It's kind of like a frittata, but not. The recipe is from PaleOMG whose website has a LOT of recipes that are NOT Whole30, so be cautious perusing. But this one is totally Whole30, and freaking delicious!

[Karen_Suep]

For protein, just make some sausage

As far as cauliflower goes, try roasting it after you rice it and then maybe add some lime juice, cilantro, salt and oil. It's really good but then I really love my cruciferous veggies so I may be the worst to ask. My friend who's notoriously picky liked some zucchini I grilled after marinating it in a Tessamae's dressing (just make sure it's completely compliant) and said all it needed was some salt. If you have a grill, why not explore ways to cook veggies on that to use for breakfasts?

[SassyinSTL]

Sweet potato soup served with a side of breakfast sausage is nice -- if you make it thick  it might seem more palatable to you. If you don't want blended, how about making sweet potato hash with your sausage? (cubed sweet potato, onions, spiced to taste)

 

Since you found spaghetti squash tolerable I highly recommend our favorite -- spaghetti squash bake. It's kind of like a frittata, but not. The recipe is from PaleOMG whose website has a LOT of recipes that are NOT Whole30, so be cautious perusing. But this one is totally Whole30, and freaking delicious!

 

Thanks - good suggestions - I'll try the spaghetti squash bake.  I made a buffalo chicken bake that had it in there and it wasn't bad - the texture takes a little getting used to and I think I needed to cook it a little longer but I loved that it took on the flavors of the dish.  So, I'm game to try it again! Plus it was just fun scraping out the "noodles!"

[SassyinSTL]

For protein, just make some sausage

As far as cauliflower goes, try roasting it after you rice it and then maybe add some lime juice, cilantro, salt and oil. It's really good but then I really love my cruciferous veggies so I may be the worst to ask. My friend who's notoriously picky liked some zucchini I grilled after marinating it in a Tessamae's dressing (just make sure it's completely compliant) and said all it needed was some salt. If you have a grill, why not explore ways to cook veggies on that to use for breakfasts?

 

Thanks, Karen_Suep!  I'll try to roast it - i just read that it makes it more nutty in flavor and more rice-like!  

 

Zucchini is something on my list to try too.  Growing up, I've tried it a few times and just haven't liked it.  But I'll try it again - if only to expand my repertoire! 

[Hannlib]

Just serve your potatoes, tomatoes and onions with some chicken. Or ground pork. Or ground beef. Or compliant sausage. Or cod. Or salmon. I really don't get why eliminating the eggs from your breakfast makes this veggie combo redundant :-/

There's a million different spices, herbs, seasonings and sauces you could add to switch things up a bit while you broaden your vegetable horizons.

Fwiw I like green beans, sugar snaps, roasted sprouts, braised red cabbage as my breakfast veggies. Not necessarily all at once!

[laura_juggles]

Stop thinking of whatever you eat in the morning as breakfast. Think of it as meal 1. What can you eat for a meal? Anything that sounds good and fits the template. It may take a week or so, but if you get yourself in the mindset of eating meals 1, 2, and 3 instead of whatever they may previously have been called, it might break you issues with not being able to have soup in the morning (especially because soups are ridiculously easy when you've just rolled out of bed and want something to eat).

[SassyinSTL]

Stop thinking of whatever you eat in the morning as breakfast. Think of it as meal 1. What can you eat for a meal? Anything that sounds good and fits the template. It may take a week or so, but if you get yourself in the mindset of eating meals 1, 2, and 3 instead of whatever they may previously have been called, it might break you issues with not being able to have soup in the morning (especially because soups are ridiculously easy when you've just rolled out of bed and want something to eat).

 

I've sen people referring to meals that way and maybe it will help break the mental "this isn't breakfast food" rule I have in my head.  Thanks!

[Savil95]

I love my meal one: potatoes, bell pepper, green beans, 1/2 link of chicken sausage and 2 eggs scrambled in. I'm making steak for my protein for dinner tonight and I'm super excited to throw that in instead of the sausage tomorrow morning.

 

I also grew up as a non-vegetable eater and find it hard to not get completely burned out on the vegetables that I like and to get used to buying new veggies to try them. And to not over do it on potatoes. I'm limiting myself on that one to only in the morning. It's been one of the hardest mindsets for me to break because oftentimes, rice or bread would be the substitute for the starchy vegetable like potato, so I always lump potatoes in with those foods.

[madness]

I still usually like "breakfast food" for my first meal of the day. I do eat leftovers as well, but a lot of times I turn it into "breakfast food" by either making hash or throwing everything into a frittata. Here are some non-egg breakfast veggie ideas:

 

We made corned beef and cabbage over the weekend so the last few days I've had some kind of corned beef hash for breakfast. I leave mine coarsely chopped and all sorts of things go into it. This morning it was corned beef and cabbage, leftover roasted potatoes, shredded carrots, and spinach. I put a fried egg on top too. (After the first of these breakfasts, I later realized I had no added fat - the headache told me! - and now I'm eating a small salad alongside it. Just enough to absorb a couple tbsp of mayo since I couldn't come up with anything to add directly to the hash itself) 

 

I love sausage with any kind of roast vegetable: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus. These are usually leftovers that I stick under the broiler to reheat and crisp. Roasted veggies dipped in a mayo sauce, or compliant hollandaise. YUM!

 

I make mixed root hashbrowns as well. Potatoes will help give it a crunch, so stick with 1/3 potatoes if you need that. My favorite (and my kids!) is 1/3 potato, 1/3 carrot, 1/3 turnip. You can also thrown in beets and parsnips. This goes great with bacon or sausage.

 

I also love ensalada de nopalitos (cactus salad) at breakfast. It's tart and citrusy and kind of reminds me of having a fruit salad at breakfast. Last time I made it, I served it with homemade chorizo dipped in garlic mayo. I usually serve it with huevos rancheros and end up using a bunch of the tomato sauce in the salad as well.

 

And I'll throw in a few egg dishes that are not your everyday fare but I think are worth trying.

 

Shakshuka - eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. You can leave out the peppers - I did last time I made it because I have none frozen from last year's garden. You may need more veggies on the side but you can make the sauce have enough fat in it.

 

Sabzi kuku - Persian herb frittata. AMAZING with a sauce of mayo and coconut milk. It's not quite as much veggies as you need, but it gets you closer.

 

Egg drop soup (minus the cornstarch - just add way more egg than a recipe calls for) with oodles of seaweed on the side. I prefer dry roasted seaweed but sometimes I go for a squishy seaweed salad. I can't usually eat enough seaweed so I'll have leftover stir fry veggies too. Usually when I have leftover stir fry, this is the breakfast I make!

 

...if you can't tell, I LOVE breakfast....