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Help needed with Husband and Breakfast


Alicia C

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So I need some help here with my hubby.  He decided to join me on this Whole30 journey (started August 1st) - he's a diet soda addict as well as a Splenda addict - so I'm really happy to have him join me.  The problem is Veggies.  I have made him scrambled eggs, which he loves, along with compliant bacon, but getting veggies into him has been a challenge.  I have tried fresh tomato slices with a little salt, pepper and olive oil (and these are fresh Jersey Heirloom tomatoes - soo very tasty :P ).  He claims that he can't eat tomatoes (or for that a vegetable) at breakfast because "they aren't breakfast foods".  (Just an FYI - he also does not like to have any form of eggs for lunch or dinner because "they are breakfast foods").

 

One thought is that I make him an omelet - he said he would give one a try with mushrooms - does any one else have any ideas?

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I grab a HUGE amount of spinach, kind of roll it up/bunch it tight in my hand so it's manageable & slice it, add to a pan with ghee, then add my tomatoes & scramble my eggs with the (HUGE amount of) finely chopped spinach - it's a bit of a struggle mixing it all round at first but eventually the heat wilts the spinach & hey presto, chunky green scrambled egg.

He could also try things like dill pickles with his eggs (great with mayo & hot sauce on the eggs), or egg/veg/meat frittatas/muffins, or go way off in another direction & have a couple of mugs of blended veg soup with meatballs/chicken wings/legs on the side (& mayo for dipping), or something like burgers (san bun) with tomato, lettuce, bacon & avocado... Personally I like a curry for breakfast, and you can hide ALL kinds of veg in there - a sweet & mild korma is a good place to start.

Get him to stop thinking in terms of breakfast, lunch & dinner and start thinking in terms of meals one, two, & three and life will get a whole lot easier!!

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For me, it takes reminding myself that "food is food".  As my grandfather used to say, "our stomachs don't know what time it is" granted, that was his justification for cake for breakfast for us grandkids. But the principle still stands. Our stomachs just want food. No matter what he eats in the morning, it will be breaking his fast...and therefore breakfast. 

 

This is something I'm really just now embracing with my round 2. I had taco salad for breakfast yesterday and tuna salad on spinach for breakfast this morning. I'm looking forward to making soup this weekend after an Instagram inspiration. The idea of "breakfast foods" is all in our heads. 

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Depending on what kind of guy your husband is, he might find it interesting to read about why we have "breakfast foods" -- maybe knowing that it's a social construct, created by companies to sell food (and also partly for moral reasons) would help convince him it doesn't really matter what we eat for breakfast or other meals? Google why do we have breakfast foods and you'll find interesting articles like this one about the history of breakfast.

 

On a more practical how-to note, similar to what jmcbn mentioned above, I put a couple of big handfuls of spinach and my eggs in the blender with whatever seasonings I want to use, and blend it til the spinach is all broken down. Green eggs, no texture of spinach (which is what I have trouble with, especially first thing in the morning), and even faster than chopping the spinach. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, or root vegetables are a good intro for veggies at breakfast -- you can grate them and cook them in the skillet like hashbrowns, or just roast them in bite-sized chunks like home fries.

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Sauerkraut is breakfast food. I've been eating cold, Bubbie's sauerkraut with eggs for years. I never eat sauerkraut except with eggs. Everyone who thinks sauerkraut is not breakfast food is mistaken because I have eaten it as part of my breakfast for a long time. :)

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You could make your own sausage seasoning and season any form of ground meat and cook it in the morning.  I cook mine in advance, plus shred a sweet potato, season, then adding handfuls of spinach.  Sometimes add a couple of eggs if the ground meat doesn't add up to enough protein.

 

I have had this discussion / argument with my MIL for years now.  She thinks sausage for breakfast is fine - but ground meat for breakfast - is just weird.  But it if you break it down - it's essentially the same thing.... just one has a casing and the other is "deconstructed".  You could call it a deconstructed "sausage" scramble if you'd like.  ;)

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He said he will try a mushroom omelet - so I am off to but some mushrooms today.  I like the spinach ideas, but I think he will be turned off to "green" eggs.   Please keep the ideas coming - these are great - thanks.

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My husband is not huge on veggies at breakfast either. It has taken time but he is doing much better. I started with sautéing peppers, onions, and mushrooms in coconut oil or ghee (lots) and season well. I kind of cook it to death (if I have time), low and slow, so the onions and peppers are nice and caramelized. Full of good flavor. He loved that alongside eggs and some sort of meat and homemade hashbrowns.

Now I do the same thing but add thinly sliced zucchini at the end , and he loves it. I don't even bother cooking it into an omelet. Last weekend he made breakfast and added broccoli to the mix. I was shocked.

It may take time, it's taken my husband a year and 2 whole30s to get here, but the point is he's here now.

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Depending on what kind of guy your husband is, he might find it interesting to read about why we have "breakfast foods" -- maybe knowing that it's a social construct, created by companies to sell food (and also partly for moral reasons) would help convince him it doesn't really matter what we eat for breakfast or other meals? Google why do we have breakfast foods and you'll find interesting articles like this one about the history of breakfast.

 

On a more practical how-to note, similar to what jmcbn mentioned above, I put a couple of big handfuls of spinach and my eggs in the blender with whatever seasonings I want to use, and blend it til the spinach is all broken down. Green eggs, no texture of spinach (which is what I have trouble with, especially first thing in the morning), and even faster than chopping the spinach. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, or root vegetables are a good intro for veggies at breakfast -- you can grate them and cook them in the skillet like hashbrowns, or just roast them in bite-sized chunks like home fries.

 

I read the article...and WOW lol. Now when people think it's weird that I'll eat salad for breakfast, I'll ask if they've ever stopped to consider why they eat cereal or the like and if it's possibly "weird" too ;)

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I want to thank everyone for their ideas so far.  After this mornings debacle with the mushrooms (I think he ate two before he picked the rest out of the middle of the omelet) - I think its just a case of shear stubbornness - he does not believe that Breakfast should consist of Vegetables.  And I quickly mentioned the green eggs and the look I got was not positive. :angry:

 

So after wanting to ding him with the plate (I didn't and I figured it was because I am on Day 4 of my Whole30) I am finding this somewhat humorous.  If I can't find the humor in this stubbornness (similar to a 5 year old - and I've known my husband since he was 4 years old - another story another time) then I would certainly cry.  I even was accused of feeding him a worse meal than he might get in prison - where he feels positive that he could get a bowl of cereal and his skim milk.

 

On the bright side - he really did enjoy a bowl of chicken cauliflower fried rice last night (I didn't tell him it was cauliflower till the end of the meal and he agreed to eat the leftovers for lunch today). :D

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I want to thank everyone for their ideas so far. After this mornings debacle with the mushrooms (I think he ate two before he picked the rest out of the middle of the omelet) - I think its just a case of shear stubbornness - he does not believe that Breakfast should consist of Vegetables. And I quickly mentioned the green eggs and the look I got was not positive. :angry:

So after wanting to ding him with the plate (I didn't and I figured it was because I am on Day 4 of my Whole30) I am finding this somewhat humorous. If I can't find the humor in this stubbornness (similar to a 5 year old - and I've known my husband since he was 4 years old - another story another time) then I would certainly cry. I even was accused of feeding him a worse meal than he might get in prison - where he feels positive that he could get a bowl of cereal and his skim milk.

On the bright side - he really did enjoy a bowl of chicken cauliflower fried rice last night (I didn't tell him it was cauliflower till the end of the meal and he agreed to eat the leftovers for lunch today). :D

Don't take this the wrong way at all and I'm not sure how else to say this without being super blunt, but he is acting like a giant baby, and if it were me I'd treat him as such. Well actually, I would just ignore it completely, make my own breakfast, and have him fend for himself. When someone else is taking the time to make a meal for you and putting it in front of you, you eat it. Especially if they are foods he likes normally and he won't eat them just because "they don't belong at breakfast". If it were me I'd never say another thing about it and just go on my merry way. Eat your veggies, feel well, get healthier. No sense in wasting your time and perfectly good food just to have him pick it out or complain or not eat it.

That all being said, these are just MY feelings and if you can find it humorous, more power to you sister! You are a better woman than I!

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I buy canned pureed butternut squash, which is nice and earthy tasting but fairly neutral (sweet potato and pumpkin are too aggressive). The brand in my area is called Farmer's Market, and they sell it in the organic area in my Wegmans. Here's what it looks like:

 

http://www.farmersmarketfoods.com/

 

I put one tablespoon per egg in with my eggs when I whisk them. If you whisk them good enough, you cannot see or taste the butternut squash in the eggs once they are scrambled. They just add some richness to the eggs, kind of like cheese would. Now, this little trick isn't going to add a huge amount of veggies to your husband's breakfast, but the mushrooms weren't going to do too much, either.

 

Eventually your husband might be able to work up to eating actual pieces of butternut squash on the side. You (or he) could buy the cubed butternut squash that most stores sell in the produce area, and cook those in a pan like you would home fries.

 

Or, he could just get over himself and fill his plate with a big old bunch of green beans, carrots, and zucchini. I'm serious, once you get used to eating veggies at breakfast, you'll wonder why it isn't more common. Think I will go read that article from Shannon now. Good luck!    

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You could make egg "muffins".  They are essentially mini egg omelets.  When I first started the whole 30 egg muffins and egg casseroles was where I started.

 

You can also google "egg bake" and you will have dozens of options as well.

 

I've had a smoked salmon and green onion omelet which is rather nice.

 

I guess he would have a hard time visiting Iceland - Fish and salad are on the menu their for breakfast.

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I buy canned pureed butternut squash, which is nice and earthy tasting but fairly neutral (sweet potato and pumpkin are too aggressive). The brand in my area is called Farmer's Market, and they sell it in the organic area in my Wegmans. Here's what it looks like:

 

http://www.farmersmarketfoods.com/

 

I put one tablespoon per egg in with my eggs when I whisk them. If you whisk them good enough, you cannot see or taste the butternut squash in the eggs once they are scrambled. They just add some richness to the eggs, kind of like cheese would. Now, this little trick isn't going to add a huge amount of veggies to your husband's breakfast, but the mushrooms weren't going to do too much, either.

 

Eventually your husband might be able to work up to eating actual pieces of butternut squash on the side. You (or he) could buy the cubed butternut squash that most stores sell in the produce area, and cook those in a pan like you would home fries.

 

Or, he could just get over himself and fill his plate with a big old bunch of green beans, carrots, and zucchini. I'm serious, once you get used to eating veggies at breakfast, you'll wonder why it isn't more common. Think I will go read that article from Shannon now. Good luck!    

Oooh.  I like this thought even for myself.  I am going to put this on my shopping list this weekend and test it out.  Thank you.

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You could make egg "muffins".  They are essentially mini egg omelets.  When I first started the whole 30 egg muffins and egg casseroles was where I started.

 

You can also google "egg bake" and you will have dozens of options as well.

 

I've had a smoked salmon and green onion omelet which is rather nice.

 

I guess he would have a hard time visiting Iceland - Fish and salad are on the menu their for breakfast.

this is what I have been doing for myself as I'm not a huge egg fan - but if it looks a little like a frittata I'm all in.  I might try to make a big "egg bake" this weekend and just slice it up for the two of us - it doesn't hurt to try.

 

Oh no to the fist idea - although he does like smoked salmon.  It's the veggies that are the issue.

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Don't take this the wrong way at all and I'm not sure how else to say this without being super blunt, but he is acting like a giant baby, and if it were me I'd treat him as such. Well actually, I would just ignore it completely, make my own breakfast, and have him fend for himself. When someone else is taking the time to make a meal for you and putting it in front of you, you eat it. Especially if they are foods he likes normally and he won't eat them just because "they don't belong at breakfast". If it were me I'd never say another thing about it and just go on my merry way. Eat your veggies, feel well, get healthier. No sense in wasting your time and perfectly good food just to have him pick it out or complain or not eat it.

That all being said, these are just MY feelings and if you can find it humorous, more power to you sister! You are a better woman than I!

No offense taken.  I just had to find the humor in it, otherwise that dish might have been flying.

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Here are two recipes that might help.  

 

The first is one I picked up from another thread when I started earlier this year; it sounds really good, but I haven't tried it yet because it wasn't pumpkin season (the only can I found was $4 and not organic) and I've never liked anything remotely sweet in the morning (it's sweetened with bananas) and didn't want to make it for a "dessert" later in the day.  

 

http://www.louisianabrideblog.com/2015/07/breakfast-pumpkin-custard.html#.V6S1w_krKUl

 

 

And the following recipe is my Whole30 breakfast every single day.  If your husband likes spicy Indian food, he might be willing to accept this -- a breakfast cafe would serve spinach on the side IN THE MORNING, but that would be so plain and tasteless.  This is SO delicious.  I add some protein (it's really good with a medium-hard boiled egg on it) and then have fat (ghee and coconut butter) in my coffee, although there's a little fat in it already.  Also I don't usually bother with fresh greens, I just use a bag (or 2 to last me all week) of frozen spinach or other greens.  I let it cook all night in the slow cooker and then run it through the food processor after cooked.  

 

http://myheartbeets.com/sarson-ka-saag-slow-cooker/

 

I think you are an angel for doing this for your husband, because let's face it, if left to fend for himself, he would continue on in his unhealthy ways.  I'm trying to get my husband on board with me, and he thinks this means eating all my yummy pre-made proteins for his dinner (with two bites of veggies) and then having unlimited bread and cheese, and yes, candy from work the rest of the time.

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Here are two recipes that might help.  

 

The first is one I picked up from another thread when I started earlier this year; it sounds really good, but I haven't tried it yet because it wasn't pumpkin season (the only can I found was $4 and not organic) and I've never liked anything remotely sweet in the morning (it's sweetened with bananas) and didn't want to make it for a "dessert" later in the day.  

 

http://www.louisianabrideblog.com/2015/07/breakfast-pumpkin-custard.html#.V6S1w_krKUl

 

 

 

I would skip this on Whole30. I mean, if it's the closest you can get your hubby to eating a vegetable for breakfast, fine, make it for him, but this is a sweet, fat and fruit-heavy custard that really has no place in a Whole30 meal. If you really, really had to have it, it would be at best a side with a meal. It definitely isn't a Whole30 meal on its own. To get enough protein, you'd have to eat basically the whole thing. It's a huge sugar hit first thing in the morning after hours of fasting overnight, which is going to spike your blood sugar, and will probably leave you craving food in general or sweets in particular the rest of the day.

 

I realize the blogger says it's not sweet, but if you really embrace Whole30's recommendations and are eating lots of vegetables, protein, and fat, and having fruit only occasionally, your taste buds are going to change and you'll realize that the combo of ripe bananas and pumpkin in this is actually sweet.

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I know this sounds strange, but I got the husband to eat the mushrooms when I made it more like a frittata.  Go figure.  Still trying to find inventive ways to put the veggies into his breakfast.  Rest of the time he fine - and I am so proud of him having given up diet soda when that is all he ever drank.  Day 6 and staying strong.

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I would skip this on Whole30. I mean, if it's the closest you can get your hubby to eating a vegetable for breakfast, fine, make it for him, but this is a sweet, fat and fruit-heavy custard that really has no place in a Whole30 meal. If you really, really had to have it, it would be at best a side with a meal. It definitely isn't a Whole30 meal on its own. To get enough protein, you'd have to eat basically the whole thing. It's a huge sugar hit first thing in the morning after hours of fasting overnight, which is going to spike your blood sugar, and will probably leave you craving food in general or sweets in particular the rest of the day.

 

I realize the blogger says it's not sweet, but if you really embrace Whole30's recommendations and are eating lots of vegetables, protein, and fat, and having fruit only occasionally, your taste buds are going to change and you'll realize that the combo of ripe bananas and pumpkin in this is actually sweet.

 

Yes, absolutely!  I didn't intend to recommend it as a meal on its own but rather just a bit on the side for some veggie intake and thought that would be self-explanatory, so thank you for clarifying.  But now that I review the ingredients, you are right, as a side dish for the veggies there wouldn't be a lot and you will still have to find a way to consume more veggies.  Good luck!

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One thing I know from my own Whole 30 experience is that your hubby will eventually get sick of eating eggs every single morning. And this will definitely occur before day 30. You may find him becoming more open minded to alternative morning meals as time goes on. And it's not the end of the world if he doesn't eat a ton of veggies first thing in the day. There are several other meals where he can fit that in. It's just as important to acknowledge what you both are NOT eating in the morning... particularly all the grains and dairy from the socially acceptable list of "breakfast foods". Your bodies will thank you so much for that!

The best advice I could share is to always make more dinner than you both can eat with the intention of having left-overs. Then package and store them as a meal so they can be grab-and-go the next day. This could end up being your Meal 1 or Meal 2 the next day. Example: Meal 3 was Chicken Apple Sausage, steamed broccoli and baked sweet potatoes. Next morning you can chop up a sausage and some broccoli and stir into scrambled eggs or bake into a fritatta, and serve the sweet potato on the side for Meal 1. OR leave it all in a container and send it to work with him for Meal 2. It's an easy way to stay one step ahead of your hunger/ cravings/ time constraints/ etc that will surely challenge you along the way.

Also, consider incorporating some of the whole 30 lingo into your vocab. Start calling it "Meal 1" even if he still calls it "Breakfast". Just using different words could help to start to reframe the concept in his mind. This helped me A LOT, along with the suggested meal template from the book. Just thinking in terms of each meal including a protein, a veg, and a healthy fat made it much easier for me to construct a satisfying plate of food.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My situation isn't quite the same, but I feel your pain.  My hubby isn't a big veggie eater either. We did a whole30 together in March and I was very concerned that he wasn't eating nearly as much vegetable as he needed to. He's not a breakfast food guy, so eating some other leftovers for breakfast was fine, but unless its a casserole or one-dish meal with the veggies all baked in and unrecognizable, they're not happening. I selected a small portion of the Whole30 book for him to read before we got started, and he made no effort, and I think this contributed to his low effort on the veggie front because he doesn't really understand the program. It can be frustrating when you feel like you are the one who has to advocate for the health of you both. hugs!

 

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The good news is that both of us are on Day 24 of our Whole30.  The veggies in the morning may be a no go - I learned to let it go.  I am so proud of both of us making it this far and we will complete the Whole 30 days.  For a diet soda and Splenda addict that my husband was he's doing great.  He eats plenty of veggies the rest of the day so I stopped trying at breakfast.  Compromises need to be made sometimes to get to the final goal and that is what we are doing.

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