4 Tips for a Great Breakfast & My Ultimate Breakfast Hash Formula!
You may have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There is some debate around this, however, I would tend to agree.
I believe that food is information. The breakfast that you choose gives your body information about how you want to build your day!
I personally want to give my body a plethora of nutrients and make it feel safe to provide me with energy that lasts all day long! Unfortunately, most typical American “breakfast foods” do not do that. What we see marketed for breakfast are often quick carbohydrates in the form of sugar laden cereal, pancakes and pastries OR they are heavily processed meats. Although these foods can be fun to consume infrequently, giving your body this information on a daily basis often results in mid-morning energy slumps, cravings and sluggish digestion.
4 tips for a great breakfast:
Breakfast can be one of the most challenging meals for my clients. Almost all of my clients are looking to increase their energy, some are tackling challenging elimination diets such as AIP that further limits the options (bye bye eggs) and most do not have the time to cook every morning!
When it comes to breakfast there are four things I believe it is important to keep in mind:
1. Don’t put yourself in the breakfast-food box.
This might sound crazy… but you can eat ANYTHING for breakfast. It doesn't have to be a “breakfast” food. So what every you eat for lunch or dinner, you can also use for breakfast. Allow yourself to break free of the breakfast food stigma!
2. Make sure you include fat and protein!
It is SO important to think beyond carbohydrates for breakfast. A carbohydrate heavy breakfast is one of the most common mistakes I see my clients making. Eating only carbohydrates and expecting to have energy that lasts you all morning is like trying to make a campfire with just leaves and paper. When you build a fire you often use small pieces of dry wood to get the fire started. This type of kindling is similar to carbohydrates. Your body is able to “light it on fire” or convert it to energy quickly, however, it also can burn out quickly. In order to create a long lasting campfire you also need to include large logs with your kindling. The large logs allow a fire to stay lite for a longer duration- even after the fire burns up the leaves and small twigs. This long lasting fuel is similar to how your body uses fat. In recent years diets that focus on severely limiting carbohydrates have gained popularity secondary to the long lasting energy that those who follow it experience. There is a completely different set of concerns with completely excluding carbohydrates from your diet, which is beyond the scope of this blog. I personally feel best when I consume a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates, but I am always sure to include fat with every meal! Just this one change can improve your energy throughout the day!
3. Include veggies.
As I mentioned earlier food is information. Veggies often contain a high amount of nutrients that your cells utilize in a variety of different ways. We truly do not understand the scope of how significant all of the information that we can gain from phytonutrients in vegetables is. Aiming to include veggies at every meal, including breakfast, is a great way to give your cells a boast!
4. Prepare ahead of time!
There is nothing as sweet as a slow morning. However, that simply is not the reality for most of us! One of the reasons that we tend to gravitate toward carb heavy breakfasts is because they are often easy to grab and go! Prioritizing breakfast takes intention, but if we can sit down for a few minutes to eat something that we have prepared it can make a huge difference in the remainder of our day! (If you NEED something to grab and go I recommend these breakfast patties, if not, keep reading!)
If you have no dietary restrictions it is not difficult to come up with ideas that hit the above recommendations. However, if you are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free or following something like the autoimmune protocol it can still be challenging!
I have taken my first piece of advise and have eaten leftovers for breakfast many times, however, I also do appreciate having something that feels like breakfast. Over the last few years I have reached a solution for myself:
My ultimate breakfast hash formula!
* Omit for AIP **Omit for AIP and whole30
I call it a formula instead of a recipe because there are endless combinations of sausage and vegetables that you can use to create this hash! You can change the produce and sausage based on your mood, what is seasonal and what you have available. This flexibility allows you to eat hash week after week, vary your nutrients and not become bored. It also yields consistently delicious results! It is gluten-free, dairy free, egg-free (although a fried egg on top is an excellent addition) and is AIP and Whole30 friendly, but truly it is so good it can be enjoyed by anyone!
You will need:
A cast iron skillet
A food processor for shredding/chopping
About one pound loose sausage
2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee (if using chicken or turkey sausage)
About 1 cup of flavorful vegetables (onions, garlic, celery, scallions, carrots). I recommend using 1 onion and whatever else is seasonal!
About 4 cups of starchy or root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, butternut squash, turnips, etc.) shredded
About 3 cups chopped greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, bok choy etc)
About 1 teaspoon sea salt (can alter to taste)
Directions:
1. In a large cast iron skillet start to brown sausage over medium-high heat. You may use pork or poultry sausage, but make sure to add 2 tablespoons of fat if using poultry. Break meat into smaller pieces as it cooks.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Chop your “flavor veggies”. Add to skillet, incorporating with sausage mixture. Continue to mix intermittently as you prepare the remainder of your veggies.
4. When the sausage is cooked through add the root vegetable mix to the skillet it should pretty much fill the skillet to the top. Mix into the sausage mixture. Turn the heat down to medium and allow it to cook down as you chop the greens. Mix intermittently to prevent the mixture from becoming burnt to the bottom of the skillet. If additional cooking fat is needed to prevent veggies from sticking to the bottom of the pan don't be afraid to use it!
5. When there is room in the skillet add the greens and salt (to taste preference) and incorporate them with other veggies and sausage.
6. Place the skillet in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top should be starting to brown but not burnt. Adjust salt to taste. Enjoy!
Notes:
Cooking times may vary slightly depending on the density of the veggies that you choose
As a bonus you could add any fresh herbs that you have on hand in when you add the greens!
I would love for you to give this formula a try! If you do let me know what you think and if you post on Instagram make sure to tag me @jenna.cornell so I can share with everyone!
