While you have heard countless times via various media avenues and people (like your mother) that : “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” I’m going to nag you and say it again. Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. But not a Bruegger’s Bagel with cream cheese breakfast or a danish and latte from Starbucks breakfast… A REAL BREAKFAST.
Once upon a time, I used to be a non-breakfast eater sipping on coffee and maybe munching on an apple in the morning. However, I couldn’t help but notice my constant lack of energy, inability to concentrate and needing another cup of coffee an hour after the first when I started to crash. It was then, I began experimenting with this phenomena called breakfast- the first meal you eat after fasting all night.
After trying many breakfast meals whether it be cereal, bagels, oatmeal, eggs, and pancakes, there was one meal in particular that seemed to leave me full the longest, feeling energized longer and actually helped me lose weight. What is this meal?…. A breakfast scramble.
The picture that you see contains only 440 calories and over half of your required vegetable intake for the day. It’s packed with essential nutrients, vitamins, healthy fats, proteins and grains. It has less calories than a bagel and cream cheese or a meager muffin at Starbucks. And it tastes really good!! Look complicated? It’s not. Over the years, I have perfected this scramble into a science- with many variations that can be made.
I will share my breakfast secret with you in hopes one day, you too will become a breakfast lover, and for those of you who already are, here is a recipe that will add to your repertoire of morning meals. I recommend chopping up your vegetables in advance and putting them in a tupperware container for the week. I found that to be the easiest short cut and the ability to make this meal in under 10 minutes.
Ingredients :
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
- 3/4 cup chopped kale
- 1/2 of a carrot thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mushrooms (portabello or regular- whatever suits your fancy)
- handful of chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic chopped (optional)
- tomato slice (optional)
- 1/4 avocado
- feta to sprinkle on top at end if so desire
- ezekiel sprouted grain bread (I prefer sprouted grains as it is believed to retain more of the nutrients)
- 2 pieces of tempeh bacon (optional)
- salsa (if you are into this condiment as much as I am)
- Using coconut or olive oil, lightly coat pan and heat to medium
- Add onions, carrots and peppers in the beginning
- After 5 minutes, add garlic, mushrooms and kale (if you overcook garlic by adding it in beginning, you are actually losing a lot of the medicinal properties such as its great ability to keep your immune system strong)
- Crack 2 eggs over the pan and mix in (I find this easier and less messy)
- Continue scrambling until eggs are cooked (approximately 3 minutes)
- In a separate pan, cook two pieces of tempeh bacon (takes about 3 minutes)
- When your scramble is complete, add avocado slices on top, sprinkle some feta, add a little hot sauce/ salsa of your desire and voila- breakfast scramble complete and ready for consumption.
Variations: There is a lot of room for personalized creativity with your scramble. You can use only one egg, not 2, cutting your calories by about 60. You can leave out the tempeh bacon (this is usually a weekend addition for me when I have more time). You could cook up some sweet potatoes to substitute for the bread. All the veggies added are also up to your discretion. I recommend trying to keep a green vegetable in there as part of your scramble whether it is kale, spinach or broccoli. Red cabbage is also good in scrambles as is squash, zucchini, and eggplant.
I can only hope incorporating this powerhouse scramble into your diet will be as beneficial for you as it was for me. Happy breakfast eating. :)