How to add veggies to breakfast

I do not know if this is just me, but once upon a time I found it hard to add veggies to breakfast! Apart from throwing a few things into an omelet, I never really had vegetables with breakfast and it was hard for me to wrap my head around since outside of eggs, breakfast is usually a carb heavy and sometimes sweet meal. The meal plan that I do encourages a serving of vegetables with almost every meal, including breakfast of course. Vegetables are a great source of fiber and a great way to add volume to any meal while keeping it healthy. They are also full of vitamins and minerals that we need. Once you start eating them regularly you notice the change in your energy and digestion so it’s important to get those veggies in! I am now full of ideas on how to add veggies to breakfast but I have to admit that this was a bit of a learning curve for me! This is where the idea for this blog post came. I’d love to share some of my favorites in hopes that I can inspire others to add more vegetables to their diet! I am sharing five of my go-to breakfasts. Each only makes one serving, however, you can multiply if you are cooking for more.

Air-Fried Zucchini with Scrambled Eggs and Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped Zucchini
• 1/2 cup sweet potato
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp EVOO
• Olive Oil spray or Avocado Oil Spray
• Onion Powder to taste
• Garlic Powder to taste
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste

How to Prep:

1. Put the Zucchini, sweet potatoes, EVOO and spices in a zip lock bag. As I post more recipes you will soon learn that I am a fan of seasoning food inside a zip-lock bag. Not only does this minimize clean up, I also feel it’s an easy way to season the food. Put everything in the bag and with your hands move all the items around so the olive oil and seasonings get all over the contents of the bag.
2. Cook these at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes shaking the basket at the half way point.
3. After I shake the basket at the 6 minute mark, i’ll usually start preparing my scrambled eggs. As much as I love them the way my grandmother taught me to make them with butter melted on the pan and adding some milk for fluffiness, to keep it on the healthier side, I usually just spray the pan with olive oil spray or avocado oil spray and make my eggs adding a little salt for taste.
4. ENJOY!

Please bear with me! I am new to this blogging world and I hadn’t taken the appropriate photos so I took screen shots of a reel I’d made sharing these breakfast options with veggies. I promise I’ll do better next time but I have had this idea for a while and did not want to have to cycle through all these breakfasts again in order to post.

This one is a staple for me because it’s relatively easy and sweet potatoes are a great option for a carb. I like using the air fryer for this one because it gives the zucchini that fried texture of being crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Zucchini and squash are probably not something you would usually think to have with breakfast, but with the help of an air fryer I actually think they pair really well with eggs in the morning! This can also be done with squash, or you can do a combo of zucchini and squash.

Sauteed Mushrooms with Turkey Sausage and an English Muffin

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Mushrooms
• Olive Oil Spray or Avocado Oil Spray
• 1tsp Minced Garlic
• Onion Powder to Taste
• Garlic Powder to Taste
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• Serving of Breakfast Turkey Sausage
• 1 English Muffin (I like Dave’s Killer Bread products)
• 1tsp butter

How to Prep:

1. Spray small pan with olive oil spray or avocado oil spray. Heat on medium- medium high heat
2. Once warm, sauté minced garlic for about 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms with seasonings to taste. Sauté until they are to your liking. I’ve never really timed this but I feel with mushrooms you can tell when they are ready once they have darkened and have shrunken in size
4. In the meantime, prepare the turkey sausage according to package directions.
5. Toast the English muffin and add butter
6. Once turkey sausage and mushrooms are done you can chop the sausages and mix together with mushrooms
7. ENJOY!

To be honest, I tend to forget breakfast sausages are an option for protein and usually if I am having a savory breakfast I will go for the eggs. I am not a fan of these turkey sausages being pre made and frozen, however, sometimes you need to switch it up and you need to be practical. They are fast and easy to make. I actually started purchasing them when I carb cycled during my 30 Day challenge. Carb cycling requires so much protein on carb deplete days and I definitely needed something other than eggs for breakfast and morning snack options. I’m a fan of changing it up so I don’t get bored so even though this isn’t the freshest option, it’s a good and practical one!

Spinach with Super Foods Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 Scoop of Protein Powder ( I like shakeology)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• Ice
• Water to taste (depending on how thick you like your shake)

How to Prep:

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend! I like the ninja personal blender or the magic bullet since these make 1 serving and its blended in the same container in which you have your shake so it makes for easy clean up!
2. ENJOY!

This is a great option for so many reasons! First of all, the spinach is hidden. You get the benefits of a serving of vegetables but you do not taste the vegetable at all. If you don’t like vegetables this is an excellent way to sneak them in. Also, especially if you have the Ninja or the magic bullet, this is SO EASY to do and FAST. It’s also the perfect option if you are on the go. I’ve had this countless times in the car if I’m in a rush to get somewhere. Oftentimes I’ll add a serving of a carb like oatmeal with this for a balanced meal.

Air-Fried Asparagus with Sunny Side Up Eggs and Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 10 spears of Asparagus
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1tsp Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

How to Prep:

1. Rise and cut off the ends of the asparagus. I learned a hack for removing the ends of the asparagus. Instead of cutting them with a cutting board and knife you can just snap off the ends and they snap in the right place. This is easier and causes less cleanup. Pat the asparagus dry
2. Put the asparagus in a zip lock bag with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Move it around in the bag until it’s evenly seasoned.
3. Air fry at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
4. In the meantime prepare your eggs sunny side up style as you usually would
5. Quinoa should be cooked according to package directions beforehand
6. Once its all done place the eggs on a bed of the quinoa and asparagus
7. ENJOY!

This one is a little unusual in my opinion just because asparagus and quinoa are not something I would usually associate with a breakfast meal, however, this is DELICIOUS! Once you break the egg yolk over the asparagus and quinoa it suddenly is a breakfast meal. I remember the first time I tried quinoa with eggs and I was blown away. Even if this sounds weird- I totally recommend it!

Tomato with Scrambled Eggs and Half a Bagel

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large size tomato
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of butter
• 1/2 bagel (I like Dave’s killer bagel with everything)
• salt to taste

How to prep:

1. Slice your tomato and add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and salt to taste
2. Cook scrambled eggs as you usually would
3. Toast and butter your bagel

I actually almost forgot to include this one which is crazy because it is one of my go-to breakfasts when I’m in somewhat of a rush and am trying to minimize the mess. In fact, you’ll notice it wasn’t in my reel and I took the photo when this post was in draft. It’s easy and fast. The only con to it is that needless to say, you have to love tomatoes for this one so I am well aware that it’s not for everyone. If you like tomatoes and are ok with an outside the box breakfast, this is a great option!

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I started incorporating vegetables with breakfast because the meal plan that I follow encourages vegetables. If you happen to be following ultimate portion fix and specifically timed nutrition, you will note that all of these breakfasts work for the post workout meal. If you workout in the mornings like I do, I am hoping this post gives you some ideas! Even if you don’t, these are all very balanced meals. They all have a serving of veggies, protein, carb and a teaspoon of a healthy fat. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for visiting!

-Jenny