Breakfast

[Syrio Forel]

Hi all;

 

Just going to start the paleo diet in the morning (Monday 15th July) and I was looking at some of the breakfast recipes;

Most of them look too expensive or will take up a bit of time in the mornings. I know these aren't very good excuses not to do them but I was wondering if I could get away with grapefruit - quick and easy.

I know that I'm supposed to be cutting the amount of sugar intake but surely the fructose is preferrable to any cereal.

Any tips?

 

Thanks

 

 

[Vintage]

In my experience (and I know I'm not alone with this), my breakfast needs protein and some fat to keep me full and well-fueled. My typical breakfast involves quickly sauteeing a cup of spinach in a pan, cracking in 2-3 eggs, adding some garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, and scrambling it all together. When it's done I top it with a little fresh salsa. It takes less than 5 minutes and washing out 1 small skillet takes one additional minute. 

 

But when I don't want eggs, I eat whatever I please that fits in my plan. Breakfast doesn't have to be breakfast food. Sometimes it's a reheat of last night's dinner leftovers. Sometimes it's a couple of boiled eggs (I make a dozen each week), a handful of grapes and some carrots.

[mevre]

if you invest a little bit in a bag of coconut flour, you can make paleo pancakes! [this might be a sort of gateway breakfast food of sorts for some people who are trying to eat paleo but have a hard time giving up the grains, but if that's not you, i'd give it a go.] you can make the batter the night before and then just pull it out of the fridge and put them on the griddle in the morning! or you could even make the pancakes the night before and just stick 'em in the microwave when you wake up. slap some almond butter on those babies, maybe add a little bit of honey on top and you're set. you can also fry or scramble up an egg or two on the side. yummmm.
here's a recipe: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/9199871590/cinnamon-and-coconut-pancakes
as you can see, it calls for a tiny amount of coconut flour, so even if you spend a pretty penny getting a bag of good cocoflour, you can store it in the freezer and it'll last for quite a while.
and now after all this talk about pancakes, i have this song  going through my head.

i'm also gonna +1 everything that Vintage said. i like to add bell peppers to my breakfast scrambles, and mushrooms when i have them as well. the possibilities with scrambles are pretty vast, and eggs are a great base for lots of breakfast foods. also, eating non breakfast foods in the morning can actually be surprisingly yummy!

good luck! i've found that paleo eating is actually a lot of fun because you have to get creative. there are so many surprising flavor combos and uses for various vegetables that i would have never thought of had i not gone paleo. so enjoy the journey, and enjoy your food!

[katpower]

Banana pancakes! Squash one large banana, stir in an egg, maybe a tablespoon of nut butter or LSA if you like, then cook like a pancake. So good!

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I did this forever. Cook Sunday night and have breakfast for the week.

 

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/egg-monster-canadian-bacon/

[cline]

Hi all;

 

Just going to start the paleo diet in the morning (Monday 15th July) and I was looking at some of the breakfast recipes;

Most of them look too expensive or will take up a bit of time in the mornings. I know these aren't very good excuses not to do them but I was wondering if I could get away with grapefruit - quick and easy.

I know that I'm supposed to be cutting the amount of sugar intake but surely the fructose is preferrable to any cereal.

Any tips?

 

Thanks

 

a grapefruit is not a good breakfast choice (but I think you already know that.... )

 

a big giant piece of fruit is sugar with benefits (which you can get in other ways) and will create a nice sugar spike which will leave you hungry and craving more carbs.  AND this offers nothing in terms of protein or fat.

 

If morning time is crunched, cook the night before (or weekend before) and reheat.  My typical breakfasts are egg/veg/meat scramble or leftovers from the night before.  sometimes I cook the night before and reheat.

 

Today's breakfast:  3 eggs w cauliflower and herbs.

 

tomorrow's breakfast (already planned):  flounder w salsa and veg

 

You want to start your day off with a nice dose of protein and fat to satiate you, keep you full, and to help you transition away from carb burning.

 

I eat cold leftovers, warm leftovers.  One of my favorite breakfasts in the winter is stew or chili.  I kid you not.  It's like a hot bowl of goodness in the a.m.  When it's hot - like today - I often eat cold breakfast like salads.

[jediokie]

I also cook up some bacon and sausage on saturday or sunday, portion it and bag it. If I'm feeling really good I'll also hard  boil some eggs and shell them and bag them as well. Added bonus is my wife and daughter will have breakfast ready as well a couple times a week.

[TheHalfie]

I love a handful of berries and a handful of unsalted almonds, either plain or with some heavy cream (if you tolerate dairy). Another favourite is dinner left overs. If you have a weekend afternoon, making a muffin pan of egg muffins (beaten egg w whatever filling you like in a greased muffin pan) make the rest of the week easy.

[Rastaban]

I have be up and out the door fairly early, so making eggs and bacon is out of the question BUT what I do have time to make them the night before, like so:

 

The bacon: I'll make 4 or 6 slices in the oven and toss them in the fridge. This is enough for 2 or 3 days (2 per day).

 

The egg: The night before I'll make a one egg omlete style with just pepper, sometimes with shredded parmesan cheese. I won't fold it over though, but instead let it cool a bit, then wrap 2 slices of bacon in it and toss it in the fridge to eat the next morning.

 

An alternative to the bacon is two slices of turkey. Sometimes I'll add 1/2 a sliced avocado to this as well. Super portable.

 

Another thing to do is make egg muffins or a frittata ahead of time.

[Choronodon]

I did this forever. Cook Sunday night and have breakfast for the week.

 

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/egg-monster-canadian-bacon/

 

How well does it keep?

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

How well does it keep?

 

If in the fridge I put a paper towel section in the container as it releases a bit of moisture as it cools down, otherwise it gets damp. When I freeze it, it keeps fine.

 

One note, don't be grossed out by the green color the eggs sometimes get. It's just a chemical reaction in the eggs due to too long in too high of a heat, but doesn't affect anything otherwise.

[cline]

don't be grossed out by the green color the ggs sometimes get.

 

mmmmm green eggs and ham I like it Sam I am.

[Syrio Forel]

Awesome guys thanks!

 

I sorta knew the grapefruit might not fly...

This morning I had 2 boiled eggs (tomorrow is our shopping day) and then at lunch I had some chopped green lettuce with chopped bell peppers and tomatoes. Twas lovely.

 

About the bacon a few of you have suggested, is it all fried? Do you use coconut oil? Cos' I love bacon.

I also can't find any coconut oil locally (good old rural Ireland), so I'm trying to make do with extra virgin olive oil.

Oh and would turkey rashers be preferrable? or would these not have enough fat for a breakfast?

 

Thanks again, you guys have taught me so much already!

[Choronodon]

I usually broil my bacon. I just like it that way, and it's less mess than cooking it on the stove.

[Vintage]

I either bake or pan fry my bacon, but I never add any extra oils - it just doesn't need it really. I use regular bacon, not turkey bacon, partially because turkey bacon is super processed. 

 

What else did you eat at lunch? Where's the protein and fats?

[Syrio Forel]

Oh yeah, I had peices of chicken breast in th.ere too for lunch, more proteins and little fat there but hey....

[cline]

I also bake the bacon b/c mess. 

 

Rashers would be fine but the idea is to eat "clean" meat whenever possible - so no antibiotics, hormones, etc.  That's much less of problem across the pond than it is here, but still at least you know.

 

Other good ideas for breakie include steamed tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms.  Pretty much an English breakfast is good just skip the beans and toast. 

 

My breakfast today - 3 eggs w spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  took <5 mins to cook.  Probably that long to eat, too.  :-)

[connada123]

I've only done paleo for two months (and a modified version of it, I still eat dairy), so take my advice with a grain of salt. Based on the meals you've discussed I think you should do a lot more research into paleo. Protein and fat need to make up a much larger portion of your diet. Leaving out the fat is a major flaw for this diet. You'll be eating less carbs, so fat is going to be your primary source of energy. If you eat too little of it, you're going to be tired and hungry, and if you're anything like me you won't stick with it. Yeah, you'll be eating a ton of veggies and fruit, but you may be surprised at how little carbs you get from these, you'll need the fat. Plus, the protein and fat will prevent you from getting hungry throughout the day. When I just cut calories by eat processed carbs, the diet works, but I'm hungry all day. When my diet focuses on cutting processed carbs and including much more fat (while watching calorie intake), my results are just as good, however I'm barely ever hungry. I will say that when you first start including fat, you should watch your calories. I was having a hard time losing weight when I first started paleo, but then counted my calories for a couple days and was surprised to realize I was eating ~1,000 calories of pecans and almonds per day. As soon as I cut back on pecans and almonds, the weight came off effortless.

 

I know it's cliché for dieting, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you've got to go to bed 30 minutes earlier so you can wake up 30 minutes earlier and make yourself some eggs and bacon, then I would do that. Since going paleo I've started going to bed at 9pm and waking up at 5am so that I get enough sleep and have time in the morning to make a large breakfast. It's made a world of difference, and I'm seeing some really great results. I'd aim for at least 25% of your daily caloric intake at breakfast in high protein and fat sources. And honestly, 3 eggs with ham (use lunch meat torn into small pieces) and peppers/onions (buy diced and frozen so all you have to do is throw them in the pan), topped with cheese and salsa, only takes about 5 minutes to make, 5 minutes to eat, and a minute to clean up after. All of that is less than 450 calories, so you still get to eat a banana and have some half-and-half in your coffee.

[cline]

If the OP wants to cut sugar, keeping fruit and dairy out is a must.  Fruit is sugar with benefits and most of it is pretty high carb and your body will burn that first.  Lactose also has a sugar component.

 

I also encourage cooking in the a.m. or the night before.

 

however, Paleo is not solely about fat or weight loss.  It's also about preventing sugar spikes/controlling insulin regulation (check packaged meat for added sugar), AND about the quality of the food you eat - meat, veg, etc. 

[Syrio Forel]

Thanks yet again;

It's day 2 of the paleo diet and I think I'm starting to find my feet; This morning was a boiled egg, sausages (highest pork % I could find, about 60 - 70% I think) and spinach and I only got hungry at about lunch time

For lunch I had quick pan fried bacon (Also over here rashers is a general term for all bacon not just the processed stuff).

Dinner was oven cooked round steak (1/2 of one!) with onions, mushrooms and carrot & parsnip mash.

 

I'm not finding any energy loss or hunger.

 

Also as I'm not exactly targeting weight loss, I'm not staying completely away from fruit. I have cut back though.

 

So yeah thanks for all the advice. I'll just have to stop being lazy about food prep in the morning.

[Loren Wade]

Moved to paleo forum.

[ktmcg]

Thanks for the great suggestions, everyone! I was starting to get really bored of simply eggs and bacon every morning >.<

[Rastaban]

Thanks for the great suggestions, everyone! I was starting to get really bored of simply eggs and bacon every morning >.<

 

WHAT?!

 

[ktmcg]

WHAT?!

 

well, it's been the same for several months now! =P

[Shark 'n' Awe]

Just threw my first egg monster in the oven.  18 eggs, bag of frozen cut leaf spinach, a couple of bell peppers, a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, 12 oz package of center cut bacon.