Month: May 2017

One Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Canadian Bacon and Egg Breakfast (Paleo friendly, Wheat free, Dairy free)

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Mornings are tough.  Eating healthy in the mornings can be even tougher.  The real trick to a smooth morning is prepping as much as possible the night before.

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Since we don’t need to make the morning any more hectic, this recipe  only dirties one pan. Less clean-up is always a win. Plus, it doesn’t require constant supervision while cooking.  Freeing you up to do other, more important things.  You know, like convincing children to put on their clothes. Or taking a shower.

For this one pan brekkie, prep the Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and ham the night ahead.  You can even prep the ingredients a few nights ahead of time.  The trick is using time when you have it available. I personally like to do some prep work every night while I am cleaning up from dinner. The kitchen is already in disarray so I won’t have to clean it twice.

But veggies for breakfast?!

We really need to be eating vegetables at every single meal.  Yes, that includes breakfast. Not only do they provide much needed micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytonutrient) they also can help us feel full and have less cravings later in the day.

Vegetables are relatively low in sugar while being high in water and fiber.  Both water and fiber can help us to feel full. When we feel and satisfied not only are we less likely to overeat. Also when we regularly include fibrous veggies in out meals we naturally will eat less of the more calorically dense foods.

Where’s the grain?

Not everyone does best with grains based breakfasts.  Some people find, when they start their day off with certain foods, even if they are generally considered healthy, their cravings are more ravishing all day long.  The trick is to experiment and find what works best for you.  You may find that by omitting grains (cereals, toast, oatmeal) you feel better. Or perhaps, you may feel hungry all day long if you forgo your usual grain based breakfast.  Try both and find what works well for you.  If it turns out you need those grains in the morning, just swap out the sweet potatoes in this recipe for a slice of toast.

 

Roasted brussels sprouts, sweet taters, Canadian bacon and eggs
One Pan Brussels Sprouts, Sweet taters, Canadian bacon and eggs

 

1 lbs Brussel sprouts

1 Tb olive oil

Salt

2 cups chopped diced Sweet potatoes (about 200 grams, or one large)

8 oz Canadian Bacon (look for a lower fat variety, like Niman Ranch or Boars head)

4 Eggs

 

The night before:

Chop clean and prep the Brussel sprouts. Cut the bottom of and cut in half.  Throw in the fridge.  Peel and dice the sweet potatoes.  Throw in pot of water and boil till JUST for tender.  (I like to do this to a bunch of potatoes, then I have them ready all week long). Chop the Canadian bacon. Place all prepped items in fridge.

 

In the morning:

Preheat oven to 400.  Toss brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt.  Spread out on pan, in a single layer.  Put in oven for 15 mins. This is a great time to hop in the shower, make coffee or try and convince the children to put clothes on.

After 15 mins give them a stir.  Toss in Canadian bacon and sweet taters. Cook for 10 mins.

Remove from the oven and make four wells, and spritz the wells with cooking spray.  Crack eggs in to wells and put back in the oven.  Depending on how you like your eggs cook 5-10 mins.  (I found at 10 minutes the yolks were fully set)

 

Nutrition for ¼ the pan:

298 calories. 28 grams of carbohydrates. 11 grams of fat. 25 grams of protein.

 

one pan roasted

 

Deconstructed Taco Salad Bowl with an Avocado Lime Dressing (Dairy Free, Wheat Free, Egg Free, Paleo Friendly)

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Let’s get straight to the point; tacos are delicious. The problem with tacos is not only can they can be calorically dense but they also tend to be lacking in the vegetable department.  One way to combat this: turn your tacos into a deconstructed taco salad bowl.

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Taco salad bowl with a dairy free and egg free avocado lime dressing.

Even with the bowls, however, you have to watch those toppings. Sour cream, cheddar cheese, avocado and the deep fried shell all add up fast.

Here are a few ways you can lighten up your taco bowl:

  • Replace deep fried high fat shell with homemade chips (if paleo, replace with plantain chips.)
  • Replace multiple high fat toppings with an avocado-lime dressing.
  • Replace high sodium taco seasoning with homemade.
  • And add in lots of veggies.
homemade_chips

Homemade tortilla chips have less fat and carbs then store bought chips.

To assemble your bowls, just fill with whatever veggies you have in your fridge.  I like a mix of romaine and spinach. Then I throw in some tomatoes, cucumber, sugar snap peas (for that crunch!), bell peppers, green onions.  Add meat of your choice. I used ground beef for this one, but flank steak or chicken breast with some tex mex seasoning goes great (Check out my tex mex seasoning on Instagram here). Drizzle some avocado lime dressing over it, maybe a little pico de gallo or salsa and grab a handful of homemade chips. And there you have it, a healthier more satisfying version of your standard taco.

Recipes

For the chips:

Corn tortillas

Spray coconut oil

Salt

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cut tortillas into triangles or strips
  3. Spritz with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Cook for 8-10 mins.  Keep an eye on them, they can burn quickly.

 

Taco Meat:

2 pounds extra lean ground beef or turkey.

½ onion finely diced.

3 garlic cloves

1 Tb cumin

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

2 tb tomato paste

1 cup tomato sauce

  1. In a large, deep sided skillet brown the meat. Breaking it up into small pieces. Add onion garlic and seasonings. Cook till onion is soft and translucent.
  2. Cover and cook on med low for 1/2 hour. Taste and add salt and spices as needed. (This recipe is kid friendly so it is very mild.)

 

For the Avocado lime dressing:

1/3 cup nondairy plain unsweetened creamer (I used the Nutpod brand, but you can replace with a mixture of coconut milk and nut milk.)

1 avocado

1 bunch of cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

2 scallions

1 tb olive oil

juice from 1 lime.

  1. Throw everything into the blender and blend till nice and creamy.  You may need to add a few tablespoons water to thin it out to desired consistency.

 

 

 

 

THE NEW YOU