How does one add vegetables to breakfast?

[Jean in Newcastle]

The title says it all. I want to keep breakfast as sort of breakfasty, if you know what I mean.

[chiguirre]

Omelets work well. If you can't do eggs, quesadillas are great with squashes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes and even broccoli or cauliflower. Carrot or zucchini muffins are yummy.

[abbeyej]

Omelets, yes... Or a burrito made with whole grain tortilla, lots of veggies (leftover roasted veggies work well) reheated with a scrambled egg -- I like this, 'cause you can fit more veggies in than in an omelet...

 

You can add fresh greens to fruit smoothies (today mine was fresh oranges, blueberries, spinach, stevia and mint leaves from the garden, plain Greek yogurt, and frozen strawberries)...

[GoVanGogh]

Zucchini or carrot muffins

Sweet potato muffins or sweet potato pancakes/waffles

Eggs w/salsa or sauteed veggie mix

 

Spinach in fruit smoothies

(Today, we had frozen pineapple, mango and banana w/fresh orange and spinach)

 

My DH went on a mostly raw diet and is now eating carrot sticks for breakfast. I still can't think of raw carrots as a breakfast food, but he loves it.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I agree with the omelets and muffins, of course, but honestly, the best way to get A LOT in (and different greens each day) is a smoothie.

[Denisemomof4]

sauteed veggies in breakfast burritos, omelettes, scrambles, quiches or frittata.

I *love* scrambled eggs with red bell pepper, onions and corn. I also love the same veggies stir fried with mashed tofu and curry powder.

 

Breakfast burritos will help so that you're not having eggs daily. Egg whites with veggies, spiced right, are also yummy.

 

Breakfast pizza and burritos are easy to add just about anything to. Of course you can have veggie juice with/for breakfast but I'd recommend having the juice half an hour before eating breakfast. An hour would be better.

 

Stir fried veggies over rice is yummy but you may have a hard time calling it breakfast. I'm not particular about breakfast food. I'm lucky to get breakfast at all, which I know is not healthy. I'm trying to get better.

 

Oh, I used to LOVE to make pumpkin rice pudding for breakfast. It wasn't real sweet and had golden raisins in it. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

[ma23peas]

I think it's by Jimmy Dean? But we found this incredible 'scramble' in the frozen section..we like the sausage one...it's in the breakfast frozen part and has options of ham/sausage/and one other unknown meat...but it come with onions/red bell peppers/green bell peppers/onion/potatoes...you put 2 tbs of oil in the pan and sautee this mixture then you scramble 4-5 eggs in abowl, pull the cooked stuff to the side of the pan and then pour the eggs in as they cook you slowly add them to the veggies/meat...

 

I've actually made this on my own with fresh veggies but it just takes longer and most mornings I have just about 20 minutes to cook! :)

 

HTH!!!

Tara

[Parrothead]

What I call eggs Florentine. Saute some baby spinach then scramble it in to scrambled eggs.

[jvenice]

I know they may turn up their noses, but my kids like an omelette with sauteed onion, spinach and mozzarella. Just barely wilt the spinach though. A little olive oil, then add the vidalia onions first to brown, then the eggs, then the spinach, stir it in barely, sea salt and pepper...take it out and add mozzarella after you put it on the plate (you don't have to use as much so it has the flavor but less fat).

[Mom2J112903]

I know they may turn up their noses, but my kids like an omelette with sauteed onion, spinach and mozzarella. Just barely wilt the spinach though. A little olive oil, then add the vidalia onions first to brown, then the eggs, then the spinach, stir it in barely, sea salt and pepper...take it out and add mozzarella after you put it on the plate (you don't have to use as much so it has the flavor but less fat).

 

J would gladly come over to your place for breakfast. He eats spinach with EVERYTHING. :D I never thought about making him an omlet with it though! Thanks for the idea! :D

[dirty ethel rackham]

Add spinach and peppers to omelets, quiches, breakfast bakes, etc. That's what I do. I am a "breakfast is breakfast" person myself. Latley, I have had a bunch of kale, so I have been chopping that very fine, sauteing it and adding it to omelets.

[stripe]

I'd think "brunch food" more than breakfast stuff.

 

I made a nice bread one time that had lightly sauteed spinach and onions (and feta cheese, but you could leave that out) put down the middle of the dough. In that one, the dough was divided into three, put in the middle of each, and then braided, but I think you could do it with just one layer inside.

 

There are some nice ideas here (not all of them, but some!):

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/breakfast_and_brunch/

[mom31257]

:lurk5:

[celticmom]

Another thing that you could add different things to is potato pancakes. I imagine spinach would be good.

[Daisy]

My kids don't realize raw veggies aren't the norm at breakfast. LOL. I cut up a plate of raw veggies every morning and the kids snack on it through-out the day. It isn't unusual to see a handful of veggies next to a bowl of oatmeal.

 

They'll easily eat zucchini, yellow squash, sweet peas, carrots, scallions, tomatoes, radishes (daikon or red), green pepper, cucumber, celery, jicama, rutabaga, and other veggies this way.

 

Omelets, scrambles, and egg burritos are a great way to use up veggies.

[Farrar]

Hash browns or home fries with onions, peppers, etc. Also, you can make sweet potato home fries. Those are so good.

[TammyinTN]

We love spinach cooked with a little onion, garlic and sundried tomatoes with a wedge or two of laughing cow cheese mixed with scrambled eggs.

[Joker]

My dds love a spinach and tomato omelette with a little monterey jack cheese on top. Sometimes we do breakfast burritos with whatever veggies we have in the fridge.

[RoughCollie]

Eggs (cooked separately), asparagus, sliced tomatoes, and a slice of cheddar cheese is a real good meal. It looked pretty on the plate, too.

 

I thought it was odd when I was served this, 30 years ago, at the home of a Vietnamese man and his French wife. Until that day, I'd only had eggs served with breakfast meat, breakfast breads, milk gravy, and grits, with nary a vegetable in sight.

 

Other ideas:

 

Huevos Rancheros (eggs w/salsa and cheese; tortilla optional)

Vegetable Frittata

 

Or look here:

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/01/vegtables-for-breakfast-part-iii.html

 

or here:

http://www.nownorma.com/2010/01/how-to-have-vegetables-for-breakfast.html

 

Breakfast salad recipe: http://www.culinate.com/mix/dinner_guest/the_breakfast_salad

(This is not my idea of a breakfast salad. What I call "breakfast salad", which I never eat at breakfast, is lettuce and spinach, double cheese, double bacon, boiled egg, double onions, covered with Friday's honey mustard dressing. This one is not particularly healthy and I only order it at Friday's.)

Edited July 18, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Lovedtodeath]

This is a great thread! I am mostly keeping it for my own reference... I have added spinach to eggs, fried up zucchini to go with, added blanched asparagus to the meal, and I have had salad with boiled egg and strawberries, toast with tomato slices and cheese or avocado. One of my faves for breakfast is refried beans. I simply make the beans myself and add cheese and milk (no water, drain that) very creamy, tho not everyone would consider that a vegetable.

[Jean in Newcastle]

This is a great thread! I am mostly keeping it for my own reference... I have added spinach to eggs, fried up zucchini to go with, added blanched asparagus to the meal, and I have had salad with boiled egg and strawberries, toast with tomato slices and cheese or avocado. One of my faves for breakfast is refried beans. I simply make the beans myself and add cheese and milk (no water, drain that) very creamy, tho not everyone would consider that a vegetable.

 

Your reference to the refried beans reminded me that my Filipino husband likes to eat kidney beans with milk (like hot cereal).:ack2: I actually haven't tried it and so I should not criticize, but the idea still makes me go :ack2:

[zaichiki]

I like these ideas!

 

What about veggie sausage (tofu "meat")?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thank you for all the ideas (and keep them coming)! Tomorrow I start my new "diet" of 5 small meals, including veggies at each one. I knew how to handle the other meals but breakfast was making me hyperventilate. But I can do your ideas. And they sound yummy!

[Lovedtodeath]

 

Your reference to the refried beans reminded me that my Filipino husband likes to eat kidney beans with milk (like hot cereal).:ack2: I actually haven't tried it and so I should not criticize, but the idea still makes me go :ack2:

It is my sister in law's recipe (from Mexico) We couldn't figure out why her beans were always so much better than mine. She tried to tell me but would just say queso, so I watched her and found that the leche was the secret ingredient. :)

[eternalknot]

Besides the obvious breakfast burritos, muffins, and omelettes - what about quiche?

 

It's not a traditional Western breakfast, but I grew up eating soup for breakfast (loaded with fresh veggies). We have miso with season-appropriate vegetables once a week, give or take. Very filling, and hot. I like hot foods in the A.M., keeps me from drinking too much tea (caffeine).

 

Also not a truly traditional Western breakfast, but what about roasted veggies as sides to breakfast meats or eggs? Along those lines, maybe add a grilled veggie to a biscuit -- something savory rather than sweet, like a biscuit/muffin topped with a poached egg, diced pepper or zucchini or squash, leaves of greens, slices of eggplant or fresh tomato, et cetera topped with seasonings and/or shredded cheese?

 

We don't eat normal Western breakfast, other than the occasional oatmeal, and we're veg*n so these may not be what you were looking for.

[ktwensel]

My kids LOVE zucchini pancakes! I just make pancakes as usual and add about 1 cup shredded drained zucchini with cinnamon and vanilla. My dd just requested those this morning as a matter of fact!

[KatieJ]

This is a recipe I got from the NP at the allergy clinic I am going to for weight loss. I thought it sounded odd, but gave it a try, and it was very good!

 

2 cups of coleslaw mix

1 egg

1 green onion chopped.

 

Mix well. Form into patties and fry in a little olive oil.

It's called fake hashbrowns or something like that. the amounts are enough for one person. I added more green onion to the it next day.

 

Since I am not eggs right now, I just sauted the coleslaw mix and green onion in the olive oil til it was a tad brown.

It really is quite good!

Next day I added some shrimp to the mix and it was dinner. If I was allowed soy right now, I think a little soy sauce would have been a great addition. Hubby loved it!

[LauraGB]

To fried (or roasted) potatoes, one can add any nearly any vegetable and get away with it. Red potatoes, white potatoes, sweet potatoes. Diced or shredded. None of it matters as long as they are hot, salted and mixed with good things like onions, garlic, peppers, asparagus, peas, zucchini, spinach...whatever is handy. Season it with anything from oregano and paprika to cumin and chili powder. Serve it with eggs or pancakes or any other cooked sort of breakfast item. Or just by itself.

 

Potatoes are just good :).

[Susan in KY]

The title says it all. I want to keep breakfast as sort of breakfasty, if you know what I mean.

 

In Turkey, we used to eat cucumbers, tomato and feta cheese and the occasional olive with bread. Apricot preserves were always on the table. It was great. I loved it.

[mcconnellboys]

Veggie omelets, quiches, or casseroles (that also contain eggs). Frittatas that include veggies. Hashbrowns that contain other veggies mixed in (my son particularly likes salsa or gazpacho style chopped veggies). You can also shred or puree things like carrot or zucchini and add them to nearly any type of muffin batter, where they will go undetected. We actually like salads alongside other breakfast items!

[MelanieM]

I think green smoothies are the easiest possible way to pack in a lot of veggies. One of my favourites is a handful of baby spinach, a couple of bananas, some frozen blueberries and water. YUM. You don't even notice the spinach (other than the pretty colour) and it is easy to make and eat. (It's also great with just bananas and spinach.)

 

I think adding a green smoothie to the diet is perhaps the most healthy gifts most people could give to themselves.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

I think adding a green smoothie to the diet is perhaps the most healthy gifts most people could give to themselves.

What do you think about that green powder stuff?

[Excelsior! Academy]

Do a bacon and egg sandwich with a big slice of tomato. Yummy!

[MelanieM]

What do you think about that green powder stuff?

 

I don't know enough about it to comment. I think it would depend on what exactly is in the powder, and how it's processed.

[pie]

for myself, V8 if I'm in a hurry!!

[Lovedtodeath]

What about some type of pumpkin pie? I always make mine low on sugar and milk and extra on the pumpkin.