Breakfast Casserole

Some of you have mentioned that you are having trouble coming up with quick good breakfasts that you can have during the week as you are trying to get out the door for work.  Chris and I both have a 30+ min commute and we were stuck in the rut of having a bagel or English muffin every morning as we’re scooting out the door.  As we have started adapting Paleo into our lives we have changed this tone and now we try and have just a little bite to get us out the door [some walnuts, glass of milk (coconut or Almond but we still drink Whole milk sometimes), hard boiled eggs, etc] and have the bulk of breakfast when we get to work.  Sunday evenings while Chris is making batches of paleo pancakes (recipe a few blogs below) for the week I am whipping up an egg casserole.  The combo of these two items makes a nice hardy and healthy breakfast. 

Egg Casserole Recipe:

12 Eggs (or a combo of eggs and egg whites

Dash of Milk (go for Almond or Coconut milk if practicing Paleo)

1 Cup of cut of Veggies (we do a combo of spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini but be creative)

1 can of Black Beans drained (since we have gone more Paleo I leave this out so make the choice but if I use them it’s the No Salt added can)

1 glass baking dish

Directions

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.  Cut up your veggies, since we got a food processor this step has become much easier and almost fun.  Beat the eggs in a bowl (and remember you can vary the amount of eggs you use depending on how many people and days you are making this for, sometimes I go with 16 total eggs/white but this lasts Chris and I 4 to 5 days).  Put in a dash of your chosen milk and stir.  Add in the veggies (and beans if you go that route) and continue to stir until everything is well mixed.  Coat the baking dish with Coconut oil (or if I am lazy I just spray some Pam) and pour in the mixture in the dish.  Bake for about 35 minutes (depends on depth of dish and such).  Take it out of the oven and let it cool a bit then cover and throw in the fridge.  Every day then we cut off a piece of the casserole and throw it in Tupperware so it can be heated up at work.  

Paleo Pancakes

Okay so I know we promote both Zone and Paleo diets and it seems like we only post Paleo recipes but the truth is you can eat a Zone Diet with Paleo foods which is like the mecca of CrossFit Diets.  So here's a kick back to an old fashion breakfast food.  And you thought you were done with pancakes :)
We have made the top recipe and recommend 1 banana, 1 egg and 1 serving of almond butter but try it with 2 banana's if you'd like.  Experiment with replacing the banana for pumpkin mix (YUMMY!) or even natural apple sauce. 

From Marks Daily Apple ( Paleo Pancakes):

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter

Instructions:

Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix well
Stir in the almond butter, adding more than a tablespoon if you want a more pancake-like texture.
Warm butter in a pan and pour batter into small cakes.
Brown on each side and serve warm.

If you want to try something really different check these out (Chocolate Paleo Pancakes)

Paleo Fudge

Paleo Fudge Recipe

2c    almond butter

1/4c cocoa powder

1/2c + 2 T  honey

1T coconut oil, melted (optional)

2t  vanilla extract

1t   salt

* t =teaspoon, T=tablespoon

Method

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until well incorporated.

Spoon the mixture into a pan and flatten with the back of a spoon. Place in the freezer for an hour or so, then take it out to cut into bite-size squares or rectangles.  Keep the fudge covered and stored in the freezer.

*Try this too Use 1/2 almond butter and 1/2 cashew butter for a creamier texture

Juice Plus Complete Peanut Butter Bars

2 Cups Natural Peanut Butter (I use Smucker's Reduced Fat)
1 1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 1/4 cup chocolate complete powder
3 cups oats (I used Quaker 1 minute or 5 minute oats)
Mix all ingredients in large bowl. May have to use hands to mix. Spread in 9x13 pan. Cut into 64 squares. Refrigerate.

NUTRITION FACTS:
Serving Size:  1 square
Calories     106
Total Fat     3.4 g
    Saturated     0.5 g
    Polyunsaturated     0.6 g
    Monounsaturated     0.1 g
Cholesterol       0.0 mg
Sodium           47.2 mg
Potassium       28.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate     15.0 g
    Dietary Fiber        0.9 g
    Sugars                9.7 g
Protein         4.4 g

More Recipes

Hey guys, here is another site with some great recipes:

http://everydaypaleo.com/

We made the stuffed peppers the other day with Turkey and they were delicious!  Anyone else find a great recipe?

www.primalbody-primalmind.com/top10-nutritional-mistakes.html

I was just looking over information to add to our site and came across this one.  A ton of information, and not for me to "copy" but definitely for you guys to check out.  Some of it you have heard before and other information I think we skirt around because none of us wants to accept "never indulge" as our lifestyle.

Nutrition Blog

We will be frequently posting recipes and nutrition tips on this blog.