Breakfast Chili

Who doesn't love a good pot of chili? This is a yummy fall & winter dish that is easily made ahead of time and frozen into individual serving sizes. You can vary this in many ways, the original recipe was found on
www.thefoodee.com .

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can rotel
2 cups beef stock
2 sweet potatoes, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 tbs Paprika
1 tbs Garlic Powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbs hot sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tbs black pepper
4 eggs
1 avocado

Method: 
1. Brown beef and sausage, as well as saute the onions & red peppers in a large pot. Add tomatoes, rotel, sweet potatoes, stock and all spices. Let simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. 
2. Dice and cook bacon until crispy. Set aside. 
3. Fry eggs (one per person) 
4. Serve chili topped with bacon and egg. Garnish with avocado slices. 

German Apple Pancakes

I am posting this under breakfast simply because of the word 'pancake'.  These are amaaaazzzing!!!!  

I am feeling under the weather today due to allergies and mad at the world because I need to stay inside to keep them from getting worse.  So my 'angry fat kid' is out in full force.  

I have modified the original recipe from Civilized Caveman because I had three apples that were on the verge of needing to be thrown out; and no one ever said there is too much apple in this recipe.  Also the Civilized Caveman recipe divides the ingredients into 8 portions.  I only had 6 small Pyrex bowls, not ramekins, so I made hearty portions.  Lastly, my dirty little secret is that I have a bit of Paula Deen in me when I bake.  I love the richness butter brings to almost any dish.  I don't use a stick of butter, at most a tablespoon, but I do love the taste.  I was introduced to Irish butter, specifically Kerrygold, sold at Baesler's.  It is outrageously expensive so I use it sparingly.  It is the product of grass fed cows in Ireland.  I have rationalized the use of the butter since it is from grass fed cows.  Don't judge me...

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 apples, cored and diced
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• handful of toasted pecan halves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees 
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup
• In a small bowl, stir coconut flour, nutmeg, and baking soda
• Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat well to combine, set aside while you prepare the apples
• In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of coconut oil,honey, and butter
• Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and juice of 1/2 lemon and cook for 1 minute
• Add apples and saute until apples are nicely coated & softened
• Evenly divide your apple mixture between 6 ramekins or small oven proof bowls, greased with coconut oil and then evenly divide your egg mixture on top of the apples 
• Place your ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 425 and then reduce heat to 375 and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes
• Sprinkle with pecans when removed from the oven

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins

I had about half of a can of pumpkin leftover from a recent recipe I made and wanted to have a homemade snack on hand that was not hard boiled eggs.  I made a few additions to the original Paleo Almond Flour Muffins recipe.  Here is what I added:

• 2 shredded carrots
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup almonds

They turned out great and seem to satisfy my sweet tooth! 

Breakfast Shake - A spur of the moment creation!

This morning I was running a bit behind... happens when you have a 1 year old who demands attention. Out of nowhere, it was 8:50, ten minutes before I normally leave for the gym.  I was not dressed, had not had breakfast & I was immediately panicked. I knew I had to have something in my system before today's terrible workout at Evansville Crossfit but nothing too heavy that I would see it after rounds and rounds or burpees.

Here is what came out of this panic: Breakfast shake perfection!!!

Ingredients: 

• Coconut Milk (1/2 cup)
• Coconut Water (1/2 cup)
• Fresh spinach (one handful, trimmed)
• frozen blueberries (1/2 cup)
• Banana (1/2 of one; what my tiny tot did not eat)
• protein powder (serving sizes vary)
• vanilla extract (to taste)
• almond butter (a couple of heaping tablespoons)

Method :

• I threw it all in a blender, poured it in my shaker cup and walked out the door in five minutes!!!! I even made it to the gym on time :) 

Bacon & Eggs To Go

I LOVE breakfast food.  I could eat it any time of the day.  I have tried to distribute my postings thus far into all categories to give some options.  I am sorry if I keep hitting the Breakfast tab; it is all so good.  

I am all about prepping.  Quite honestly it is the only way I eat healthy.  I make enough of one night's dinner for my lunch the following day; prepare my snacks to throw in my lunch bag for the entire week, and have on hand grab & go breakfast items.  This is one of those recipes you can make quickly in an evening for breakfast for the next couple of days.  

Ingredients

1 package Canadian bacon; ham; or other 
Equal amount of eggs

Method

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• In a muffin pan, place a piece of meat into each hole. Press it down and crack an egg into each piece of bacon. Cook in oven for approximately:

Runny Yolk – 8 minutes
Semi-Soft Yolk- 10 minutes
Hard, Crumbly Egg -14 minutes

• Pop the egg “cups” out of the pan once they’re cool enough to handle.
• Whatever you don’t eat goes straight into the fridge for a snack or another meal.

Variations 

• Place a couple of spinach leaves over the meat
• Place a mushroom beneath the egg
• Place a sundried tomato beneath the egg 
• Place some chopped pepper beneath the egg
• I have used deli ham, prosciutto ham, partially cooked bacon so it is not so crispy I can't wrap it around the cup 

Paleo Breakfast Skillet

I have seen a number of variations of this skillet breakfast and I have made this numerous times with a variety of vegetables and meats.  I always make more than enough so that I can save the leftovers for a grab & go breakfast.  

Ingredients  

• 1 pound of sausage, ham, or approximately 8 slices of bacon
• 1 sweet potato diced
• 1/2 onion diced
• Mushrooms, peppers, Brussels sprouts, anything you have on hand and would like to incorporate - chopped 
• 6 eggs  

Method

• Use an oven safe skillet; cast iron is the best
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees 
• Brown sausage, cook bacon, or ham.  If you are using ham I recommend also using either sausage or bacon so that you can cook the vegetables in the meat drippings.  If you use bacon, crumble the bacon before returning it to the vegetable mixture.  
• Once your meat has cooked, remove from heat and reserve
• Place diced sweet potato in meat drippings and cook.  I like my sweet potatoes on the crispy side.  
• Add onion about halfway through cooking of sweet potatoes.  I like my onion caramelized.  
• Add remaining vegetables in the order in which it takes them to cook.  In other words, I would probably add Brussels sprouts and mushrooms earlier than the peppers.  
• Put meat back into the skillet once your vegetables have reached the desired "doneness".  
• Make wells for each of the eggs in the vegetables and deposit an egg in each well.  
• Bake until your eggs reach your desired consistently.  We like ours to have runny yolks so I bake until the whites are cooked and yellows are still runny.  

Serving suggestions 

• Serve with avocado, salsa, or hot sauce

Breakfast Un-wich

This recipe was inspired by a photo I saw somewhere.  Since my prep day usually ends up being Sunday, I can prep this recipe for a quick grab-and-go breakfast for the first few weekday mornings. 

• Scramble 2 eggs.  Cook half of the egg mixture either in the microwave or in a small skillet so that the egg is about the size of a bun.  I have also cooked an egg until the yoke is hard.
• Add your choice of meat.  Ham, bacon, sausage patty, Canadian bacon, etc. and layer between each egg "bun" patty.  
• Add tomato, avocado, salsa, etc.  

You can't really eat these with your hands like a sandwich but they are delicious!!!   

Sausage Egg Muffins

There are several variations of this recipe that I have seen and made but this recipe was one of my favorites.  I usually try to do a prep day each week and make a batch of Egg Muffins to keep for a quick protein packed breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 package of ground breakfast sausage, cooked
• diced onions, peppers & mushrooms
• salsa

1. Use a muffin pan & place cupcake wrappers, they are life savers for cleanup.
2. Add a tablespoon or a little more of ground sausage to the bottom of each muffin liner.
3. Add veggies & a spoonful of salsa on top of veggies.
4. Fill the remainder of the cupcake wrapper with beaten eggs.
5. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes until the center of each muffin is set.

You can substitute any breakfast meat and change out the vegetables based on what you have on hand. Enjoy!

Carrot Banana Muffins

This is a recipe from Paleo Plan.  I have made these muffins using both carrots and fresh zucchini from my garden in the summer.  If you use zucchini, be sure once it is shredded, you squeeze the excess moisture from the zucchini otherwise the muffins will fall apart. 

2 cups almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup pitted dates
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or nut of choice
Muffin paper liners

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine dry ingredients and set aside
• In food processor combine dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar, and oil
• Combine ingredients from food processor and the dry ingredients
• Fold in carrots and nuts
• Bake for 25 minutes