Brussel sprouts with morning coffee? Why not?

Its seems that, for most people, the hardest part of starting a new diet is figuring out what to eat for breakfast. To help some of my RSNC patients on the road to hypoallergenic, healthier living, I compiled this handout to give them some inspiration for the most important meal of the day. These breakfasts might be appropriate for some on the elimination diet, but since each diet is different, make sure you review the ingredients first to verify that the recipe fits your dietary needs.

Leftovers: We don’t often think of dinner and lunch staples as appropriate foods for breakfast, but one of the best options for breakfast is to warm up leftover food from the night before. Soups, stews and even leftover meat, steamed vegetables or salad make great protein-rich breakfasts. When starting fresh it’s important to think outside the breakfast box! (Shown above are baked brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt, sundried tomatoes and nutritional yeast. Add some eggs or meat and you’re good to go!).  

Avocado Chocolate Pudding: contains the same texture and taste as chocolate pudding but with healthy fats and protein. Ingredients: 1 ripe avocado, 1 tbs Fry’s cocoa powder or raw cacao, 1 tbs honey, ½ scoop chocolate protein powder. Blend together evenly with a food processor or fork and serve.

Coconut chia pudding: 1 scoop chia seeds, 2 tbs almond or coconut milk, 1 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut, ½ cup berries, ½ scoop protein powder, 2 tbs boiling water. Mix ingredients together and let stand for 20 minutes of overnight. The fibre in the chia seeds expands, giving it a pudding-like texture.

Quinoa porridge: To be eaten as a cereal in the morning. 1.5 cups of almond or coconut milk. ½ cup quinoa, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 tbs cinnamon, fruit (berries, banana, sliced apple, etc.) Bring milk to a boil in a small pot, add in quinoa and stir for 14 minutes until the milk is absorbed. Amounts can be increased (times ingredients by 4-6) and left to cook overnight in a slow cooker.

Smoothies: A good smoothie should contain protein, fibre and healthy fat in order to be satiating. Start with ½ cup berries, ½ banana (for sweetness), ½ cup of leafy greens (spinach, kale) and 1 scoop of protein powder. Then play around adding other fruits, coconut milk, almond milk, almond or peanut butters, coconut flakes, chia and hemp seeds, vegetables such as carrots and celery, coconut oil or avocado to vary your recipe.

Grain-free “buttermilk” pancakes: 1 cup almond flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp honey, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tsp olive or coconut oil, 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup frozen blueberries or other fruit, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs OR 4 tbs flax meal in 8 tbs warm water (let stand until thick), 1 tsp lemon juice. Mix ingredients, cook in a pan like normal pancakes. Or try this recipe.

Spanish omelettes: Make an omelette out of eggs and veggies. If eggs are out, try substituting them for tofu, meat (like bacon, for instance) or another protein source. In a pan, cook a variety of vegetables of your choice such as onions, tomatoes, spinach, kale, broccoli, carrots, celery. Top with salsa and 1/2 an avocado. Or, try this clafoutis recipe.

Gluten-free toast: top with avocado, almond butter or coconut oil. Try the paleo bread and grain-free flatbreads for grain-free, egg and dairy-free “bread” ideas.

Congee: A Chinese breakfast staple, congee is basically a savoury rice pudding. It is easy to digest and is therefore recommended by Traditional Chinese doctors for anyone suffering from digestive upset. It’s made by slowly cooking 1 cup of rice in 9 cups of water. Meat, vegetables and warming herbs, like ginger, can also be added to this gentle stew. Experiment by substituting the rice for quinoa to make a seed version of congee.

Seed Bowls: Pump up the nutrition, fibre, fat and satiety of your morning cold cereal by creating a grain-free seed bowl. Add a few scoops of chia seeds, hemp seeds, ground flax seeds, puffed quinoa, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds to a bowl and top with blueberries and almond or coconut milk.

Inspiration:

Art and Practice taliamarcheggiani.com/category/recipes

Mark’s Daily Apple www.marksdailyapple.com

Roost Blog roostblog.com

My New Roots mynewroots.org

Pinterest (search for “detox breakfast”) pinterest.com