Apple Bumpkin Breakfast Recipe

I've been on the lookout for different breakfast recipes. It really helps Hubby if I have some kind of a casserole that he can just grab and heat up. And it helps me because then I don't have to get up earlier to whip something up, lol. 

I have kind of stuck to two main casseroles and I'll share the first one with you here. It's more of a sweet casserole that I happened to find on The Foodie & The Family website.  Maybe while browsing around on Pinterest? I can't remember exactly. But anyway, this one caught my eye because of the name. It's called Apple Bumpkin Breakfast Bake and the main ingredients are apples, eggs, and pumpkin. Not really the first thing you think of in terms of good combinations, right? But it is so good. So good!

I've kind of gotten into the habit of not putting the almonds on it anymore, just because they can be kind of expensive and we are on a budget. I also have never made it with the coconut for that same reason and also because it's not really a favorite ingredient of mine. But I will tell you that even without those two ingredients it is such a delicious dish! I've been tempted to add in some kind of meat, kinda like the apple flavored sausages I am curious how it would taste to mix the apple and pumpkin with some kind of meat. But that will be an experiment for another day. So far it hasn't been necessary. Hubby says it is not quite as filling as some of the other casseroles I've made, but again, he doesn't really agree that something is a meal unless it contains some kind of meat, and eggs don't count for him apparently, lol.

So here you go, the recipe from The Food & The Family: Apple Bumpkin Breakfast Bake!!

Ingredients:

• 3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2″ chunks
• 2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 12 large eggs
• 14 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 14 ounce can full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
• 1/4 cup ribbon coconut (again, I didn't use this)
  

 Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan well with coconut oil. Toss chopped apples into the pan, spreading evenly over the bottom.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Whisk in eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, maple syrup (if using), vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Combine well. Pour over apples in pan.
3. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with sliced almonds and ribbon coconut (optional). 
4. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes; until set. Cut into 12 pieces and serve hot or refrigerate to serve cold.

Breakfast: To Eat It or Not To Eat It?

I would say the answer would be both! Eat it, but don't eat it!

When I say it it, I mean that you should eat something within a half hour of waking up. Studies have shown that eating within that time frame boosts your metabolism and it gives you the energy you need to get through your day. It also means that you won't be starving yourself after your fast (sleeping), so when you do decide to eat, you won't pounce on anything that crosses your path.

Eating breakfast isn't just important for adults though. Kids need that boost in the morning too. Studies show that people who eat breakfast in the morning are better-able to perform the required tasks of the day, but also children who eat breakfast are less likely to be absent from school.

I have noticed that you kind of train your body to get used to this. I used to skip breakfast, which is bad, I know now. And I was also very heavy during that time (which is also very common for people who skip breakfast). But when I skipped breakfast, I noticed I wasn't as hungry in the morning. Once I started eating breakfast, I'd hear my belly groaning each morning within minutes of getting out of bed. Just like most other animals, it gets on a schedule and likes to stick to it! I can't vouch for others, but that was my experience, so even if you think you aren't hungry in the mornings, try it for a week or two and see if that changes.

Ok, now, when I say "don't eat breakfast!", I mean do not eat the foods we have all come to know, and love, as breakfast foods. This means waffles, pancakes, french toast, donuts, muffins, bagels, and cereals! I don't care if it says "Nutri" or "Natural" or "Fiber" or "Gluten-free" on the box/bag/can ... check the labels. Check the ingredients. If you can't pronounce the ingredients on the list, then you should put it down and go find something that wasn't created in a laboratory. The food industry has got a sneaky way of marketing their products. They can get away with "less sugar" and "natural" because there aren't very good guidelines for what they have to take into account. For example, sugar is hard to track because there are many different types of sugars and they aren't required to include all of them on the nutritional guide. So here is my solution to that:

grams of carbohydrates / 4 = tsp of sugar that you consume with each serving

ex: 20 g of carbs / 4 = 5 tsp of sugar

Ok, so that is just one serving. How many of you eat just one serving of cereal? Anyone? I know most cereal serving sizes are 1/2 c to 3/4 c and I know that I used to fill that bowl to the top! And sometimes I would even go back for a second bowl. That is a lot of sugar, which we know is very bad for you.

So now that I've told you what not to eat, what should you eat?
I would recommend getting in the 3 key food groups: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. And by "carbohydrates" I mean veggies! So a plate of eggs (protein/fat), veggies (carbs), and half of a sweet potato (carbs) with real butter (fats) will not only fill you up and be a great balanced breakfast, but it also is super delicious!

If you insist on finding something prepackaged, due to lack of time or resources, just check the ingredients list and see exactly what they are putting in the product. I can't say I have checked every label, but it is easier, for me, to just shop the perimeter and stick to real foods without the boxes or bags.

Another great option is to make breakfast foods ahead of time so you can just grab them and go. Casseroles are great, quiches are delicious. One of my new favorites is making meat muffins. That doesn't exactly sound the best, I know, but I'm talking like meatloaf in a cupcake tin. You can throw just about anything into some eggs, whip it up, pour it in muffin/cupcake tins ... 20 minutes later you have got meat muffins to last you all week that you can grab, heat, and go! It's also nice because you can include the 3 key food groups in them and get the balance all in one item.

Below is one of the recipes that I tried recently and thought was pretty good. I made them last night, breakfast for dinner, but my husband will be saving the rest for his breakfasts this week (he doesn't enjoy cooking and doesn't like waking up early to do it, lol).


Southwestern Omelet Muffins
 (found on Fast Paleo)

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces breakfast sausage links, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, assorted colors, chopped small
• ½ cup green onions, chopped small
• ¾ cups kale, chopped small
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves chopped fresh garlic)
• 4 ounce can green chiles, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I omitted due to not liking cilantro)
• 1 dozen eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat large skillet on medium high heat. Add sausage and brown all around.
Add peppers and kale and cook to soften, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with remaining ingredients.
Add sausage and veggies.
Line muffin tins with papers and divide egg mixture among them, filling about ¾ full.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the center is firm to the touch.


So, eat your breakfast, but don't eat breakfast! ; )
Enjoy!


Sources:
Mayo Clinic
Fast Paleo
WebMD

Recipe: Bacon and Vegetable Quiche

My husband has a habit of grabbing his breakfast on the run. Normally it is a bowl of oatmeal with different fixings, sometimes fruit, sometimes protein powder, sometimes peanut butter .... or even combining the three. He used to be hooked on cold cereals, all loaded with sugar and other artificial ingredients, but we haven't seen one of those boxes in our home for about two years. And he feels so much better now that he's starting his day out a little better.

However, sometimes the oatmeal can get a little boring. So I've been searching for suitable breakfast meals that I can have ready for him to just grab and go. I recently have come to appreciate quiches and was on the Fast Paleo website and came across one that I'll be sticking in my box of favorites!

It's called "Bacon and Vegetable Quiche" and is super yummy and filling, which is perfect for my husband. I tried it for the first time this week and he's been happy to have options in the morning. All he has to do is pull it out of the fridge, slice a piece, heat it up, and put it in his container to go!

So here's how you make it:

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1 cup of bacon (I used more)
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 carrots
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 2 zucchinis
• 1/2 white onion (I used a full onion)
• Smidge of coconut oil
• Salt and pepper
• iPhone not needed unless you like music while cooking : )

Cooking Steps

1. Shred sweet potato, zucchini and carrots.  (I just chopped these finely)
2. Chop spinach, bacon and onion and add to vegetable mixture.
3. Combine.
4. Add eggs into combined vegetable and bacon mixture. Mix thoroughly.
5. Add salt and pepper – mix.
6. Rub oil over tray to avoid quiche sticking to the tray.  Pour    mixture onto the tray.

**Size of quiche depends on your own preference and portion intake.



Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.
**A knife/toothpick is inserted and comes out clean the quiche is cooked.  
(Some reviews questioned whether the 180 degrees was Celcius or Fahrenheit and they said Fahrenheit, but at the end of the cooking time it still wasn't done. So I put it on 350 degrees and cooked another half hour.)

Set and allow quiche to cool before cutting.

**Vegetable selection is based on what I had in the fridge, but it is entirely up to you! Tastes great with the bacon, or smoked salmon for those who don’t eat bacon – for vegetarians, the quiche on its own also tastes great!