How to Have Vegetables For Breakfast

In recent comments, emails, and Facebook queries, several people have wondered how to incorporate vegetables into breakfast, a practice which is required (or at least highly recommended) in the first phase of the South Beach diet that I'm now enjoying (I am!). 

I've done the veggies-for-breakfast thing for most of my life (Is it as a result of the vestiges of French Canadianism, the English/Irish influence in my mother's family, New England frugality, or just what? I'm not sure), so I was a little surprised at the surprise, but grateful for the opportunity for blog fodder and something to share.

Tomatoes, onions, asparagus, spinach, parsley, mushrooms, etc., are quite regular features on my breakfast or brunch plate, so it is not so difficult for me to incorporate them even more regularly while following this diet. 

I wish I were both a food stylist and a photographer, but I'm not. And so though this is not as pretty as it might be, here is a photo of my breakfast this morning.

A poached egg over turkey bacon and asparagus. No Hollandaise, though it would probably be allowed in this diet. I mostly eat plain, clean food if I can, though, and so heavy sauces are not something I miss. I guess I don't have THAT much of a French background. Or maybe my ancestors were just too poor to have sauces on their foods, and so that practice was lost over time (tell that to my grandmother who made Creamed Chipped Beef and Codfish "Gravy" like it was going out of style, ha). 

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Here are some other ideas for breakfast veggies, all of which are legal (sans the toast) in Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet:

Sauteed mushrooms and zucchini over ham, with or without whole grain toast

Scrambled eggs with salsa

Omelet with fresh herbs and tomatoes -- parsley and chives are two of my favorites. I pack them in very heavily when I make it.

A southwestern omelet:  eggs with tomatoes, onions, green or red peppers, and sometimes mushrooms or salsa

Smoked salmon with sauteed cherry tomatoes and celery

Eggs cooked any style over a bed of wilted spinach, or chopped spinach whipped into scrambled eggs, an omelet, or a crustless quiche

Canadian bacon, an egg (poached or over light are my two favorites for this) over sauteed onions and mushrooms and/or red & green peppers

Ratatouille with any protein food -- eggs, meat, cheese, tofu, fish

I agree with some commenters that it gets tiresome having eggs every day for breakfast, and so of course any meat or tofu or fish or meat substitute can be exchanged for the eggs in any of the above dishes. 

Mix and match! Be creative! 

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And now, we've got a blue sky for the SECOND.DAY.IN.A.ROW! Yesterday I got out and enjoyed it toward the end of the day, and today I plan to get out there in a pair of hiking boots and tackle that snowy hill behind my house for some serious fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.

Have a great day!

Comments

[marianne]

Mmmmm, looks yummy!
I like stirring an egg with crumbled tofu, cooking it in a skillet sort of like a pancake and topping it with whatever veggies on hand, and salsa. Good protein and it 'lasts'(as in keeps me going and not hungry) for several hours.
YAY for Blue Skies!

[Cookie]

Yummy!

(Your egg scared me, but I hope it made you happy.)

[kmkat]

I used to make pumpkin yogurt. Add canned pumpkin to plain or vanilla yogurt and season with the same spices you would use for pumpkin pie. It was yummy!

[Seanna Lea]

I like vegetables, but I don't like eggs that often. There are a lot fewer breakfast options if you don't like eggs (I'm vegetarian to boot). One thing that I used to make (not SB friendly) was something called breakfast cake. It has grated potatoes and carrots and possibly zucchini in it. Very moist!

[Elaine]

My favorite w/e breakfast is a frittata made with sauteed sliced zucchini and shallots... some crispy bacon and you're half way to Heaven.

[the greenhorn knitter]

Hey, this looks tasty!

[Suze]

Yet again I wish I wasn't allergic to egg yolk. I struggle so with breakfast and yours looks so good.

[Elizabeth]

I can barely choke down a egg with toast, unfortunately, as I was thinking about this diet... and I'm awfully fond of sweetened tea so I think my willpower would fail me over this point. I have very few vices but this is one of them. Could I just eat the bacon and greens?

[AnnaMarie]

I can finally eat vegies after almost two months and I'm loving your idea of asparagus and eggs. I want mine on a bed of crisp hash browns with some hollandaise and crumbled crisp pancetta on top.

[Elizabeth in Brookfield]

I don't mind fixing an egg every morning but when I'm running late or have to be in early it's a problem. Your quiche hint reminds me that if I make a quiche over the weekend I can eat it for breakfast after it makes a quick dash through the microwave.

[Cheryl S.]

I love eggs, so I usually have either eggs or yogurt for breakfast.

You have blue sky? Bitch. ;-)

[Kristen]

I love veggie stuffed omelets. This AM I had one with leftover mushrooms and spinach. Mmmm, mmm, mmm!

[noonie]

Getting ready to hide after making this comment but uhm... tomatoes.... not a vegetable... they are a fruit! ROTFL

And I hate them unless they are from a can, they smell delicious, they make my mouth water, but put them in my mouth in raw state or partially cooked and SHUDDER....

[elizabeth a airhart]

and was your hill alive with the sound of music good night

[Jean E.]

Looks really good! Is that freshly ground pepper?

[stellaluna]

Once you get past the "induction" phase and can have more carbs, it's a little easier. There's no reason you can't have a breakfast wrap, or even sandwich, if you work it right. I don't like to eat breakfast most days, but I find if I stop thinking "breakfast food" my tummy is more amenable to the idea of any food at all. It works with the SB diet too.

Not that I'm going to be eating a breakfast salad anytime soon.

[Lindy in Australia]

What the hell is "turkey bacon"? Cross between a turkey and a pig? Would that be a Turpig? A Purkey? You must have some weird animals in the States.PMSL

[janna]

All of those things sound wonderful for brunch, after I've been up for several hours. But for real breakfast, like before work, it's all I can do to handle yogurt or maybe (maybe!) oatmeal. However, that idea of pumpkin yogurt might work...

[gayle]

We had sunshine over here in Cloud Central, too! It had been so long that I was a little afraid I'd go all vampire-crispy-critter when I stepped out in it...

[elizabeth]

You've convinced me! I'm going to B&N today to pick up my copy of South Beach!

[DebbieB]

I made an omelet this morning with a ratatouille filling (leftover from a dinner this week). YUM!

[Becky]

OMG! My mother tells horror stories of being made to eat creamed codfish on toast when she was a child. *shudder!*

[JessaLu]

WW has a version of Hollandaise that's actually pretty darned good and very low-cal (1 point for those who have done WW). I can send you the recipe if you'd like and you can see if it'll work with the SB diet

[Cathy R]

You can approximate/replace hash browns by using chopped/diced zucchini and yellow squash (and onion), and then brown them up in a little oil (non -stick pan works to reduce the oil). Use a medium-high temperature and don't cover the pan or it gets soggy.

The original recipe I read said to peel the squash so that it "looks more like hash browns" but I don't bother.

I like mine with some diced ham added. YUM!!