A Veggie Breakfast Can Benefit You!

The produce aisle of a typical modern grocery store is one of the only areas of the store that is awash in a rainbow of textures, scents, and colors. From the leafy greens of spinach and kale to the firm white onions and earthy mushrooms, the produce aisle is where you’ll find some of the vital ingredients that are the backbone of a balanced meal.

While it’s not uncommon to find lunch offerings or dinner entrees that showcase a bounty of vegetables, many people haven’t even thought of adding vegetables to their morning meal. Packed with antioxidants, fiber and a multitude of vitamins and minerals, colorful vegetables can add a powerful punch to your breakfast. Not only will the addition of vegetables better your health, it will tickle your palate with delicious flavors.

But wait, mornings are a hectic rush from the bed to the shower and out the door—hopefully with a granola bar or piece of fruit in hand. You think you’re set for the morning until your stomach starts to growl in the ten ‘o’clock morning meeting. It turns out that you haven’t given your body the quality of fuel that you need to power through your morning. While you may think that adding vegetables to your breakfast is a time intensive project only reserved for a Sunday brunch with friends, a healthy and satisfying breakfast is only a few ingredients away.

The combination of a few extra minutes, some simple preparation techniques and fresh ingredients can yield a bountiful change that carries you through the morning.

Shortcuts for Smooth Mornings

Preparation Is Everything—Are you super organized and have your outfits picked out before you go to sleep? Why not apply the same principal to your breakfast. You can chop the veggies for breakfast alongside the dinner veggies or you can get ahead of the game by washing and prepping your veggies for the week on Sunday afternoon. Even if you wait until the morning to pick out your clothes or make your breakfast, don’t despair. There are plenty of other techniques that will help you add a vegetable or two to your morning dish.

K.I.S.S. Your Veggies—Keeping it simple can make a healthy breakfast a reality more mornings than not. By focusing on using one, two or maybe three (at the most), you can find veggies that require minimal preparation and that cook quickly.

Breakfast Ideas for Inspiring Mornings

Eggs—Whether you can flip perfect omelets or quickly scramble fluffy scrambled eggs, these early morning favorites are a versatile dish for adding veggies. Simply sauté your vegetables for a minute or two and then add the eggs. Some ideal ingredients include: spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mushrooms, scallions and red or green peppers.

Breakfast Sandwiches—Take your breakfast in hand with an upgraded breakfast sandwich. Pile fresh veggies on fiber-rich whole wheat bread or stuff a pita with your choice of sautéed or raw vegetables. You can even add seasonal veggies to your traditional breakfast on a biscuit or English muffin for a new twist on an old favorite.

Burritos—As a south-of-the-border spin on a breakfast sandwich, a breakfast burrito is a delicious and convenient way of adding veggies to your morning. Take it up a notch by substituting the usual flour or corn tortilla with a spinach or roasted red pepper wrap for a little extra boost of flavor.

Smoothies—Start your morning with a cool treat when you blend up a custom smoothie. Leafy greens, especially spinach, add an extra punch of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to a fruit smoothie. The combinations are endless and can include your favorite frozen fruits, dairy or dairy substitute and nutritious vegetables.

New research is showing that to maintain health and fight the onset of disease, we should eat five to nine servings of vegetables a day. This can seem daunting if you only limit your vegetable servings to lunch and dinner, or the occasional snack. By incorporating simple organizational practices and preparation techniques, you can expand your morning meal to include a rainbow of vegetables.