A Nutritional Boost for Your Morning Routine

Let’s don’t underestimate the power of vegetables, they deserve a little time (or I actually think A LOT of time!) in the spotlight. Vegetables are great as they offer an abundance of nutrients, especially when we eat a wide variety of them - eat the rainbow! With the exception of a few higher carbohydrate vegetables (such as potatoes) they have little effect on blood sugar due to their high fiber content. Fiber plays an important role in our body by keeping our digestive mechanisms regular, improving gut flora as it feeds our good bacteria, and essential in keeping blood sugar balanced. Vegetables are a very important part of our diet. I encourage you to try new vegetables, even trying some vegetables you think you might not like, try them prepared in a new way or in a dish with other vegetables. Feel free to eat in abundance! 

I truly feel including a wide range of colorful vegetables can be a huge game changer in your health. A great way to begin the day is focused on vegetables. I have compiled a few delicious ways to begin the day with something you feel great about.

Paleo Vegetable Quiche

Puretasterecipes.com

• 1 Tbsp Grass-Fed Ghee

• 2 cups cubed pumpkin or butternut squash

• 3 cups chopped kale

• 1 cup chopped mushrooms 

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• ½ tsp paprika

• 8 eggs

• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ghee and let it get hot, about 30 seconds. Add pumpkin or butternut squash and cook 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened. Add kale and cook for another 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. Add mushrooms and spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes until softened.

Pour mixture into a greased glass pie pan. Add whisked eggs and stir to make sure everything is mixed well. Bake for 25-30 minutes until eggs are cooked through.

Vegetable Breakfast Hash

Adapted from bethdooleyskitchen.com

Roasted Vegetables

• 1 small whole acorn squash, peeled, halved, seeded and diced into 1/2- in. pieces

• 2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 2 medium carrots, diced into 1/2-in. Pieces

• 1 cup celery root, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 3 small beets, peeled and diced into 1/2-in. pieces

• 1 large turnip, peeled and diced into 1/2-in. pieces

• 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into 1/2-in. pieces

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

• ½ tsp. black pepper

• ½ tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat 2 rimmed baking pans until hot, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Toss the vegetables with the oil and salt, and scatter over the preheated baking sheets. Roast in the oven, shaking the pan occasionally and turning it once, until the vegetables are golden and begin to brown, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Using these roasted vegetables as the base for your breakfast hash, warm a medium skillet with 1 Tbsp avocado oil, grass-fed ghee, or other oil of choice. Cook eggs to desired doneness and serve over vegetables. Added bonus to top with some fresh slices of avocado or a side of steamed greens such as kale.

Powerhouse Smoothies

Cherries are the Beet

• 8-10oz unsweetened almond milk

• ½ cup cooked or frozen beets

• 1 cup frozen cherries

• 1 frozen banana

• 1Tbsp chia seeds

• 1Tbsp almond butter

• 2Tbsp Great Lakes collagen powder

Mango Sunrise

• 8-10oz unsweetened coconut milk

• ½ cup frozen mango

• ½ yellow bell pepper

• ½ orange, peeled

• 1 Tbsp flax seeds

• 1 Tbsp coconut butter

• 1 scoop NutraGen plant based vanilla protein powder

Lean and Green

• 8-10oz unsweetened almond milk

• ½ cup frozen spinach

• ½ cup frozen kale

• ½ frozen banana

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• ¼ avocado 

• 1 Tbsp chia seeds 

• 1 scoop vanilla hemp protein powder