Veggies For Breakfast

Insider’s Viewpoint: Veggies For Breakfast

By Fruits & Veggies - More Matters

February 25, 2014

Getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily is no easy task. There is “Breakfast for Dinner” so why not “Veggies for Breakfast”? Remember to strive for half your plate as fruit or vegetables. Adding vegetables to a traditionally vegetable-less meal might make getting half your plate easier, and likely, more interesting.

12 Ways to Add Veggies to Your Breakfast

  1. Add ½ cup canned pure pumpkin to cooked cereal like oatmeal or to pancakes.
  2. Combine leftover vegetables with scrambled eggs and a little cheese.
  3. Blend greens, carrots, or beets into your favorite smoothie.
  4. Combine carrot and orange juices for a morning lift with fewer calories thanfruit juice.
  5. Top a leftover sweet potato with vanilla Greek yogurt, walnuts, and cinnamon.
  6. Make a real egg salad – cooked eggs over a bed of greens with your favorite dressing.
  7. Complement an egg and cheese muffin with a slice of tomato and spinach.
  8. Make a breakfast pizza with egg, cheese, and your favorite vegetables.
  9. Shave zucchini, carrot, or squash to include in a muffin.
  10. Try sweet potato hash with onions, eggs, and a bit of cheese.
  11. Make a virgin Bloody Mary with low-sodium tomato juice, celery, carrots, andolives.
  12. Make a breakfast casserole but replace half, or all, of the crumbled sausage with chopped mushrooms like the recipe below.

Recipe

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Breakfast Casserole
8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 12 slices of whole wheat bread, cubed
  • 2 ¼ cups fat-free milk
  • 2 cups shredded 2% reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, diced and sautéed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 (4 ounce) can green chiles, optional
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Spray the sides of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Make layers in the slow cooker of bread, sautéed mushrooms, onion, peppers, chiles, and cheese. End with a cheese layer.
  3. Beat eggs, milk, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together. Pour over slow cooker mixture, cover and turn on low. Cook for 5-7 hours.

Nutrition facts per serving: 330 calories, 14g Fat, 30g Carbohydrate, 22g Protein

Melissa Hehmann, RD CDE
Healthy Living Advisor
Meijer

Source:FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org