Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I am thinking of trying the Whole30 in January, but my sticking point is breakfast. Currently, most of what I eat for breakfast involves full fat dairy in some form. I need some ideas that fit the following criteria:

Not plain eggs. I hate the taste of eggs. I'm totally fine with them as a binder in a casserole or crustless quiche, but I don't like eggs as eggs.
I can't handle a big hunk of meat in the morning day after day. On occasion it's fine, but not for everyday.
I have Meniere's disease which I manage using a very low salt diet. So sausage and bacon are not options.
Both smoothies & plain fruit are fairly unsatisfying for me.
I need something that's an easy make-ahead option. I sometimes do sweet potato & pecan pancakes and those are great on weekends, but not the quickest to just grab and eat. Anything casserole-ish is great, I currently do a lot of egg/cheese breakfast casseroles with veggies and sometimes leftover meats. But I don't know how well that will work if I just drop the cheese.

flag	asked Dec 13 2011 at 20:04 jj 2,524●2●9

sage_ · Answer 1 · 2011-12-13 20:12:09Z UTC

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chicken liver sauted in onion/green pepper with wilted spinach- ready in 5 minutes if you keep the veggies pre-chopped in the refrigerator.

answered Dec 13 2011 at 20:12

sage_
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	Currently we get our chickens from a CSA, so I don't have a big pile of chicken livers laying around. I also find conventionally produced beef liver to be gross, while grass fed is fairly tasty... I don't know if I'd have the same problem with conventionally produced chicken liver. Do you just get the tubs at the supermarket? – jj Dec 13 2011 at 21:34
	i buy mine from my butcher – sage_ Dec 13 2011 at 22:16

Caveman Bob · Answer 2 · 2011-12-13 20:50:47Z UTC

I don't like plain eggs either, but I'll often scramble a few eggs along with a large amount of chopped onion, green pepper, tomato, and spinach. If you're using enough veggies, you won't miss the cheese or have to choke down piles of flavorless scrambled egg.

Alternatively, you could mix 1/2 c almond flour, 2 eggs, 1/4 c canned pumpkin, a touch of baking soda and salt, and some cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice to make some pancakes. If you have the ingredients on hand, it's pretty painless and quick. They taste good if you make them at night and re-heat them as well.

sage_ · Answer 3 · 2011-12-13 21:25:31Z UTC

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shrimp! they fry up quickly with chopped pineapple, red pepper and ginger.

answered Dec 13 2011 at 21:25

sage_
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	Shrimp are an awesome idea. I love them, but my preschooler protests when they show up on the dinner table. – jj Dec 13 2011 at 21:31
	lucky you; i have to arm wrestle mine for them :) – sage_ Dec 13 2011 at 22:15
	It's actually one of the few things he hates, he's a good eater otherwise. More for me! :-) – jj Dec 13 2011 at 23:33

Rogue Nutritionist · Answer 4 · 2011-12-13 21:29:01Z UTC

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You could make your own sausage patties with ground meat and spices of your choice with little to no salt, in the morning, just fry up a couple and serve with sauerkraut and avocado. I love soup for breakfast, and I make a lot of bone broth soups for dinner for the family, so I often will just warm up the leftovers, or just boil some broth and whisk in a couple of eggs with scallions for an egg drop style quick meal(maybe the eggs would be fine for you in this way since they taste brothy?). Or, you can just drop the idea that breakfast has to be any certain types of foods and just eat leftovers from your dinners every day!

answered Dec 13 2011 at 21:29

Rogue Nutritionist
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I've tried the leftovers from dinner strategy before and it doesn't make me very happy long-term. Making my own low-salt sausage hadn't occured to me though, and neither had egg drop soup. Both are pretty nifty ideas. – jj Dec 13 2011 at 21:36

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I've started making my own sausage the last two weeks. I haven't yet found the right spice mix, but you can make up a couple of pounds and either freeze or keep in the fridge, depending on how much meat you do (or don't) like in the morning. If full-fat dairy agrees with you, I don't know why you would cut it to do a Whole30. Why restrict what many agree is a beneficial food? – Tom R. Dec 14 2011 at 2:44

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I actually have some sodium free sausage seasoning (just herbs & spices) hanging around in the back of my cabinet, so I'll probably give that a try. And I'm trying it out as an experiment, to see if it helps with my "last 10 pounds" problem. See if it makes any difference. – jj Dec 14 2011 at 21:21

Sally Fallon has a simple recipe in Nourishing Traditions for turkey sausage patties that you could use as a guide...you could use any ground meat for that. – Rogue Nutritionist Dec 15 2011 at 0:08

Sara S. · Answer 5 · 2011-12-13 21:00:21Z UTC

If you want something quick, a lot of the paleo cookbooks have eggy muffin type things that are basically eggs and veggies baked in a muffin shape. It sounds like they're easy to take out of the fridge or freezer and heat up for a quick and easy breakfast.

Lately I've been really pleased with ground beef sauteed with green veggies and starchy veggies. I boil or roast the starchy veggies ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. In the morning I saute the ground beef and some greens, then add the starchy veggies at the end to warm them up. I find it very satisfying, and fairly quick to make. If you wanted it to taste more like typical breakfast, you could add some sage to the ground beef to make it taste like breakfast sausage.

Josh M · Answer 6 · 2011-12-14 05:12:43Z UTC

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I usually have a dog's breakfast: a stretch, a piss, a look around and I am off to greet my day.

answered Dec 14 2011 at 5:12

Josh M
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caught me off guard, laughed out loud. – Mark Dec 15 2011 at 5:23

Nance · Answer 7 · 2011-12-13 20:41:57Z UTC

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Try meat with the eggs, whatever is your favorite. It can be pre-cooked and re-heated when you make the eggs. Or pre-cut/pre-cook sweet potatoes and brown them with your eggs.

answered Dec 13 2011 at 20:41

Nance
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Rhubarb · Answer 8 · 2011-12-14 02:35:22Z UTC

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My breakfast is more of often than not what I had for dinner the night before. I just make extra and it makes a quick awesome breakfast the next morning.

Transcend the concept of breakfast foods.

answered Dec 14 2011 at 2:35

Rhubarb
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	I'm so jealous. I'm hugely food motivated (sigh) and yet I'd almost always rather skip a meal than eat leftovers. And I'm a good cook! – syrahna Dec 14 2011 at 3:52
	I would rather not eat at all then eat leftovers from dinner for breakfast. I have not transcended yet. – Senneth Dec 14 2011 at 17:04
	Have to agree, leftovers usually go for lunch. I enjoy making breakfast with the kids! – Mark Dec 15 2011 at 5:25
	Transcend damn it! ;) – Rhubarb Dec 15 2011 at 7:02

air_hadoken · Answer 9 · 2011-12-14 08:27:06Z UTC

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I almost never bother to eat breakfast, but one thing that I do enjoy in the morning is canned oily fish, e.g. sardines or mackerel or herring. Can't say if the salt content is within your limitation, though.

answered Dec 14 2011 at 8:27

air_hadoken
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	Some sardines are available with no added salt. Do you just chow 'em down straight or mix with something for flavor? – jj Dec 14 2011 at 21:23
	I usually don't need anything. Unlike canned tuna, sardines go down easy without needing oil products or seasonings. – air_hadoken Dec 14 2011 at 21:54

blur · Answer 10 · 2011-12-14 12:16:24Z UTC

http://www.paleotable.com/2011/04/breakfast-of-champions-acorn-squash.html

^ I really like this acorn squash "porridge" for breakfast. If you roast a bunch of squash on the weekend, you can just pop it in the microwave with all the other ingredients and it'll be ready. I think it's good with a little ginger too, and strawberries work really well in it. You could also add coconut flakes or nuts to boost the calorie content.

http://curiouscarnivore.blogspot.com/2011/08/sweet-potato-souffle.html

^ This is another one I do; it takes about half an hour in the oven, but I usually just use that time to get ready. You could also cook it the night before and heat it up.

Adam · Answer 11 · 2011-12-13 22:47:50Z UTC

My favorite breakfast is a country scramble. I usually make sausage (you could use burger with seasonings to make your own) cooked, then add a can of full fat coconut milk, add seasonings and simmer. Then i'll sauté some veggies (sweet potatoes, and yams or whatever you want- think hash-browns) then scramble up some eggs. Dump them in a bowl together and enjoy. The "gravy" isn't very thick and surprisingly doesn't taste like coconut either. It's delicious!!

Hannah Willette · Answer 12 · 2011-12-14 02:05:56Z UTC

I am a paleo food blogger and I am growing my recipe collection everyday. With that said, I have a few ideas for you to check out.

Sunday Hash and Poached Eggs: http://www.thewholekitchen.com/sunday-hash-and-poached-eggs/

Eggs in a Basket: http://www.thewholekitchen.com/eggs-in-a-basket/

I know you said you didn't want a smoothie recipe but give these two a shot.

Cinnamon Cashew Smoothie: http://www.thewholekitchen.com/cinnamon-cashew-smoothie/

Blueberry Power Smoothie: http://www.thewholekitchen.com/blueberry-power-smoothie/

AlohaSpeck · Answer 13 · 2011-12-14 10:57:39Z UTC

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My quick breakfast is full-fat Greek yoghurt with a handful of blueberries and mixed nuts.

answered Dec 14 2011 at 10:57

AlohaSpeck
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holly · Answer 14 · 2011-12-14 15:19:21Z UTC

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SOUP! is good in winter

answered Dec 14 2011 at 15:19

holly
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Penotti · Answer 15 · 2011-12-14 15:31:57Z UTC

I've created a recipe that's totally easy, filling and can be made ahead of time (i ususally make a batch for the whole week: http://crossfitcatcave.blogspot.com/2011/10/paleo-apple-pancakes.html

You don't even need to add the apples, just with some almond (or any nut)butter is great too. If i want to cheat a little, i add some greek yoghurt and honey on top

Mark · Answer 16 · 2011-12-15 05:28:18Z UTC

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There are some great suggestions here! It looks like you have a good list of things you don't like or want. I suggest making a list on the other side of the paper with things you do like and start inventing and experimenting with some breakfast recipes. You might find something you really like!

answered Dec 15 2011 at 5:28

Mark
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I am completely picky about breakfast, yes. The good news is that when I find something that suits me I can eat the same thing day-in-day-out for years. I just need to play around in invent something that works. – jj Dec 19 2011 at 6:08

a mesmerizing trickster · Answer 17 · 2011-12-15 07:06:40Z UTC

I believe this fit your needs. Please Google a recipe name, or add a comment to this answer, if you don't understand something, I'll be happy to help fine-tune if these don't hit the spot.

Dakjuk (chicken porridge). This dish normally has rice to thicken the porridge, but you can do without. This is what I do; I make a big batch. In a crockpot, add chopped chicken thighs (skin on is OK), your chicken stock (should cover meat by one inch), salt, pepper. Cook it until the chicken is completely shredded. Refrigerate in small containers. When you re-heat, and it's almost hot enough to eat, add one whole egg and don't stir. You'll have a poached egg in your porridge :-) OR add egg and stir briskly to make egg threads.

Meatballs (there's no need to add breadcrumbs or silly things like almond flour. Make it with just meat vegetables. I like this: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground pork, salt, pepper, cumin, chili paste. When you're out of whole30, you can add cottage cheese. I like to bake, then broil.)

Chicken curry Yeah, cube chicken breast, cook with onions and curry powder, garam masala, salt and pepper, in coconut oil. Add a tablepoon or two tomato paste (optional) and one can coconut milk. Simmer until nice and thick.

Shrimp curry Shrimp, onions, red peppers, coconut milk. Cook the same way as the chicken curry.

Beef stew I like chuck steak, marrow bone stock, turnips and carrots or sweet potatoes.

Pulled pork shoulder : You can eat it by itself, add to salads, lettuce wraps, mix with scrambled eggs...

A nice salad: lettuce or spinach, chicken or shrimp, pecans or walnuts or macadamias, apples or strawberries :P

Steakhouse pizza (I'm posting this just because the beef looks really good; I'm not suggesting you eat pizza or cheese...): http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/steakhouse-pizza/

You might want to look up asian breakfasts, there are so many paleo breakfasts (minus rice), it's unbelievable. And they're so tasty, ooooooooh yes.

Breakfast ideas

17 Answers