I don’t know about you but when things get chaotic I turn to food. Not so much the eating of it, but definitely the making of it. I think we all have certain rituals that comfort us and mine seems to be concocting recipes. Specifically breakfast recipes.
Oh, I know what you’re thinking. You thought my comfort ritual was drinking wine. Well, that too.
While I’m not the world’s most enthusiastic morning person, I’ve learned to embrace the earliness and enjoy it for all that it stands for – a new day, a new start, no phone calls, no talking, hot coffee, and the calm before the “MomMomMomMomMom!” storm. So it’s only fitting that my favorite meal of the day be breakfast, since I truly believe that first nosh sets us all up for how our bodies run themselves the rest of the day. Yet even I get bored with breakfast, which is basically what happened here. Nutritional boredom + chaos of life = new recipes. It’s what I do!
The first recipe was inspired by busy mornings. The ones where we find ourselves rushing out the door 10 minutes late again and realizing we haven’t eaten yet. If you have all these ingredients ready you can throw this green smoothie together in a snap, pour it into a sealable drink container and blow that lemonade stand. (Ha, get it? We make jalapeno wine lemonade? Alright, nevermind.)
The second recipe was inspired by the farmers’ market we’re at every Saturday. Gathering up our produce and various other items from the farmers themselves every week makes me even more stoked about food. However you don’t need a farmers’ market to pull this one off. It’s about as easy as licking the wine drops off the bottle. But that’s still wayyyy more fun. Still, you’re gonna enjoy this one.
Here’s what we’re dealing with:
Blueberry Banana Coconut Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 banana (I prefer them frozen, as pictured above. You can freeze the entire banana with the peel on, nuke it for 15 seconds and then pull the peel off, or you can peel the banana and freeze it in slices.)
- 1 cup your choice of milk
- Handful of spinach OR some basil, either fresh or frozen in cubes (I found mine at Trader Joe’s). If using fresh basil, all you need is a few leaves.
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder OR 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt + 1 Tbsp honey (While it is convenient, I don’t use protein powder regularly so a container lasts me up to 6 months. I often use Greek yogurt if I have a little more time to spare.)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 3-4 ice cubes
Throw everything, except the coconut oil and honey if using, in a blender. 15 seconds into blending, add the coconut oil and/or honey and immediately blend for 30 more seconds. This keeps the coconut oil and/or honey from hardening back up with the ice cubes.
Spinach and Mushroom Scramble
(Makes about 2 servings)
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs or 6 egg whites, or any combination you prefer (I used 3 duck eggs, which are much larger than chicken eggs.)
- Big handful (about 1 1/2 cups) fresh spinach
- Your favorite mushrooms, about 3-5, sliced
- Green onion, 1 or 2, chopped (optional)
- 1 Tbsp milk or water
- 1/4 cup of your favorite shredded cheese, or crumbled goat cheese (I’ve used both shredded mozzarella and fresh goat cheese in this recipe and I don’t have a favorite – they are both delicious.)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp butter or cooking spray
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, saute the spinach and mushrooms together in either butter or cooking spray. Stir occasionally for 4 to 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs (or whites or combo of the two) and milk or water with a small amount of salt and pepper. Stir in the green onion.
Once the spinach is wilted and the mushrooms are lightly browned, pour the egg mixture into the pan.
Let the eggs do their thing for about 20 seconds, then begin scrambling once the edges start to set.
Using a spatula, push cooked portions of egg toward the middle of the pan, allowing the uncooked egg to flow out to the hot surface. When the eggs are almost completely set, sprinkle cheese over the top. Cover the pan and turn off the heat.
When cheese is melted, you eat!
My job is done here, the rest of your day is up to you and your best judgment. Godspeed!
