Hero Breakfast
This day started out as many; I woke up, went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, put in my contacts, all the while thinking what do I want for breakfast?
“Alexa, what’s the weather outside?”
“Today’s weather is sunny, with a high of 75 and a low of 64.”
Hmm, I thought to myself, do I want something warm, or something cool?
I know that you all are well aware of the smoothie craze that has been happening for the last decade or so—a blend of frozen fruits, and sometimes vegetables, now with more ingredients than ever. It’s not uncommon for a smoothie to have upwards of six ingredients, some recipes I’ve seen go as high as fifteen in one drink!
There are positive and negatives to this “dump it in, blend, drink” approach to your first meal of the day.
Yes, it’s true, you can “fit it all in” by adding your supplements, healthy fats, adaptogens etc into a smoothie and having that first thing in the morning. However, that tends to be a lot to ask of your digestive system right when it’s waking up—especially when many of our digestive systems these days are on the weak side…I know mine is.
Last winter, I was pretty much forcing myself to down (delicious) Daily Harvest smoothies for breakfast on my way to work (often after adding my own adaptogens and extra ingredients to their already lengthy list). I was seeing my favorite bloggers and instagram health stars starting theirdays with these smoothies, so naturally I labeled them under the THIS IS HEALTHY category in my head and stubbornly shut the file, refusing to acknowledge any of the not so great feelings I was having post consumption.
Here’s what was really goin down post smoothie:
- Chills
- Stomach pains
- Extreme thirst
- Crankiness
- General feeling of blech
Any of this sound familiar to you smoothie drinkers out there?
I learned the hard way that maybe my body doesn’t want 12 ingredients right when it wakes up…and maybe my body also doesn’t want to use lots of energy heating back up to the steamy and comfortable 98.6 degrees post 40 degree smoothie, in 40 degree weather.
Go figure.
Once I resigned to opening back up that THIS IS HEALTHY file and moving some things around, I realized that what my body wants in mid July for breakfast just isn’t going to be the same as mid December, or the same as bloggers who live in Southern California. And p.s., DUH.
After consulting with a fellow health practitioner, I decided to try this non recipe recipe, and what I learned was that simple, warming, and hydrating was the sweet spot for me when it came to breakfast. An egg poached in bone broth with some greens and/or avocado thrown in became my hero breakfast for many cold days. And guess what? It takes the same amount of time as a smoothie!
After I began this practice, my morning self was a lot happier, warmer, and energetic.
Here’s what you do:
- Make or buy bone broth. Some of my favorites to buy are Bonafide Provisions (sold frozen at whole foods) or Kettle and Fire (shelf-stable and also at Whole Foods or online) or Epic. I like the Kettle and Fire boxes or Epic jars because they’re smaller serving sizes so I can use about 1 every 2 days, and they have delicious flavors.
- Pour 2 cups bone broth into a saucepan and gently crack one (or two!) egg into the broth. Simmer, covered, for 4 minutes (while you go brush your teeth, pack your bag, dance around your kitchen, shwatever!) This is also the time you can add anything else to your broth: vegetables, greens, leftover rice, beans lentils etc.
- Uncover, make sure the eggs whites are all done, and season with a bit of salt/whatever else you want. I like furikake (the Japanese condiment), or a spoonful of harissa for spice.
- Carefully, pour into bowl or thermos, option to top with avocado, ghee or fresh herbs if you like, and you’re off to the races! Don’t forget a spoon and napkin if you’re taking this to go.
With this breakfast, not only are you getting your protein from the egg, but you’re also getting great minerals and collagen from the bone broth, and hopefully some fat from added avocado or ghee. When the weather starts turning, your body and gut will be so happy for this warm hug in the morning.
Happy September!