Change can be difficult, frustrating and even downright maddening. It goes against our human nature, the core of our being, which functions on familiarity, schedule and routine. Change only disrupts this comfort zone and introduces an uncomfortable adjustment period.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw
The Change: Following a Paleo Lifestyle
Let me introduce a short series of blog posts on initiating this change and how to better cope with the three main meals of the day, starting with breakfast and ending with a few fun snacks.
With so many breakfast items off the menu when following a Paleo Lifestyle, it makes it difficult to stick with it. No cereal and milk, no bagels and cream cheese, no yogurt and fruit, no, no, no. It can get downright irritating, not to mention boring. I understand what you’re going through. Coming from someone who loves breakfast and all breakfast foods, it was difficult to switch to a Paleo Lifestyle and find ways to enjoy breakfast again.
I’ve outlined seven tips below that will help you through this change. I’ve also linked some great recipes along the way. Using these tips and recipes, you won’t think twice about going back to eating cereal or yogurt again and certainly never get bored with all the great Paleo breakfast options you now have at your disposal.
Breakfast Doesn’t have to be “Breakfast”
First of all, if you had to name a Paleo Breakfast off the top of your head, I bet you would say something along the lines of, “eggs,” and this is very true for some people. However, it doesn’t have to be the case. When transitioning to a Paleo Lifestyle, breakfast can be just like any other meal.
Last night’s leftovers are a great option for breakfast instead of the traditional omelet. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Plus, it gives you another reason to leave more leftovers and store them in the fridge for later. If you crave it, you enjoy or it makes you happy, then you should do it. If something doesn’t make you happy, then it won’t last long and surely won’t serve as a lifestyle change.
Following a Paleo Lifestyle, no matter how you do it, whether it’s drastic with the Whole30 Challenge or subtly with small changes, is challenging. Making such a drastic change can sometimes be irritating and frustrating. In order to get through it, and establish a new baseline, you have to do what makes you happy. Although you should do that all the time, but when in transition, when you may not be doing exactly what you want, it’s very important to stay happy.
Don’t worry, it will get easier and your hard work will pay off.
Listen to your body, experiment with some breakfast options, which I’ll get into a little later on in this post, but, also look inside your containers from last night. If your mouth starts watering as you look at last night’s beef and vegetable stew or chicken wings and coleslaw, then have that for breakfast instead.
It’s more important to actually eat during breakfast rather that eat “breakfast.”
You catch that?
Most Importantly, Add Protein
It may seem like a no-brainer to focus on protein consumption while following a Paleo Lifestyle, but a lot of people don’t naturally jump at the idea of chicken or steak for breakfast.
The most natural breakfast protein is eggs. Eggs are a wonderful source of protein without the heaviness of, for example, a big porterhouse steak. Eggs are also the easiest to modify and leave the creativity in your hands with such a large variety of options.
I’m going to assume that since you didn’t stop reading after my first point, that you are interested in having “breakfast food” for breakfast. Furthermore, you are interested in adding a variety to your typical breakfast options, which will most likely involve eggs.
Well, you’re in luck.
Eggs are perfect for breakfast and just happens to be my favorite. They are the highest quality protein you can buy and contains just the right mix of essential amino acids needed to build tissues and start your day.
The fastest omelet maker in the world, known as the Omelet King, made 427 two-egg omelets in 30 minutes and holds three Guinness World Records for omelet making. Thanks to the Omelet King, Howard Helmer, we can no longer use time as an excuse when preparing eggs for breakfast.
Since we are on the topic of protein, why not add more. You could make omemade Sausage or add leftovers, like last night’s steak or chicken, to your eggs by way of an omelet, scramble, or keep them all separate – whatever you desire.
Something as simple as two eggs with a slice of sugar-free bacon can make a huge difference in your overall attitude in the morning. Couple that with a cup of coffee and a newspaper and you’ve got a slice of Heaven right there.
Incorporate Vegetables
When I started this Paleo Lifestyle, I would make an Egg and Vegetable Scramble every morning. I started with chopped sweet potatoes and cooked them until they were soft. Then I added a green vegetable, like broccoli or spinach, and let that cook. Finally I added two eggs, mixed with seasoning and a touch of coconut milk to make the eggs fluffy and light. Always served with sliced avocado and some type of hot sauce. My husband makes this very meal every morning.
Adding vegetables to your eggs is a great way to change up your routine, not to mention it loads your body full of nutrients before you even step out of the house. You’re well on your way to meeting your five recommended servings of vegetables at that point. Although, I must say, if you follow a Paleo Lifestyle, you are probably already in love with vegetables and have no issues getting the five recommended servings…or soon will be. I promise!
Spinach is the best for cooking from raw in the morning and certainly saves time; however, don’t forget about last night’s broccoli or asparagus. Leftover vegetables are best cooked up with some eggs. I’m partial to anything green because of the high nutritional value, but any vegetable will suffice. As long as it adds a variety to your plate and you get excited about it, then it will be make this new lifestyle easier to stick with.
Incorporate Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are ideal for a Paleo Lifestyle; however, white potatoes are a good substitution as well. Sometimes Hash Browns using a combination of sweet and white potatoes along with some onions and garlic is a great alternative option. Sweet potatoes cook differently, though, and tend to burn easier so you have to watch the heat.
Be careful with white potatoes because the sugar content can stimulate what I like to call “fake hunger” due to the sugar content. Just watch your body’s reaction, take note, and decide how you will proceed.
Don’t be Afraid of Spices
Spices are a wonderful addition to your breakfast routine – both for flavor and heat.
Let’s talk about flavor first.
Spices alone can completely change a Mexican Omelet into a French Omelet and make your Creamy No Oat Oatmeal into a delightful treat.
Try experimenting with different spices each day, find spice combinations you love and change it up every time you feel like it.
Some combinations I use are:
Mexican
- Chili Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
French
- Chives
- Tarragon
- Parsley
Vegetable
- Fresh Basil
- Fresh Parsley
- Green Onions
- Fresh Spinach
Now for the heat.
Originating from Boston, I was not accustomed to the Texas heat – the weather or the peppers. After meeting my husband, Josh, who is a native Texan, I grew to enjoy and actually crave the pepper heat. It took a lot longer to get used to the weather.
I’ll tell you a funny story. One year, while vacationing in Jost Van Dyke, dining on Soggy Dollar Beach, we found this hot sauce on the table called Erica’s Country Style Hot Sauce. I put a few drops on some on my fish salad and almost died with delight. It was wonderful! On the way out, we took a bottle home with us…we should have taken more. If you’re interested, you can check it out via their Facebook Page.
Over the years, and officially becoming a Texan myself, I have a whole new appreciation for hot peppers and hot sauces. Experiment with them any way you like – add them to your eggs, to your leftovers or to your salads as a dressing. It will repay you with a great flavor variety as well as add a kick in your step.
Make Ahead and Freeze
Are you in such a hurry that you don’t even have time for breakfast? This is probably worse than eating a gluten-loaded, sugar-loaded pop tart, oh my goodness…yuck.
But, seriously, skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do for yourself. After fasting overnight, your body needs something to get the gears shifting inside. Your brain needs an energy source to be able to make powerful and smart decisions. Even drinking a large glass of water will help get things moving.
My answer to this all too common problem is…PREP!
No joke, prepping will save your life in the beginning and when you’re short on time. Especially when you’re not used to cooking for every meal. I remember when we started our Paleo Lifestyle, I would sit down on the couch with 5 cookbooks open around me, a pad of paper and pen for the shopping list, my phone open to the grocery sales and I would spend at least thirty-minutes planning our weekly meals, writing our shopping list and picking out ways to prep on Sunday so it would save time during the week.
Honestly, I still do look like that every week, but it only takes me ten or fifteen minutes now, and I enjoy thumbing through cookbooks and creating new recipes for my family to test.
My son, Wyatt, is starting to look through cookbooks too. He usually contributes a meal or two as he thumbs through and finds something he wants, “I think we should have this for dinner, Mommy.”
The fun part is, I don’t disagree with him.
It is important for your children to be and feel involved in this process. As parents, we should be able to teach our children what it’s like to plan, prep and cook our meals so when they are older, it won’t be such a difficult concept to assemble and maintain.
In any case, whatever you choose to prep for breakfast, make sure it will last all week. Some great examples are:
Bread is not Completely Out of the Picture
Going “grain-free” is not necessarily the same thing as “bread-free”.
Can I hear a “hallelujah?”
To tell you the truth, after following the full Whole30 Challenge, I got used to the idea of removing bread all together, but over time, and the desire for more variety, I decided to experiment with some recipes using a combination of coconut, almond and buckwheat flours – each mixed with a starch.
Each flour has its own composition, properties and texture, which alters the mixture in slightly different ways. It took me quite some time to figure out the properties of the mixture and how to apply each mixture to achieve the desired texture.
I will get into a more detailed post on Paleo flours later, but for now, my best advice I can give you is to figure out a mix that works and use the same mix for everything. That way, adjusting recipes will become more familiar to you once you know how the flour mixture will react to liquid and are more familiar with the taste and texture.
Paleo Flour
I commonly recommend a 70-30 ratio of flour to starch by weight, which means:
70% Flour
- Coconut
- Almond
- Buckwheat
30% Starch
- Tapioca
- Arrowroot
- Potato
- Flax Seeds
For example, if you want to make 1 pound of Paleo Flour, combine 11.2 ounces of flour and 4.8 ounces of starch. You can easily double or triple the recipe as needed based on how often you use the blend. I usually keep the flour mix in a closed container in the pantry, but if you don’t use flour as often, I recommend keeping in the refrigerator or freezer.
Using the 70-30 ratio, you can adjust the flour and starch amounts and ingredients according to your taste and texture needs. Baking will become easy again instead of worrying about grains and gluten.
Try a few of these recipes for breakfast:
Now that you’re armed with multiple different breakfast recipes, try them out, mix them up and pick a few that are special enough to make it to your new breakfast routine.
The key to avoid boredom is variety. Variety is the spice of life, so they say. It’s our human nature to seek comfort in routine; however, its variety that makes us happy and change that allows us to progress.
Experience Paleo 