Slim Down & Fill Up: Breakfast Recipe
Ways to View This Blog:
If you want to lose weight, but still want to eat delicious food…
If you don’t want to feel starved while you do it…
And if you want a quick option because you don’t have a lot of time…
Not only will this recipe help, but I have some specific weight loss tips to go along with it.
Why It Works For Weight Loss
I have this meal for breakfast at least once a week, if not several times per week, whether I’m in a season of losing weight or not. (It’s sooooo good.)
But there are 3 reasons it works well for weight loss…
1. It’s Adaptable
The most important part of eating for healthy weight loss — so you actually get the results you want — is getting your portions right.
This recipe makes that super easy.
You’ll have to know how many carbs, proteins, fats, and veggies you should be eating (and we can help you with that), but once you do, it’s as simple as eyeballing how much to put in the pan.
Need fewer carbs?
Just cut back a bit on the sweet potato. You can even swap some of it for turnips (a veggie rather than a carb).
Need more protein?
Add a bit more chicken, or top the whole thing off with an egg or two.
Need more veggies?
The original recipe called for a mix of sweet potatoes and turnips, but I’m not a fan of turnips, so I load it up with baby spinach. You could also use winter squash, or literally add any vegetable that sounds good to you, like onions, bell peppers, tomatoes (nutritionally a veggie), etc.
2. It’s Filling
Another important part of weight loss is staying full so you don’t lose all self-control. Cooking with mostly whole foods is the best solution for that, and sweet potatoes are one of the most filling foods of all.
By the way, if you’re not thrilled about sweet potatoes, another swap (besides the turnips or winter squash) would be to use regular potatoes, which are just as filling, if not more so.
3. It’s Breakfast
All of my meals during weight loss are nearly identical to my non-weight loss meals — they’re typically just a bit smaller. But for breakfast, I keep it as close to the normal size as possible.
I find it’s harder on me if I save room for a big dinner by eating less the rest of the day. No matter how much I eat in the evening, I can never quite catch up to my hunger. So my first meal is my biggest (keep in mind, you don’t have to jump out of bed and start eating).
I’m not the only person this particular tip works for, but you have to experiment with it to see how it feels for you. If you don’t like it, there isn’t some science-y reason to force yourself to do it.
How to Make it Quick & Easy
I am NOT the cook of the family (this is Seth writing this, not Megan). I’ve come a long way over the past few years — meaning my passionate hatred of cooking has simmered to a general dislike of spending too much time in the kitchen.
I make almost all of the breakfasts in our house now though. Most of them are well-balanced meals that require a bit more effort than pouring a bowl of cereal, but I still keep things as simple as possible.
With this recipe, the secret is making extra food when you’re cooking OTHER meals.
I’m fortunate that Megan has a couple recipes she uses on a semi-regular basis that call for sweet potatoes, and we use chicken for a lot of meals. So whenever we cook those foods, we cook a lot of it.
It takes hardly any extra time to just cook more of something, and then it’s ready to use in the fridge whenever I want it.
The Ingredients
Chopped Turkey Sausage (or any kind of lean-meat sausage) — I use roughly 1 palm sized portion.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes, cubed (and/or turnips, regular potatoes, or winter squash — or buy a bag of already prepared sweet potatoes) — I use roughly 2 cupped hand sized portions.
Cooked Chicken (totally optional, but I like to add it for a bit of extra protein and because it’s also very filling) — I use roughly half a palm sized portion.
Avocado Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for the pan and because those are healthy fats) — I use very little because our roasted sweet potatoes already have oil on them.
Eggs (also optional, but I love the extra flavor the yolk gives) — I make 2, which is roughly half a palm sized portion.
Spices (I never add anything because it’s flavorful enough as it is — plus when we cook the chicken and potatoes ahead of time, we add herbs and spices already — but you could also add some garlic, cinnamon, paprika, salt, pepper, or whatever you like)
Keep in mind, the amounts are very approximate, and that makes a giant meal for me.
(Side note: The cool thing about how Megan teaches nutrition is that you can easily just add how much your kids need, too, just by eyeballing it — no separate meals required. Although I will admit, my kids aren’t big fans of this particular recipe. If I didn’t love it so much, I might care about that more.)
My Instructions
Since I’m NOT a chef, by any means, I’m going to assume that you aren’t, too. So these instructions will read like how I would tell a friend to make this meal rather than a formal recipe.
Step 1: Get a big pan and put it on medium heat.
Step 2: Get however much you want of each ingredient based on how much protein, carbs, and veggies you need. (See the side note in the above section.)
Step 3: Put a little bit of oil in the pan (I recommend either avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil).
Step 4: Toss in all the ingredients. Stir occasionally.
Step 5: Cook eggs in a separate pan however you like them (I prefer over-easy).
Step 6: When the food is warm, put it in a bowl, put the eggs on top when they’re cooked, and enjoy!
If you follow all the advice I gave in the rest of the blog, it really is that easy. A healthy, filling meal in a matter of minutes.
But it starts with a foundation of knowing what foods count as which nutrient (protein, carbs, fat, veggies), and how much you need of all of it to reach your goals. That’s where we can help. Book a free 20 min. call with us to see if our coaching is a good fit for you.
The individual foods you eat won’t cause OR prevent weight loss, but they CAN make the process easier, or more difficult. Specifically, eat mostly whole foods so you stay full and it’s easier to not lose self-control.
The most important thing though — what actually DOES cause weight loss — is to eat the right amount of ALL nutrients (carbs, proteins, fats, and veggies).
The above recipe will help, but we can make things even easier on you and tell you how much to eat, and how to track it easily (without counting calories or weighing food). Book a free 20 min. call with us to see if our coaching is a good fit for you.
