Low Carb Breakfast Ideas - Part One

Breakfast: The most important meal of the day, but sometimes the hardest meal for low carb.

True isn't it? How many days in a row can you eat eggs without getting sick at the sight of them? A bit of planning in advance can help a lot. First in a series, we will tackle low carb meal ideas for breakfast.

First, I want to address the whole "Great American Breakfast" standard. On the one side there is the high carb/low protein breakfast of cereal and milk. On the other side there is the "cooked" breafast that invariably includes eggs, a "breakfast" meat (bacon, sausage or ham) and your bread/grain of choice (pancakes, french toast, toast, oatmeal, muffin, etc.). Since cereal and milk are out of the question for low carb, we are left with trying to simulate a standard "cooked" breakfast. Eggs and meats are great and can be very easy, especially at first, for low carb. The problem comes with eating the same few things day after day. I want to let you all know that you don't have to have eggs and bacon for breakfast every day! In fact, I want you to think about eating things not usually considered "breakfast" foods for breakfast. It is a little weird at first, but sometimes a cheeseburger in the morning really hits the spot! (no bun of course!)

Before we get into the more creative ways of making a low carb breakfast, let's revisit those breakfast standards: eggs and meat. Already mentioned, this can be easy , until you taste buds burn out. I'm not exactly sure why this happens. It seems silly to me, because I know in past times and even in third world countries people eat the same thing(s) everyday. I know they are happy and grateful for each mouthful they receive. So, why can't I be that way too? Why can't I eat the same thing everyday and have it taste as good the first day, the fifty first day and the one hundred and first day? Is this just a sign of conditioning to the American way of eating something different everyday? Is it something I can "get over", mind over matter? I don't know. Trying to eat something that makes you gag isn't easy. Keeping ones stomach and brain full/content is important to avoid snacking, cravings, stable blood sugar and long term success for low carb. I'm new at this, so if anyone else has any answers, please jump in!

Back to, ahem, eggs... One of the reasons we use them is that they are an easy, usually tasty, way to get in some good protein. Protein is important to low carbing, as well as fats. It isn't enough to just reduce your carbs, you need to get good amounts of protein and fats in. Don't go crazy though. Just enough to be full till the next meal. You can play around with this. If two eggs and a meat (say 2 slices of bacon) aren't keeping your full till lunch, check that you have gotten in some good fat (butter, cream, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.). If you have had some fat, add one more egg or one more piece of bacon. Find where you are satisfied till the next meal, without feeling too full/stuffed afterward. If you eat too much protein at your meals you can also hinder weight loss, for those of you who are doing low carb for that, and/or raise your blood sugars by giving your stomach too much food to digest. So, keep in mind, reasonable portions and don't go "hog" wild (ha!) on your protein portions.

Here are a few ideas so that you can change eggs texture and taste:

1. Cook them differently: scrambled, omelet, fried, hard boiled, soft boiled, raw (like in an eggnog/protein drink) or crust less quiche. Rotating through these different ways can help you and your family avoid burn out.

2. Add different ingrediants into scrambled, omelet, quiche and even on top of your fried egg, and in an eggnog/protein drink. Examples:

Cheese -lots of different varieties to choose from, so rotate
Veggies -left overs from the night before work great
Salsa -watch ingrediants/carb count - some might add sugar- and don't use tons
Garlic/onions - use sparingly, but a little goes a long way for flavor
Da Vinci syrup flavoring -some are better than others for this
Spices - very important for low carb, play around with them
Low carb ketchup -okay, that is one I like, I think because it reminds me of eating eggs with hash browns of potatoes, which I used to eat with ketchup put on
Mustard
Mix your bacon or sausage in with your eggs instead of eating separately
A small amount of toasted, chopped nuts, like pecans
Cream
Ricotta
For Eggnog: low carb count protein powder (can also make a protein shake this way, without eggs), Da Vinci syrups can add a lot of flavor, specialty extracts/flavorings, lower carb fruit used sparingly (like blueberry's), ricotta, cream, sour cream.

I think menu planning helps a lot, so that you have a plan in advance of how you are going to prepare things (like eggs) differently each day. Keep things rotating.

Breakfast meats can be used with or without eggs. Again, rotating your meats will help in the long run. We use a lot of bacon, because it is easy and most of the family likes it. Leftovers are never a problem as they get used in sandwiches by my older kids (who aren't low carbing), as snacks, in salads, or in the next days egg meal.

Here are breakfast meat ideas:
Bacon
Sausage -link or patties - though watch carb counts, as some add a lot of sugar
Ham or canadian bacon
Steak - perfect if you have some left over from the night before, cook some extra to have for breakfast
Left over chicken- grill it up to go in your omelet or quiche or on the side with fried eggs
Fish - not a personal favorite, but I'm sure there are lots of you who would love a nice piece of grilled fish for breakfast

You are only limited by your own imagination. Get over your bias of "standard" breakfast grub. Repeat after me: It is okay to eat ANYTHING for breakfast. That is low carb anythings. There now, don't you feel better?

Stay tuned: Breakfast Part Two -low carb pancakes, muffins, recipes,etc.