The Easy & Delicious Breakfast that Saved Me on the Whole 30

February 19, 2015 By Maria Gavin - 122 Comments

When I started sharing my Whole 30 adventure at the beginning of January, I received several questions from Kinder Craze Instagram followers and well as readers of the blog. People wanted to know how my Whole30 was going and if I could share some of my favorite foods from my new dietary lifestyle. My time in the kitchen brings me very little joy (and I’m so thankful that Rob enjoys cooking), but this was MY Whole30 and Rob isn’t usually around to cook for me during the week. In many ways, this healthy venture was truly was my responsibility.

UPDATE: We are now married and Rob is around to cook for me during the week! He wrote a blog post about how to support your partner on the Whole30 with his thoughts and tips on living with someone doing the Whole30. I also wrote an in-depth post with all my essential tips on what cookbooks to use, where to shop and what to buy when you are doing the Whole30.

Before the Whole30, my breakfast consisted of a vanilla greek yogurt with granola sprinkled on top every single day. Unfortunately, my yogurt parfait broke several of the Whole30 rules: it included sugar, grains AND dairy. Breakfast was the single-greatest source of worry for me as I prepared for my 30 days of eating well.

Fortunately, I saw a post on Instagram from Erica Bohrer (who was a few days ahead of me on her own Whole30) in which she shared an egg bake that she made and prepped for the week. I thought it was genius. Right then and there, I shifted my breakfast habits for the better. I am definitely not a food blogger. In fact, I generally dislike any time spent in the kitchen and away from my passions, but I knew this post would prove to be helpful to any reader that is trying to eat well and short on time in the morning so I decided to bite the bullet and share my breakfast prep with you.

To make this dish, you will need about a dozen eggs (I usually use 10), some Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausage (it’s not necessary, but the sausage is GOOD and amazingly sugar free), and LOTS of vegetables. I have made this dish every Sunday for seven weeks straight and every single batch has been unique. I always use whatever vegetables I have on hand.

On this particular Sunday, I had a zucchini, a yellow bell pepper, half an onion, a handful of asparagus and a box of chopped spinach. I always try to use 4-5 whole fresh vegetables and a box of frozen chopped spinach. Organic veggies and cage free eggs are best, but do the best you can.

I always start by chopping up the veggies. To ahead and dice them into bite size pieces (I usually like mine to be pretty small). While I am busy chopping, I peel the paper off the box of frozen spinach, put the box in a bowl, and start defrosting the spinach in the microwave. The chopped spinach produces a lot of water as it thaws. I usually take a few minutes to squeeze the box and remove as much excess water as I can. Be careful, because some parts can be very HOT.

When my vegetables are all chopped and ready to go, I put a little fat into a large pan and start sautéing! Any kind of healthy fat will do. I prefer to use ghee (which is just clarified butter), but I have also used extra light olive oil.

While the veggies sauté, I slice a few Chicken & Apple Sausages from Aidells. It is one of the only breakfast meats on the market that doesn’t have any added sugar. The sausage tastes delicious and it was a HUGE part of my Whole30 diet. I usually add 2 sausages to my breakfast dish each week.

Even though the sausage is already fully cooked, and it will be baked in the oven, I always add the slices to my vegetables and let them sauté for a few minutes as well.

While the vegetables sauté, I take a few minutes to crack and scramble the eggs for the casserole. You can use as many as you want, but I always use 10. My breakfast bake is intended to last 5 mornings so I figure 2 eggs, plus a little breakfast sausage mixed in is enough protein in each serving.

I crack the eggs into a bowl (yolks and all) and whisk them together. Then I add the veggies and sausage bites that had been sautéing and sprinkle on a little salt & pepper.

Grease a 9×12 baking dish and set the oven to 350 degrees. I never tried to find compliant cooking spray, so I always just coated the bottom and sides of the baking dish with ghee. Once the dish is greased, I dump in the egg mixture and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes.

The first time I made this dish, I was worried that there were way too many vegetables and not nearly enough eggs, but the eggs fluffed as they cooked and were not overpowered by the veggies. The ratio was just right.

The completed casserole looks like this and is positively delicious. I wait an hour or so for the dish to cool fully, then cover and place the dish in the refrigerator.

Each morning throughout the week, I cut myself a slice of the baked eggs and heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes. It’s easy and delicious. Not to mention filling and healthy!

I have eaten a hearty breakfast like this every single morning for the past 46 days. I am never “starving” while I wait to go to lunch and I have actually lost a few inches in my waistline. I know my body is healthier and running more efficiently and I don’t miss my former yogurt with granola breakfasts one bit. The best part is that prepping the meal ahead of time allows me to still eat healthy without giving up any of my precious time in the morning.

Need a simple recipe? Here you Go!

Whole 30 Breakfast Recipe

Need the recipe in traditional form? Here you go!

INGREDIENTS:
Five generous servings of vegetables – diced (I like onion, pepper, spinach, zucchini and broccoli)
Two links of Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage* – cut into thin, round slices
Ten eggs (preferably cage free)
4 tablespoons of ghee (can substitute light tasting olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Dice all vegetables into small pieces – thoroughly thaw and strain all frozen vegetables
Coat the bottom of a 9×12 clear glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons ghee
Melt 2 tablespoons ghee in the bottom of a large skillet
Sautee vegetables for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste
Add chicken apple sausage and sauté for 5 minutes

In a large bowl, crack and beat the 10 eggs.
Add sautéed vegetables to raw eggs and stir to combine.
Pour egg/vegetable mixture into greased baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until casserole turns golden on the edges.

*Make sure you use the big links of Aidells chicken apple sausage – the smaller ones are not Whole30 compliant!

Do yourself a huge favor and pin this post to your Whole 30 or Healthy Eating Pinterest Board. You can thank me later!

If you’re unfamiliar with the Whole30, it’s a thirty-day dietary challenge that cuts out ALL sugar, grains, dairy, legumes and alcohol. No cheating is permitted. It’s based on the book It Starts with Food and as crazy as it sounds there are very good reasons for cutting out all of those items. The book does an excellent job of explaining the negative effects that those foods could have on your health. I highly recommend it, even if you have no interest in cutting any of those foods out of your diet.

Easy and Delicious Whole 30 Breakfast Recipe

One of the most challenging aspects of my Whole 30 was finding a way to have a satisfying, compliant breakfast that didn’t take up too much time during my morning routine. Once I discovered this delicious egg bake that’s loaded with veggies and a little chicken apple sausage, I never looked back! I make a batch every Sunday and it last through the workweek. Check out the blog post for the full recipe.

Where to Shop and What to Buy for Your Whole 30

Overwhelmed by all of the rules and label reading as you get ready to begin the Whole 30? The process becomes a LOT more simple once you know where to look and can find a few basic packaged ingredients to get you through. I rounded up my favorite places to shop and essential foods to stock up on for the Whole 30. The list includes my favorite online retailers, because ain’t nobody got time to run around town for random ingredients. Check out the post and get ready to make your life a whole lot simpler.

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