Start Your Day Right: 3 Delicious Ways to Eat Vegetables for Breakfast

Eating your vegetables for breakfast may seem like an odd idea, but it’s actually a great way to start your day. Not only does eating vegetables for breakfast provide you with a range of essential vitamins and minerals, spreading your intake of those nutrients throughout the day helps to keep your body functioning at an optimal level so you can stay focused and productive. Here are three delicious ways to incorporate vegetables into your breakfast menu. From smoothies to frittatas, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. So, get ready to start your day the right way and enjoy a veggie-packed breakfast.

Benefits of Eating Vegetables for Breakfast

When it comes to our body functioning at the best level it can, especially as we’re going through perimenopause and menopause, balance as the norm is key. Eating vegetables for breakfast and throughout the day is an excellent way to achieve that because it spreads those valuable phytonutrients (coming from plants) out at a consistent level. We don’t need to only feel our best in the evening. We want to feel that way throughout the day.

Eating vegetables for breakfast can also keep you feeling full longer, which can help you avoid making poor food choices later in the day. Plus, it can help you get your recommended daily intake of vegetables and make sure your diet is properly balanced. Trying to load them in all at one or two meals later in the day can be very difficult.

Besides, if you’re just starting to eat more vegetables, breakfast foods are the perfect vehicle because you’ll hardly even notice them tucked in with all the other yummy ingredients.

Tips for Getting Creative with Vegetables in the Morning

Adding vegetables to your breakfast menu doesn’t have to be boring or tasteless. There are plenty of ways to get creative with vegetables in the morning. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Try roasting your vegetables. Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, and it’s a great way to add flavor to any breakfast dish.
• Use a variety of colors. Adding different types of vegetables with different colors can make your breakfast dishes look more vibrant and appetizing.
• Get creative with spices and herbs. Spices and herbs can add a lot of flavor to your breakfast dishes and make them more enjoyable.
• Try adding fruit. Fruits can help balance out the flavor of your veggies and make them more enjoyable.
• Add some protein. Adding some protein to your meals can help keep you full longer and provide you with an extra boost of energy.

How to Prepare Vegetables Ahead of Time

If you’re short on time in the morning, it can be helpful to prepare your vegetables ahead of time. This will save you time and make it easier to incorporate vegetables into your breakfast. Here are a few tips for preparing vegetables ahead of time:

• Chop your vegetables the night before. This will save you time in the morning and make it easier to incorporate vegetables into your breakfast.
• Roast your vegetables. Roasting vegetables the night before will give them a nice flavor and make it easier to incorporate them into your breakfast dishes.
• Steam your vegetables. Steaming your vegetables ahead of time will make them easier to incorporate into your breakfast dishes.

3 Ways to Eat Vegetable for Breakfast

Here are my 3 recommended ways to eat vegetables for breakfast.

Vegetable or “Green” Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to enjoy vegetables for breakfast. They’re quick and easy to make, and they can be tailored to your individual tastes. All you need is a blender, your favorite vegetables, and a liquid base such as almond milk, soy milk, or coconut water. You can also add some protein powder or Greek yogurt to make your smoothie even more filling and to help jumpstart the day with plenty of protein.

When it comes to choosing vegetables for your smoothie, the possibilities are endless. My personal favorites are spinach or kale as the base and then cucumber and/or steamed broccoli (trust me, it doesn’t alter the taste at all and you don’t even know it’s in there). You’ll also want to add some fresh or frozen fruit to give your smoothie a bit of sweetness. Take it from a smoothie pro, half of a frozen banana as your sweetener makes all the difference in the world. Add in some berries or another type of fruit and bam! You’ve just had 2-3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit to start your day.

I like a nice thick smoothie, so I always add ice  as well.

My go-to smoothie recipe

• ¾ cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
• 1 cup kale (or spinach when Kale isn’t available)
• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ frozen banana **add after everything else is mixed for easier mixing
• 4 cucumber slices
• 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 serving of unflavored or vanilla pea protein powder

If you’re looking to be more adventurous, Kris Carr is my favorite resource for green smoothie newbies. Once you get the hang of it and a feel for the tastes of different combinations of ingredients, you’ll be able to wing it in no time.

Veggie-Filled Egg (or Tofu) Dishes

Egg- or tofu-based dishes are another wonderful option for incorporating vegetables into your breakfast. Egg or tofu scrambles, omelets, breakfast burritos, or frittatas are my favorites. They’re all quick and easy to make, and they’re also incredibly versatile.

You can add almost any vegetable you like, such as bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Just be sure to cook your vegetables before adding them because they’re not going to have much time to cook if you’re combining them with egg.

Any of these  are also good ways to get protein in for your first meal of the day. You can add meat, such as bacon or sausage, or you can go vegetarian and add cheese or tofu if you didn’t use that as your base. And, if you’re looking for an extra boost of energy, you can also add some nuts or seeds.

Here’s a basic frittata recipe from Cookie + Kate that I highly recommend, then you can add whatever veggies and any other protein that you want.

Veggie Muffins

I am a huge muffin fan, so as soon as I figured out that you could put vegetables in muffins, I was in heaven. I do want to say upfront that unlike smoothies and veggie-filled egg and tofu dishes, I don’t advise having muffins every day. We simply don’t need that much refined flour of any kind in our diet.

But, when you do decide to have muffins – like as a weekend treat – you can pack them with vegetables. Zucchini is especially good for this.

Two of my favorite recipes for having veggie-packed muffins for breakfast are Good Morning Healthy Maple Blueberry Zucchini Muffins from Ambitious Kitchen and Chocolate Protein Muffins (with veggies!) from Yummy Toddler Food (but you definitely don’t have to be a toddler to love them!)

Bottom Line on Vegetables for Breakfast

The bottom line is that working in more veggies throughout the day is key to a healthy lifestyle. Eating vegetables for breakfast is just one easy way to do that. If you try any of these methods and find one that works best for you or if you have another favorite, let us all know in the comments or through social media.

If you’re usually rushed in the morning, be sure to also check out my 5 Healthy, On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas.