I often get asked the question, “What DO you eat for breakfast?” To that, I respond, “There are so many options, I just have to be willing to do a little prep work ahead of time and think outside the SAD (Standard American Diet) box and I have lots of options! In fact, I have a Pinterest board with over 500 recipes many of which are for breakfast.”
Many people can’t imagine life without oatmeal, cereal or English muffins for breakfast. That’s OK because the good news is that there are many nutrient-dense, alternative recipes out there for these menu items that will maintain and sustain good blood sugar levels and leave you satiated throughout the day.
When I changed my lifestyle, including my eating habits, I realized that I felt so much better starting my day off with adequate protein as well as vegetables and homemade bone broth. Yes, that sounds like lunch or dinner and in reality, I do eat leftovers from lunch or dinner for breakfast some days during the week. I feel better for it. My kids do too and I notice that they don’t ask for snacks as much when they start their day with proper protein, fat and veggies.
Outside of starting my day with leftovers, I do like to have something sweet along with protein or something baked in the oven or even porridge in the morning on occasion. There are so many options for grain-free, refined sugar-free breakfasts! I thought I would share some of our staple breakfast meals with the understanding that the sweet recipes are not eaten daily, rather they are treats maybe once a week or twice a month.
A collection of many of the grain-free, nut-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, and AIP recipes that we rotate for our daily breakfasts.
Baked
Overnight Baked French Toast Casserole *Nut Free* This is great for special occasions or when company is coming.
Sweet Potato Pancakes *Nut Free* *Can be made egg-free* Another version/ taste of pancakes. We often have leftover roasted sweet potatoes so this is a great way to use them.
Coconut Free Blueberry Muffins *Nut Free* (this is a base recipe and you can add different fruit or even chocolate chips! * For coconut free use avocado oil or lard instead of coconut oil.)
Banana Coconut Muffins *Nut Free*
Pumpkin Muffins *Nut Free*
Grain Free Toasted Coconut Waffles *Nut Free* ~These are an every other week staple in our house! These can be frozen too.
Cinnamon and Coconut Pancakes *Nut Free* ~ I quadruple this recipe for our family and serve it with bacon or sausage.
Lemon Raspberry Pancakes *Nut Free*
Paleo Bread *Nut Free* I like to make a double batch of this (even though it uses A LOT of eggs.) We like to use it for toast or sandwiches too.
Cinnamon Rolls *Nut Free* These are not a staple here but they are one of our favorites. They are quite easy to make and taste amazing! I couldn’t leave them off this list.
Porridge
Faux-tmeal (Paleo Oatmeal) *Egg Free* *Nut Free* *AIP* This is great in the fall for a warm start to your morning. I like to add some non-solidifying gelatin for extra protein.
Banana Tiger Nut N’Oatmeal *Egg Free* *Nut Free* *AIP* This is comforting on a cold morning. The ratio of cauliflower to the rst of the ingredients is just right; I can’t even taste the cauliflower. I love it.
Traditional
Spinach Eggs and Bacon. *Nut Free* For the Spinach Eggs I saute some diced onions in coconut oil or ghee then add my salt and peppered whisked eggs to the pan. While they are cooking I top the eggs with chopped fresh organic spinach. Sometimes I add a minced clove of garlic or top with salsa if I have some made.
Spinach Eggs and Sausage *Nut Free*
From cookbooks I own
(links provided if the recipe is shared on the author’s website)
Against All Grain by Danielle Walker
Maple Sausage and Cinnamon Apples *Egg-Free* *Nut Free* *AIP – eliminate nutmeg* This is a favorite that is requested a lot for breakfast here. Unfortunately, the recipe is not published online. Clean ground pork is hard to find in the stores. I buy mine here.
Allergy-Friendly Breakfast Cookies *Nut Free* *Egg-Free* *AIP* I can never serve only these for breakfast. They are quite sweet with all the dried fruit but they are great with a cup of tea and a couple of slices of bacon or alongside some sausage links. One is enough! These are also good for nutritious snacks for road trips.
Meals Made Simple by Danielle Walker
Wraps (we call these crepes) *Nut Free recipe in her cookbook* Not only do we use these for breakfast with syrup and butter on them but we also use these for breakfast burritos, dinner burritos or enchiladas and lunch- nut butter and jelly “sandwiches.” They are so versatile and bendy! They can also be frozen and used later. *Danielle has a version of these on her website that uses nuts but in her second cookbook, she has a nut-free version that is excellent.
Nut free granola *Nut Free* (this link was shared with Danielle’s permission at weelicious.com) I like this granola too. It has a slight nut butter taste and is also wonderful on parfaits (even dairy free) or as a snack.
This is another good granola to try from Feasting On Joy
Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
Pumpkin Pancakes *Nut Free* A warm a toasty fall treat for our family.
Blueberry Lemon Muffins *Nut Free*
Grain-free, savory zucchini pancakes *Nut Free*
Vanilla Almond Sponge Bread *Nut Free*
Grain-Free Porridge 2 Ways *Nut Free* Egg Free* There is an almond version of this porridge which I make for my boys and they love. It is rich! The other version is made with tahini and pumpkin and it is great for those who can’t have nuts.
The Paleo Kitchen by Juli Bauer & George Bryant
Biscuits and Gravy *Nut Free* This is a decadent meal. It takes a little longer to prepare so this is a weekend kind of dish. We always end feeling stuffed and satisfied after eating this meal. It is not your traditional biscuits and gravy in that the biscuits are eggier and the gravy is a bit sweeter but it satisfies my craving for that good ole’ home cooking.
Miscellaneous
Nut Butter Protein Shake *Egg Free* *Can Be Made Nut Free*
Dairy Free Berry Gelatin Pudding *Nut Free* *Egg Free* *AIP* (The solidifying gelatin is protein-packed, full of all of the amino acids your body needs!)
Quick Paleo English Muffins *Nut Free* I like to make a quadruple batch and make them in separate ramekins. These are more time consuming but a nice fix for that English muffin craving. When I am feeling ambitious I like to use these to make sausage and egg breakfast sandwiches.
Paleo Cinnamon Square Crunch Cereal *Nut Free* This is so delicious. My kids love this cereal. I eat way too much of it and don’t feel good after since I still don’t tolerate seeds very well. It is fun to make for my boys though. We serve it over coconut milk or raw cows milk (yes, my boys do drink raw cows milk)
Sweet Potato Hash *Nut Free* *Can be made Egg Free*
Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola 3 Ways *Nut Free* *Egg Free* This stuff is addicting! When I make this it is hard to keep around for too long. While baking the smells permeates our house with warm spicy comforting smells and it tastes amazing. Of course, for me, I can only have a little bit at a time because of the seeds in it. We use this for morning parfaits or even just a snack.
This is not an exhaustive list of our breakfasts because we do have some others that we eat and I always like to try new recipes when I have a chance. These are just the main ones in rotation now that work for us. I hope this gives you a good start on what to eat for breakfast!
What a great resource of all things great for breakfast. Looking forward to working with these recipes.
Thanks for putting this together.
You’re welcome Louise!