Foodie Flattery: Whole30 Breakfast Casserole by The Paleo Running Momma

This casserole contains sweet potato, roasted brussels sprouts, and caramelized onions…and my nine year old son inhaled it. Seriously, that’s how good this casserole is.

In preparing for our latest round of the Whole30, I’ve been spending some time on Pinterest looking for inspiration. I feel like I used to be a lot better at planning, creating, and cooking good meals for our family, but somehow over the past year that changed. We ended up ordering out a lot, and more often than not I end up making quick and easy foods full of quick carbs, added sugar, and unnecessary fat. Don’t get me wrong, all of the aforementioned foods taste extremely good, but judging by the extra weight I’ve been carrying around and my complete lack of energy…I knew it was time for a reset.

Anyway. I need to be honest and say that even if I wasn’t doing a Whole30 I’d still make this casserole again. And again. And although it’s technically labeled a “breakfast” casserole (probably because of the egg), my son ate this for dinner the first night I made it and the husband wanted to do the same. (He would have, except that he had a pot of white chicken chili simmering on the stove at the same time.)

This 9×13 pan of deliciousness consists of a bottom layer of roasted sweet potato, topped with roasted brussels sprouts, caramelized onion, crispy bacon, and covered with an egg-coconut milk-nutritional yeast mix that turns this casserole into a light and fluffy eggy delight. The combination might sound weird but trust me, yum.

The Paleo Running Momma comments that you could absolutely play around with the vegetables in this casserole, and I totally agree. Granted the sweet potato and brussels sprouts combination was to DIE for in my family, but I’m already imagining a version with sausage, red pepper and spinach; or crispy prosciutto, broccoli and onion…the list goes on.

This casserole turned out to be a total win for the Bear Family and this recipe will definitely make an appearance during the Whole30 – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Check out PRM’s post for the original recipe here!

Makeover Your Leftovers: Beef Sirloin Tip Roast Turned Breakfast

Welcome to the second edition of my Beef Sirloin Tip Roast Leftover plan! As I mentioned in my last post, it’s easy to get bored with eating the same old leftovers meal after meal and so we’ve learned to get creative. It’s also easy to get stuck in the mentality that something like a beef roast can only be eaten for dinner, or maybe lunch – not to mention the mentality that breakfast should be limited to eggs, toast, cereal, etc. That’s why today I’m sharing a super simple, yet filling, Whole30 approved breakfast idea using leftovers!

This isn’t rocket science, obviously. But if you’re anything like me, it’s easy to overlook something like this when you’re standing in front of the refrigerator trying to come up with something to eat for breakfast. And beef roast with vegetables should be eaten for dinner, not breakfast – am I right? Let me give you a tip: throw that thinking out the window. One of the best things you can do for your body is feed it good, nutritious food – whether it’s a traditional “breakfast” food or not. If you want a grilled chicken salad for breakfast, eat it! Not feeling bacon and eggs? How about a bowl of chili with diced avocado on top? You’re much better off eating something nontraditional but filling enough to keep you satiated until lunch than if you ate a bowl of cereal and then snacked all morning.

Not only was this a delicious breakfast, it only took me approximately ten minutes to make. I tossed the potatoes and onions in a hot skillet (you could even throw the carrots in if you wanted – I chose not to), and while they were cooking I heated slices of roast beef in another skillet and scrambled two eggs in the same skillet as the beef – not only did this save me dishes, but the residual seasoning from the beef gave the eggs an additional pop of flavor that blended the entire meal together. No muss, no fuss!

Have I mentioned how much I love leftovers?

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

So it turns out that for the past twenty-odd years, I’ve been making scrambled eggs the wrong way.

At least I didn’t know I was doing it wrong, until of course The Husband made me absolutely perfect scrambled eggs for brunch the other day and I swooned. Since that day I swore I will never make scrambled eggs any other way again! (Because, of course, any other way would be wrong.)

Basically how this came about is that Kevin watched a video by Iron Chef Michael Symon where he makes the perfect scrambled eggs. Then he made me said eggs and after absolutely raving about them (pretty sure the phrase “best scrambled eggs I’ve ever eaten” was in there somewhere), he made me watch the video. I was flabbergasted. Here’s what I learned:

1. Don’t salt your eggs before they are in the pan. Typically when I make scrambled eggs I’ll add salt and pepper into the bowl and whisk everything together before I dump it into the pan. Not only are eggs better with just a little bit of salt and butter, but if you salt the eggs first it actually pulls the liquid out of the eggs and dries them out – who knew? So wait until the eggs are cooking in the pan before you add your salt!

2. Don’t add milk or water to your eggs to make them fluffy. Simply crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk them vigorously for a few moments, which actually creates some air in your eggs, making them light and, well, airy!

3. Don’t overheat your pan. I am guilty of cooking pretty much everything on medium-high heat or the equivalent of 8 on my burner settings. Don’t do this with scrambled eggs! The key is to use low heat – I started using about 5 on the stove to create lusciously creamy, perfect scrambled eggs.

4. Use butter. For years I’ve been scrambled eggs in olive oil. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but for the perfect scrambled egg it’s better to go simple – and rustic – with some melted butter. Wow. Be careful not to burn or brown the butter (hence the low heat), you just want it barely melted before you add your eggs.

5. Be patient. Once you’ve added the eggs to the pan – wait a few seconds. Let the proteins start to set on the pan, and then – gently and patiently – just sort of swirl the eggs around with a rubber spatula. The key is to create soft egg curds that are just a bit runny when you move them to your plate. In the video we watched it took about 40 seconds from the time Chef Symon added the eggs to the pan until he removed them to the plate. Can you believe it? Delicious eggs in less than a minute!

Typically what I’ve done in the past is I’ve used too high a heat setting, and I tend to stir my eggs to death – creating dry clumps of egg that are pretty much overcooked and unappetizing. I also scramble my eggs with a ton of chopped veggies and spices (which is fine if you’re making an omelet), but I’m starting to find that if you keep it simple and serve your eggs with butter, salt, and maybe some fresh chives or a drizzle of truffle oil for a garnish you can create a deliciously elegant breakfast in less than five minutes – start to finish. Now that’s something I can get behind!

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

serves: 1

prep time: 2 minutes

cook time: 1 minute

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

salt

butter

chives or truffle oil (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your pan on a low heat setting. In a bowl, whisk together three eggs vigorously. Add a healthy dollop of butter to the pan and let it just melt enough to cover the bottom of your pan. Add the eggs to your pan and wait approximately 10 seconds for the proteins to set. Using a rubber spatula, gently swirl the eggs to create soft curds. Salt your eggs as desired. Once the eggs are not yet or just barely set, move to a plate and garnish with fresh chopped chives or a spritz of truffle or olive oil. Serve immediately.

Don’t they look luscious?

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