Breakfast Salad: Summer Savorites

How you start your day matters.

For some, that means with a big steaming cup of coffee or tea, for others, its with a blistering workout while there are those who prefer the wake-me-up yoga flow method.

This start, sets the tone for the rest of the day.

And now that we are in the middle of summer when temps are higher and our bodies are working even more, how you fuel earlier in the day matters even more.

While smoothies and post workout shakes work great for in-a-pinch or tide-me-over situations, they are often missing the nutrients and wholesomeness our bodies need early in the day. Not to mention it being easy to overload them with sugars and hidden fillers resulting in hunger and cravings that much quicker.

Side note: If you struggle with controlling sugar/sweet cravings, a sugar laden breakfast is the one thing you do not want to start your day with. 

Enter, the savory breakfast salad. While often only thought of as a lunch or dinner staple, salad bowls are a great way to front load your nutrition with some power packed ingredients. You get a stock load of micronutrients and minerals as well as the chance to enjoy the summer season’s bountiful fruits and vegetables.

That means you get more bang for your buck.

The keys to making and enjoying salad bowls, especially for breakfast, are to go overboard on the veggies, use precooked protein, add healthy fats like avocado, and take advantage of carbs in season like fruit or starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes.

You really can make a big ass salad with ANYTHING you are likely to already have in your refrigerator. The formula is simple:

GREENS + PROTEIN + FRUIT/STARCHY VEG + DRESSING (OPTIONAL)

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Fruity Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients

• 4-8oz flank steak strips or protein of choice (seasoned)

• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

• 3 cups salad greens

• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries or raspberries

• 1/2 avocado

• 1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, cubed

• micro greens (optional) for decoration

For sauce, whisk in a small bowl:

• 2 tbsp strawberry/raspberry preserves

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

Optional: if you already have ground turkey cooked, skip steps 1-3 and use 4oz cooked per single serving.

1. In a heated skillet, add 1-2 tsp avocado oil then sear seasoned steak strips, around 2-3 mins before flipping them over.

2. When finished cooking on other side, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

3. In same skillet, sauté onions until translucent and soft.

4. Deglaze pan with 1/2 the marinade and let heat through.

5. Turn heat off.

6. In a large bowl, arrange the salad mix, then top in any order you desire, the strawberries, potatoes, avocado and steak strips.

7. Drizzle remaining marinade on top and enjoy. Optionally you can toss everything with the marinade in a larger bowl then serve in smaller bowls.