Food and Fitness for Living Better

How many vegetables do you eat at breakfast? If you’re like most people, probably none. It’s not in most people’s habit to include veggies for breakfast, other than maybe some hash browns or home fries as a side to bacon and eggs. 

When I was doing the Whole30 challenge, I struggled to find things to eat for breakfast that wasn’t just eggs every day. Granted, I prefer these breakfast veggies with a nice over-easy egg so the runny yolk gives that bonus YUM factor. However, they’re tasty veggies on their own! Add some avocado and you have a baller breakfast. 

Ingredients: sweet potato, red potato, bell pepper, onion, olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika (the secret sauce!) 

I LOVE smoked paprika. I remember the recipe I found that called for me to use it, and wow did that change my life. Thank you, sweet potato and cauliflower tacos for introducing me to smoked paprika. Come to think of it, that recipe also taught me about chile in adobo, which is another killer ingredient when you want a roasty yet spicy bite! This combination is what I used in my award-winning vegan chili! 

I typically use a 2:1 ratio of potatoes to onion/pepper. The potatoes need longer to bake through to my liking, so I get those diced (and sweet potatoes peeled), coated with oil, and roasting for 20 minutes before adding the onions and peppers to the pan.

Adding the onion and peppers, I add some more oil and maybe more seasoning, give a good st

Ingredients: sweet potato, red potato, bell pepper, onion, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste. 

Directions: dice the sweet potatoes and red potatoes and toss in olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Spread on baking tray or glass dish and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Dice the onion and pepper and add to the halfway done potatoes. Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes and soft and tender throughout and the sweet potatoes start to caramelize (about 5-10 minutes after they pass the fork test). 

Serving ideas: two over easy eggs is my favorite way to go! If I’m not feeling egg, a mashed avocado is another excellent option. 

Ingredients: 

• 3-5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 
• 2-4 red potatoes, diced 
• 2 bell peppers (usually 1 green and 1 yellow or red)
• 1 onion (usually yellow or red)
• 1-2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• Wash or peel potatoes. Dice into 3/4″ cubes. Toss with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Place on baking tray or glass baking dish and cook for 20 minutes
• Dice onion and peppers. Once potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, pull from oven and add onions and peppers. Cover with more oil (and seasoning, if desired), and mix. 
• Continue baking for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through (can pierce them with a fork with no resistance). 
• Serve with over easy eggs and/or mashed avocado!

This dish is a fan favorite with my family; my sister-in-law buys the ingredients to make this almost every time I come for a weekend, so I gladly cook up a batch! And she raises chickens, so there’s always an abundance of farm-fresh eggs ready to cook and serve with the veggies! Can’t beat that.

Enjoy!