Breakfast of Champions

Last night, while laying in bed trying to get to sleep, I was thinking about breakfast. More specifically, what I would make myself for breakfast. I think I have already spoken about my love for the first meal of the day, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I do this regularly. 


Anyway, I knew I wanted to go on a run today (trying to build up my running mileage again and I'm going on a beach vacay in a few days!), so I thought I'd make something nice and hearty but not heavy. 


I've been trying to stay away from simple carbohydrates like white bread and flour recently, but carbs are super important, especially when it comes to working out. Carbs are what give your body energy, so it's never a good idea to cut them out completely. However, some carbs are better than others. Enter: sweet potatoes. 


Fun fact: Sweet potatoes are a slow-releasing carb, which means that they don't make your blood sugar spike. The natural sugars release slowly which allows for the energy to carry you through a tough workout! 


I spoke about the benefits of sweet potatoes here, so I don't think I need to repeat myself. All you need to know is, they are awesome for you! And are one of my favorite vegetables. And for a veg-head like me, that's saying a lot. 

Forgot to mention the avocado! Yum! 

So herein lies my recipe for 
Sweet Potato Spinach Scramble
1/4 diced onion
1/2 sweet potato
1 cup chopped frozen spinach
1 egg
a few slices red bell pepper
nutritional yeast (optional)
Sriracha (optional)


Directions: Saute the onions in a little olive oil in a hot pan. I like to buy pre-diced onions that I keep in the freezer; much easier than always having to dice one up. Once they're nice and translucent, add the spinach and diced red bell pepper. Meanwhile, poke the sweet potato with a fork allover, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes (until soft). Chop the sweet potato into bite-size pieces, and add to the spinach mixture. Once the entire mixture is cooked through and the flavors have mixed, turn the stove on low and add the egg. Here you can either do a scramble like I did or sunny-side up. Doesn't matter. Feel free to play with the veg; if you don't have red bell peppers, you can use tomatoes or mushrooms. 


Garnish with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast and some Sriracha for a kick. 


This breakfast is perfect because it has 3 servings of veg, protein for lasting energy from the egg and quick-energy/healthy carbs from the sweet potato. It kept me full for 4 hours and got me through a nice 30 minute run. 


All in all, the perfect way to start the day.