How to Have a Vegetable with Every Breakfast – Sweet and Savory!

Join new Blog Contributor Sarah as she talks about how to easily incorporate vegetables into every breakfast meal!

Good morning (afternoon, or evening)! This post comes from the desire I have to be healthier.

Now, I would say my family is moderately healthy. We eat veggies, whole wheat, try to stay away from sugar, and make a lot of our food. But, our meals aren’t as balanced as I would like them to be.

Partly because of our budget.

But should that stop us? NO! So I have created a master list of food/meals for breakfast, that includes at least one vegetable. Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks will be coming next month. And you can use a lot of these on a budget!

Do we always have to choose from this list? Nope. But it sure gives us a great way to start, and something to reference.

I would recommend saving this post to your favorites bar, so it is there when you are meal planning.

Breakfast Food

Incorporating Vegetables into Pancakes:

Basic pancake recipe (From Pennies & Pancakes)

1 Cup Flour

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 pinch salt

1 Egg

1 Cup Milk

To add veggies:

1. Substitute part of the milk with veggie puree
2. Add veggie puree to make the recipe thinner
3. Blend it like a smoothie and add leafy greens, then cook.
4. Use a veggie such as beets to make a syrup.
5. Add veggie powder
6. Use carrots, or other, in an applesauce and sub that for part of the milk.

Which veggies to use in pancakes:

Squash, such as: Pumpkin. Sweet Potato (tastes close to squash), Zucchini: shredded or pureed.

Leafy greens, such as: Spinach (pairs wonderfully with banana), Chard (a bit more bitter)

Sweet taste, such as: Carrot (shredded or pureed), Beets, Sweet Potatoes

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Incorporating vegetables into Oatmeal:

Basic Oatmeal recipe:

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 cup milk (I add some more after cooking)

1-3 tsp sugar or honey

To add in veggies:

1. Substitute part of the milk with veggie puree
2. Add veggie puree to make the recipe thinner
3. Use the oatmeal in pancakes, muffins, or bread (pumpkin bread, banana bread)
4. Add veggie powder
5. Use carrots, or other, in an applesauce and sub that for part of the milk.

Which veggies to use in oatmeal:

Squash, such as: Pumpkin. Sweet Potato (tastes close to squash), Zucchini: shredded or pureed.

Sweet taste, such as: Carrot (shredded or pureed), Beets, Sweet Potatoes

Incorporating vegetables into Savory Breakfasts:

Omelettes:

1. Use sauteed onions and/or mushrooms, and/or peppers
2. Add leafy greens just before done cooking
3. Add diced tomatoes or thick tomato sauce
4. Make a broccoli and cheese omelette with cooked broccoli.
5. Use veggie puree instead of milk in your eggs.

Hashes:

Basically what a hash is, is a bunch of vegetables and potatoes chopped up, cooked and pan fried, sometimes with sausage/bacon or eggs mixed in or cooked on top.

Veggies to use in a hash:

1. White potatoes
2. Sweet potatoes
3. Mushrooms
4. Onions
5. Bell Peppers
6. Leafy greens: spinach is my favorite but chard or kale is fine too
7. Carrots
8. Broccoli/Cauliflower
9. Parsnips
10. Squash: Diced Zucchini, Pumpkin or Yellow Squash
11. Tomatoes or salsa

Good Veggie Combos for Hashes:

1. Onion, Pepper, Mushroom, Tomato, Spinach, Sweet Potato, White Potato
2. Onion, Mushroom, Tomato, Potato
3. White and Sweet Potato, Carrots, Parsnips
4. Carrot, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin (Sweet hash)
5. Broccoli, Mushroom, Onion

Incorporating Vegetables into Smoothies:

My favorite vegetables for smoothies are Leafy Greens. Mainly, spinach.

My favorite smoothie is a Spinach, banana, peanut butter smoothie. Bonus: Can’t taste the spinach!

Bigger bonus: Your son will be convinced it will turn him into the green hulk.

Here are some other Veggie Smoothie Ideas:

1. Add Carrot Cake Oatmeal
2. Add Carrot cake yogurt
3. Peach, Carrot, Mango
4. Spinach, Pear
5. Spinach, Banana (1 banana, handful of spinach, cup milk, 1tbsp of PB)
6. Strawberry, Banana, Bell Pepper (Say what? Go here for that)
7. Pineapple, Mango, Banana, Carrot! (Link above as well)
8. Berry, Kale (Also same link)
9. Mango, Kiwi, Kale
10. Chocolate Zucchini
11. Zucchini Apple like in my Crumble

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Incorporating Vegetables into Granola:

My family loves yogurt, but for some reason I only like it in something, or with a crunch on top. (Same as Ice Cream, I know weird. It’s a texture thing.)

BUT! I have successfully made Granola with veggies in it several ways.

Way #1- Add zucchini or carrot shreds, they will dry out in the oven. (Or use dehydrated or Freeze Dried shreds)

Way #2, 3, and 4- And on the blog we have 3 other Granola Recipes.

1. Pumpkin Granola. Just yes. 
2. Granola Cups, Filled with yogurt! (Use veggie puree)
3. Sweet veggie granola.

Pro tip: I use baby food sometimes. They have a ton of veggies, usually with fruits. Perfect.

CHIME IN: What are some unique ways you include vegetables in your meals? Share in the comments below!