57 per cent of gym goers now opt for protein breakfasts rather than sugary cereals. But protein breakfasts can get boring, especially on a paleo or caveman diet. We asked Gemma Callander from Feed Me Primal – a paleo and primal street food stall in Camden Lock for some novel breakfast recipes.
If you are a regular visitor to this site, then you probably have a pretty good idea of what the Paleo diet is about (Editor Anna Magee is a fan – read her story here). As a refresher: it’s a way of eating that focuses on getting calories from fresh vegetables, pasture-raised meat, fish, nuts and fruits.
It eliminates grains, is low in carbohydrates (sugar) and avoids overly processed foods or generally anything of low nutritional value. Primal eating is exactly the same, but includes occasional full-fat, good quality dairy. This eating plan is often accompanied with some form of exercise routine.
Embarking on a paleo diet means looking forward to delicious grass fed meat, seasonal veg and a whole cacophony of new ingredients to wrap your tastebuds around. But for many, they can fall flat at the first paleo hurdle: breakfast. But whether you’re a paleo eater or not,having breakfast can be beneficial. In fact, new research has found that over half of women are more often opting for protein breakfasts to help keep them satisfied and fuller for longer between meals.
But protein breakfasts don’t have to be difficult. In fact, breakfast can be pretty damn easy, as my five recipes below testify to. These suggestions are just that; suggestions. Rummage around in your cupboards when you have a free evening/lazy morning and get creative with your ingredients. The worst that can happen is that you throw away your experiment. That’s not so bad, is it?
OK, on to brekkies
1. KISS (keep it simple stupid)
This is paleo in a nutshell. Bacon and eggs. Simple.
- 2 Rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 1 or 2 eggs
- Large handful of spinach (optional)
Make sure you use outdoor reared, smoked bacon and use free range eggs for maximum flavour and nutrition. I like my bacon streaky, smoked and grilled until crispy, while my eggs should be fried in grass fed butter. If I have a craving for something green, I might throw in a large handful of fresh spinach with the egg.
Time to make: 7 minutes
2. Paleo Protein Porridge
OK, so this is really a nod towards porridge, and, because of the cream, would fall into the Primal category. Many people have issues with dairy because of the lactose (sugar) content, and full fat double cream has virtually no lactose, very little carb content and tastes fricking delicious, so it’s on my list of ‘must haves’.
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp grass fed butter
- 5 tbsp full fat double cream
- 1 tsp raw honey
- small handful chopped almonds
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Salt to taste
Finely slice the banana and throw it in a frying pan on a medium heat with the butter. When it starts to break down a little, and the rest of the ingredients (except the salt) and cook on a low heat for a further 3 minutes.
Serve in a bowl with a sprinkling of salt to taste.
(The salt in this dish really makes the other ingredients sing and should not be overlooked)
3. Paleo Pancakes
This was a recommendation from a customer at the stall, and it’s delicious. Healthy, filling and nutritious, it’s a great way for people that don’t like eggs to get some in their diet.
- 2 small bananas or 1 large banana
- 1 egg
- pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
- salt to taste
- fat of choice for frying (try butter, ghee, lard or coconut oil)
This is stupidly easy to prepare. Simply throw all the ingredients, apart from the oil into a blender and whizz for a minute or so until you have a creamy batter.
Heat a tablespoon of your chosen fat in a frying pan and melt over a medium heat.
Pour in a third of the mixture and gently fry until you get a few bubbles appearing on the top. You know it’s time to turn over when the liquid on top turns matte and less gooey. Flip it over and cook for a couple of minutes. Eat straight away, and add a little butter and/or honey to taste.
4. Bacon & avocado boats
This is the breakfast I had this morning before sitting down to write this post, so I can say with certainty that this is delicious and filling.
- 2 rashers of outdoor reared smoked, streaky bacon
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 lemon wedge
- Pinch of smoked paprika
- salt
Grill the bacon until crispy then rest on some kitchen towels. Mash up the avocado and mix with the paprika, a little salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Top the bacon with your avocado mix and enjoy. You’re welcome!
5. Chia seed coffee
While the recipes above are delicious and nutritious, not everyone is ready to eat pre-12pm. Eating a paleo diet means listening to your body, and eating when it tells you to, so if that means you skip breakfast, don’t sweat it. Eat if you’re hungry, not cos you are supposed to…
This isn’t really a recipe, just a collection of ingredients. Chia seeds are little miracles and, as well as delivering lots of health benefits, they leave you feeling full when used in this coffee.
- 1 mug of your favourite coffee
- Cream, to taste
- 1 tsp/1 tbsp chia seeds
OK, you don’t need a ‘how-to’ for this one. I prefer 1 tsp chia seeds in my coffee because I am not a massive fan of the gooey bits at the bottom, whereas the other half prefers a generous helping. Try it both ways to find your preference.
Note: the chia seeds don’t flavour the coffee, but you may notice some crunchy little bits in your teeth.
Well, that is really only a taster of the paleo breakfast options you can have. I didn’t have time to mention baked eggs with ham, toasted paleo bread with melted cheese or my favourite: last nights leftovers!
What’s your favourite way to start the day? How could you make it a little more paleo?
Feed Me Primal is the only Primal and Paleo market stall in the UK run by Gemma Callander. Find them at the Global Street Food Kitchen, West Yard, Camden Lock. Follow them on Twitter @FeedMePrimal or visit their website.
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