Let’s Brunch With Veggies

Preparing a delicious brunch for my family is one of my favorite weekend activities. Not only does brunch bring my family together, but it provides energy to seize the day. A brunch meal with nutritious food boosts metabolism, balances blood sugar levels, improves cognitive function and promotes heart health. Often when we hear of the term “brunch” we may think of foods like cereal, oatmeal, or eggs, but not vegetables. Now is the time to think creatively and create a colorful plate! There are so many fun and creative brunch options to choose.

Here are 3 brunch options that I love to make for my family:

1. Begin the day with a bowl

Customizable and perfect for on the go! Bowls are not just for cereal and oatmeal. The key to a brunch bowl is versatility. You can make it hot or cold and it can be sweet, savory, or spicy. With so many options to choose from, a bowl should be flavor-packed, filling, and nutritious.

How to build your bowl – Start with a grain (like oatmeal, farro, quinoa or barley), add fruit or vegetables, add protein (such as eggs, tofu, beans or chicken), and finish with a seasoning (like cinnamon, ginger or chili powder)

Try this bowl – brown rice, spinach, roasted butternut squash, black beans, and turmeric

2. Transform your toast

Forget about the standard toast with butter! Think about adding a few veggie toppers to lift your breakfast game. Try these tasty combinations on whole wheat bread or sweet potato toast.

• Whole grain bread
  • Avocado, radishes, and green onion
  • Mushrooms, egg, and thyme
  • Ricotta cheese, tomatoes, basil, and black pepper
• Sweet potato toast (slice the sweet potato and put in the toaster)
  • Almond butter, bananas, and cinnamon
  • Cottage cheese, strawberries, and honey
  • Hummus and tomato slices

3. Brunch Pizza

Pizza for brunch? Yes! Creating your own personalized pizza is a fantastic way to start the day by piling on the veggies.

How to build your brunch pizza:

1. Get creative with your crust – add more vegetables to your pizza by making a homemade vegetable crust with cauliflower, sweet potato or broccoli.
2. Choose a spread – tomato sauce, pesto, hummus or olive oil are great options.
3. Pile on the veggies – use seasonal, frozen or canned.
4. Add a protein – choose from a variety of options like eggs, tofu, beans, turkey or mozzarella cheese.
5. Sprinkle on a seasoning – add herbs or spices for an extra boost of flavor like basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder or lemon zest.

Try this combination: cauliflower crust, pesto, spinach and sliced hard boiled eggs