Sweet Potato Breakfast Skillet

Nutritional information is ever ready, waiting for you to type the right questions – maybe even constantly in your face. That’s why I’m so surprised when I still hear people talking about skipping breakfast like it’s some kind of miracle cure for their health. Stop skipping breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day. What you ingest after you wake up is incredibly important! It is what your body ‘resets’ on daily after a ‘fast’ of upwards of eight hours. Rouse your metabolism with food, and good food at that! Need to be inspired by an ass-kicking recipe to carry you on a tide of nutrition throughout your busy day? I’ve got you!

It is a rare occasion that I want or can handle a large, full scale breakfast. Waking up early means my stomach only has so much capacity. My breakfast every morning tends to be a large apple and about two teaspoons of nut butter; that holds me well until second breakfast (or whatever you want to call the second round of food for the day, I’m usually snacking every two hours or so…) But on those few and far between days when  I get to sleep in and have some extra time, I’ll throw together something nutrient dense and filling, and chow down!

One of my favorite things is a breakfast skillet. Loaded with various vegetables and carb and protein sources, I know that despite the comfort-food value, I’m getting plenty of nutrition and fuel for a busy day and night. This recipe is rocket fuel. Sweet potatoes for vitamin and antioxidant packed slow carbs to power through a workout, turkey sausage for salty deliciousness and eggs for protein to help build your body, peppers for vitamin C to boost your immune system, garlic and onions to promote heart health, and sun soaked mushrooms to give your bones and mood a blast of vitamin D.

First, we’re going to take a closer look at the nutritional benefits of our ingredient list before we hop into the ‘how to’ below.  This recipe is designed to feed about five with the measurements I’ve included. Adjust it as you need to your best judgements (I swear, my vague tips are to help you independently refine your cooking skills, not laziness…XD) I hope you enjoy this powerful breakfast guys! Use it to dominate a long day!

Turkey Sausage

Breakfast sausage is obviously not the healthiest source of protein out there. It is high in fat and sodium, but it does still provide bioavailable protein, amino acids, and vitamin B-12. More important to this equation, it provides stellar flavor. Sometimes you have to indulge. Use turkey sausage for a slightly healthier option.

I’m using about 12 oz. of uncooked turkey sausage for this recipe

Eggs

Eggs are an incredibly cheap source of high quality nutrition. They are a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, one of very few food sources of vitamin D, and are considered an excellent source of selenium and choline. Eggs also notably contain vitamin b-12, riboflavin, and phosphorous.

Insert eggcellent pun here. Contrary to popular belief, egg yolks aren’t bad for you. They contain most of the nutrition of an egg (not to mention most of the flavor.) When serving this dish, I usually cook one egg per serving.

For more information about the benefits of eating eggs, I recommend this website http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are better than regular potatoes for a number of reasons. Though white potatoes are still full of valuable nutrients (specifically, their skin) they are still fast carbs with fewer nutrients than the slow carb sweet potato. Per equal measurement, you’re generally looking at the same calorie count; so opting for the more nutrient dense, slower and more efficiently metabolizing, and higher fiber sweet potato is a solid choice to fuel your day.

I’m using both red and purple sweet potatoes today. All sweet potatoes are rich on vitamin A, vitamin C, B1, 2, and 6 as well as niacin, potassium, manganese, pantothenic acid, copper, and phosphorous. Purple sweet potatoes are particularly high in the antioxidant anthocyanin, causing their deep eggplant color

I’m using about three cups cubed purple and red sweet potatoes. DON’T PEEL YOUR VEGETABLE SKINS. Eat them.

Red Onion

Onions are power houses, Red Onions in particular due to their higher concentration of antioxidants in comparison to white onions! Part of the same family as garlic, onions provide an ample amount of health benefits when eaten on a regular basis. Onions are known to improve cardiovascular health and promote healthy cholesterol levels.

Onions are one of the greatest natural sources of quercetin (an important anti-inflammatory antioxidant.) The contain good amounts of biotin, vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium, folate, copper, vitamins B 1 and 6, and manganese.

Peel as little skin as necessary, nutrition is more heavily concentrated in the outer layers. For this recipe I use one medium red onion.

Red and green peppers

I chose red and green bell for this recipe. I would choose this mix again if I didn’t have Anaheim’s on hand (which I don’t sadly) Feel free to use whatever peppers you prefer!

Red and Green bell contains quite a bit of vitamin C, carotenoids (antioxidants) and more vitamins and minerals than I can even reasonably list here (including a surprisingly hefty serving of vitamin E!). All peppers are nutritious and beneficial to your health. Bottom line is, eat more peppers. Seriously.

I used one large Red and one medium Green bell for this recipe.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms may seem unassuming, but they are actually antioxidant powers houses. They are beneficial to the immune system, help support brain and heart health, and decrease inflammation, among many other benefits.

Set mushroom caps out in the sun for 20 minutes. I previously mentioned how mushrooms can soak up sunlight and convert it into vitamin D just like we can. This process also helps to dry them a bit, making it easier to brush off dirt.

Garlic

Garlic is part of a heart -healthy diet. Eating is everyday can help improve your cholesterol levels, and helps to regulate blood sugar and pressure.

Crushing fresh garlic and letting it sit for about twenty minutes previous to cooking allows the allicin to reach more optimum levels.

Judge for yourself how much garlic you want to use here, I’m a HUGE fan of garlic, and tend to be a bad judge of how much others can handle.

Get Cooking!

Set your mushrooms out to sunbathe!

Cube your sweet potatoes and peppers; dice your onion and garlic.

Set your sausage to cook on mid heat, hash it as finely as you please and add sweet potatoes. Cover and let cook until potatoes are soft. Crank the heat up to high and add the peppers. Cube your mushrooms and add them. Cook uncovered until mushrooms have shrunk to half their size, add onion and garlic and continue cooking to brown and carmelize the whole party.

In a separate pan, prepare your eggs as you like them. Sometimes scrambled is best, sometimes sunnyside up! Make it yours!

Bowl it up as you please! Season to your preference. I like to use high mineral salt and fresh cracked black pepper, crushed rosemary and some chipotle pepper for this already flavor dense meal.

Power up and fuel the rest of your day!

Let me know how you like it,

or what you used this recipe to fuel yourself for in the comments below!

I’d love to connect with you on any of the following social media platforms!

Now, for the disclaimer – I am not a vet, adventure guide, personal trainer, doctor, nutritionist, or medical authority, this is meant to be only a source of information and inspiration, implementing these techniques into your daily life is something you do of your own free will and at your own risk.

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