Wake up to a super simple yet surprisingly satisfying Gluten Free Lentil Veggie Breakfast Bowl. With frozen veggies and ready to go lentils and rice, this breakfast couldn’t get any easier. All you gotta do is fry the egg!
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
So I gotta just tell you. I had the most fabulous day today! I actually went out to lunch, hung out with some girlfriends, and did some shopping ALL BY MYSELF!
I don’t know why I even think this is a big deal. I don’t have kids at home during the day, so theoretically I should be able to do all these things whenever I want. But I find myself getting caught up in all the “to do’s” around the house and volunteering at the school, that by the time the kids get home I literally feel as though I’ve accomplished nothing of any worth.
I still end up grocery shopping with my kids quite a bit, I’m too cheap to ever treat myself to lunch, and let’s be honest, I hardly have any girlfriends to mingle with nowadays. Sounds like a pity party, huh?
Here’s the thing. I legitimately have about 2-3 friends that I will occasionally get together with, only one of which do we actually meet up without our kids, and it’s seldom at that. So girls’ outings are pretty far and few between for me.
Today I got to meet up with two of my old coworkers from back in the day when I taught high school. Uh yeah, did I ever tell you that??? I taught at an inner city high school for 4 years before staying at home with the kiddos. I actually brought Braelyn to work with me for the first year of her life and stuck her in the student daycare. We catered to teenage moms, so we offered a daycare on campus for the students…and apparently the teachers as well.
Oh man, do I remember those days. I remember the Friday afternoon potlucks packed with homemade tamales and ceviche, the dance off competitions in our ghetto parking lot, the random homeless people that would walk into our school just to use the bathroom, the field trips we took to the beach (most our students had never even left Arizona before), and the hours I spent at the copy machine since we didn’t have any textbooks to teach from.
Wow. Those were the days.
My high school students were actually the ones that gave me the nickname Breezy. I told them they could refer to me as Miss Brielle or Miss Gundersen. Well, Miss Gundersen was way too formal and apparently Brielle is a hard name to remember…plus Brielle just doesn’t have enough swag to it. So Miss Breezy it became.
On one of our California field trips, we headed over to an educational camp on Catalina Island. One of the camp counselors also referred to herself as Breezy. You should have seen my students’ faces at the thought that some poser was trying to be me. They pressured me into a kayak race with her to defend my title and, needless to say, I smoked her and lived to claim my name another day.
My students always gave me the worst time for the lunches I would send with Braelyn to the daycare. Granted, most of their kids were walking around with bags of hot Cheetos and bottles filled with Coke, so Braelyn’s cheese cubes, black beans, and strawberry slices appeared completely unappealing. I tried explaining to them the importance of nutrition and starting their kids on a healthy diet of fruits and veggies while they were young, but they thought I was “cray cray!”
If only they could see me now. My love for healthy meals has only grown. There’s not a day you won’t find a fresh fruit or veggie in my house…oh yeah, except for today…before I went shopping. Yup, there was literally nothing but a handful of spinach leaves in my fridge.
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
But you know what the joy of improvising meals on a daily basis is??? You can literally turn nothing into something. And this morning’s breakfast was no exception.
This Gluten Free Lentil and Veggie Breakfast Bowl takes only minutes to make and is chalk full of healthy veggies, proteins and grains. It’s the perfect fuel to start your day without breaking the bank or robbing your time. All you need is a few pantry and freezer staples, and you’re good to go for a warm gourmet breakfast any day.
I love to have a few pantry and freezer reinforcements for those hectic days I can’t seem to find time to shop or cook. Two of my favorite pantry staples are ready to eat or minute rice and a variety of legumes.
Rice makes for a quick whole grain option to toss on salads, throw in burritos, or scoop as a side. I’ve been loving these Seeds of Change brand rice pouches. You heat them for 90 seconds in the microwave and they’re done. BAM! That’s the way you do it! Not only is the rice delicious, but it’s organic, whole grain, and has added veggies mixed in. Hello kale!
And as far as legumes go, they are great for a protein boost. I always have black beans, chickpeas, and lentils on hand. One of our favorite options for lentils are these already made pouches from Tasty Bite. They offer a variety of flavors, all of which we have loved, and only take 60 seconds to microwave. Plus, the ingredients are real, clean, down to earth ingredients which you don’t usually find in packaged foods nowadays. I feel NO guilt eating this.
Now onto the freezer! I always keep at least a bag of frozen mixed vegetables on hand for the rare days we don’t have fresh ones on hand. They only take a few minutes to steam in the microwave, saute on the stove top, or roast in the oven. Seasoned with the right touch and these veggies are good as fresh. You have my word.
And from these staples, the base of these Gluten Free Lentil and Veggie Breakfast Bowls were born. All these take are instant rice and lentils, some sauteed frozen veggies, and a fried egg. Top it all off with a handful of spinach leaves, a drizzle of sriracha, and some pickled jalapenos and your breakfast is made. Viola!
I’m telling you, eating a hearty healthy meal like this in the morning can really jump start your day. I’ve been making a conscious effort to eat more protein and veggies in the mornings and I can tell a real difference. My body doesn’t crave sweets as much and I feel more active and alert during the early hours. I highly recommend it.
So the next time you tell yourself you don’t have time for breakfast, open that pantry and pull stuff out of your freezer. You’ll be surprised what you can pull off in only a few short minutes. Your time starts now!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Gluten Free Granola and Yogurt Grapefruit Breakfast
- Southwest Sweet Corn and Zucchini Saute
- Gluten Free Roasted Veggie Bowls with Lime Peanut Sauce
- Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
- 2 pouches Seeds of Change organic brown and red rice
- 1 pouch Tasty Bites madras lentils (or other flavor variety)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups frozen mixed veggies
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons lime juice (about ½ a lime)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves, divided
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 4 eggs
- salt and pepper
- toppings: sriracha, green onions, avocado, diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, etc.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once drop of water sizzles, add frozen veggies and stir to coat in oil. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and stir until coated. Cook until liquid is reduced and veggies are crisp/tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add lime juice, garlic and 3 cups of spinach leaves. Stir and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- In a large nonstick cooking pan, heat butter over medium heat, making sure to coat the pan. Once pan is hot, Gently crack eggs into pan, making sure not to break the yolks. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes until the egg whites are almost cooked through. Flip eggs to other side and lightly season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let sit in pan for 2 minutes until bottom of eggs are cooked through, but yolks are still runny.
- Heat rice and lentils according to package directions.
- To assemble bowls, scoop half a pouch of rice into each bowl. Top with a drizzle of lentils (1/4 of the pouch). Spoon about ½ cup veggies on top. Place a handful of remaining uncooked spinach leaves on side. Add egg and top with desired toppings. Serve with lime wedges.
