I like breakfast; it has always taken the crown as the best meal of my day. Many a time a restaurant has been selected solely based on their promise of ‘all-day breakfast’. Pancakes were always first choice but sometimes a deviation was made to accommodation a sudden longing for French Toast covered in sticky syrup or Belgium waffles decorated lovingly with strawberries and whipped cream.
My Grandparents live small town Alberta and though seeing them was always tops, visiting the local breakfast joint was a close second. The whole restaurant is no bigger than the size of my garage and is the type of place where the waitress knows everyone by name and their order by heart. The walls are covered with crooked pictures chronologically taking you through the years of the town, the seats are old and the floors squeaky. In the morning the place is filled with the regulars and the friendly banter between neighbors and friends makes the place seem twice it’s size. It is warm. It is welcoming. It is everything country and nothing like what I have ever found in the city. Since my first morning walking through those doors, breakfast has never been the same.
Unfortunately, I will never be able to eat there again, spare maybe an egg.
I used to live off of toaster waffles, pancakes, German crepes, toast, English muffins and French toast. Breakfast was my thing. Anytime, anyplace. Except now those would send me to bed for a week. Boo.
Not being able to eat traditional breakfast foods was very frustrating for a long long time. When I first started eating gluten free the freezer was full of “gluten free waffles”, I might have eaten those like they were going out of style. When dairy free and sugar free happened I was at a loss for what to make. Lots of leftovers, lots of vegetable stir fry’s, too much quinoa and enough eggs to build up an intolerance (hasn’t happened yet though so here’s to keeping my fingers crossed). I was eating fine but I still missed the food of mornings past. Slowly, this has begun to change. I have started experimenting with pancake recipes, smoothies and different variations of quinoa to keep my mornings exciting. The dismal breakfast forecast has begun to see the light!
It has taken nearly 10 months but I am finally feeling confident in my breakfast making abilities. Breakfast parties are becoming a regular thing in my house and I am having so much fun experimenting and creating new versions of old food. Sure, the pancakes sometimes have a gritty texture or the muffins a bit tough but I am learning while having fun creating and enjoying the finished product, even if it is not like it once was… It’s better. I love knowing that I am healthy and that I can start my day off with energy to spare. Breakfast still takes the crown, it just takes a bit more work that it once did.Anyways, all that to say that breakfast is my favourite meal and having half a million food limitations is not going to hold me back from becoming a breakfast champion.
Yesterday Ben and I had a breakfast party. It was so fun to make and share my favourite meal with my favourite person 🙂 I found inspiration here, sweet potato hash with sunny side up eggs from Amazing Paleo. It was so simple to make and I had a great morning cooking and eating with Ben. We made the yam hash, we made eggs and we made the best milkshakes ever. I also made mistakemuffensthatturnedoutreallywell, but I’ll talk about those another day. Take a look at our pictures and enjoy recreating if you feel so inclined.
Milkshake 🙂 (to serve 1)
1 Banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 cupish frozen berries (we used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
1 peach (if you are Ben)
Blend 🙂
Yam and Eggs (serves 2)
1 Large Yam
2-3 eggs each
1/4 of an onion (we only had 1/4 onion left but next time I think I will add more)
2 garlic cloves
Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
Grate yam, try to avoid grating fingers. Heat a pan with olive oil, dump in yam when hot. Add chopped garlic, chopped onion, salt and pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook until everything is soft and is starting to get a little bit crispy 🙂 Cook your eggs and if you so desire, mix them all together 🙂 Breakfast for the win!
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