Keto sauteed veggies & cheesy eggs

As chiropractors, we’re always looking for ways to enhance our energy in order to be able to serve powerfully and share knowledge from experience with our clients. Starting the day with vegetables, healthy fats, adequate protein and minimal carbs is a great way to get good nutrition and build a foundation for stable energy throughout the day.

This recipe is our go-to morning meal while we’ve been enjoying our keto cleanse/diet. This recipe is easy to make and super tasty! We prioritize simplicity and nutrition when it comes to meal preparation which is one reason why this is a top breakfast choice in our home.

As we’ve been sharing, Dr. Rob and I are really enjoying our recent keto diet. We’re learning so much which we’ll share more about soon. What we’re learning is mostly through the feeling in our body and through the use of our nutrient calculator. Because we’re burning mostly fat instead of carbohydrate, we’re not experiencing any fluctuations in our energy level. We’ve been feeling strong and steady throughout the day without that low in the afternoon or that nappy feeling that can come after eating a meal. We’re really loving these gains and it’s making us think about what we can do to maintain this new energized state when we shift back towards a more vegetarian diet (and away from keto). Regardless, we fully expect this breakfast to remain a staple meal for our start to the day.

At 12 grams of net carbohydrates per serving, this meal, although still low in carbohydrates, is on the high end for carbohydrates in a keto meal.  Our goal for keto is generally around 30 grams of net carbs per day, so we are definitely mindful of that for the rest of the day after we eat this meal!

Generally, we try to eat a lot of organic food and have been doing so especially since we’ve been ‘cleansing’. With organics, studies have shown there is a higher nutrient content. Additionally, we want to avoid the chemicals and pesticides that typically come with the non-organically produced foods. The farming practices for organic food are also more sustainable and healthier for the environment.

Zucchini has become a staple vegetable for us while we are on our keto diet. It is relatively low in net carbohydrates and is an ingredient that can be prepared so many different ways. Bell pepper and onion are used sparingly because they both have a higher carbohydrate content and so are not great ‘keto’ foods. The spinach is packed full of nutrients and a great low-carb option.

Cheese is another ingredient that we’ve been eating more. We’ve found It can be tough to get enough calories from fat in whole foods on the keto diet so eating more cheese has been a valuable solution for us. We had broken our cheese ‘addiction’ many years ago and have been eating minimal dairy for several years. We do buy organic cheese, which does sit a little better for us, however this addition of more cheese to our diet is not something that will likely last in the longer term.

Eggs have always been a staple in our diet. We love to start the day with eggs and find that the energy they give lasts throughout the morning. We choose organic free range eggs because – when it comes to eating animal products – it’s important for us to know how the animals were raised. We like to be able to say that they lived as ‘happy’ animals.

Serves: 2
Total time: 15 minutes

Veggies:

• 1½ tbsp avocado oil
• 1¼ cup chopped zucchini
• ½ cup chopped bell pepper
• ¼ cup chopped white onion
• 3 cup loose baby spinach
• Herbamare (or salt to taste)
• 1 tsp chopped basil or other herb (optional)

Eggs:

• ½ tbsp butter
• 6 large eggs (or just use 4, but we love our eggs!)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• Herbamare (or salt to taste)

1. Heat avocado oil at low/medium heat in a frying pan or skillet (for cooking veggies).
2. Chop zucchini into 1 cm chunks and add to the pan with Herbamare and begin cooking.
3. Heat butter in a second frying pan for the eggs at low/medium heat.
4. Chop pepper into 1 cm chunks.
5. Chop onions to 1 cm pieces.
6. Continue heating and sauteing zucchini for a few minutes (cook time will depend on how cooked you like the zucchini, I like it well cooked so I will cook it for about 7 or 8 minutes).
7. After zucchini has cooked for a few minutes, add the eggs to the other frying pan with some Herbamare. Let those cook for a few minutes scrambling as you go.
8. In the meantime, add the onions and peppers to the zucchini and cook for a few more minutes.
9. When the veggies are close to done, add the spinach, take the frying pan off the heat and mix in the spinach to wilt it.
10. Finally, add the cheese to the eggs and integrate.
11. Serve both pans onto your plates and sprinkle basil or herbs over the veggies.

Hopefully by the end of your cooking, the eggs and veggies will be done around the same time! It may take a little practice to get the timing right for everything. Enjoy the yuminess!