It’s time to shake up your routine and bring salads to the breakfast table. Salads may not be a typical breakfast food, but these four breakfast salads have a winning combination to start your day with an easy, pleasing, nutrient dense meal.
Nutritionally powerful, hearty greens such as spinach, kale, and swiss chard, are the perfect base to top off with a protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These ingredients turn a basic salad into a power package for building lean, strong bodies.
The carbohydrates and B vitamins found in green leafy veggies work synergistically to convert foods and nutrients into usable energy. The high amount of phytonutrients, antioxidants, and insoluble fiber found in green leafy vegetables help support digestive function and also work to prevent heart disease.
Allow yourself to be creative in the kitchen with your own riff on a breakfast salad. My key components to top greens for a filling morning meal are some type of protein (chopped lean meat, quinoa, eggs, or nuts), a healthy fat, and something slightly sweet (like fruit, tomato, or yogurt). Easy dressing options are a thinned yogurt, a thinned nut butter, or pureed berries with lemon juice. Let the following four salad combinations inspire you to get your greens for breakfast and fuel your morning with fiber, protein, and a punch of unexpected flavor that is anything but boring.
BLT Breakfast Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ -2 cups chopped salad greens (kale, spinach, chard)
- 2 pieces cooked and diced bacon
- 2 tablespoons diced tomato
- 1 egg (poached, sunny side up, or over easy)
- Sprinkle of olive oil, salt, and pepper
Preparation Instructions:
- Spread salad greens onto a plate or bowl.
- Add bacon, tomato, and egg on top of greens.
- Sprinkle the olive oil, salt, and pepper over top.
- Gently break the egg yolk to serve as additional “dressing” and toss together.
Peach Chicken Salad with Almond Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ to 2 cups chopped salad greens (kale, spinach, chard)
- ½ cup chicken, cooked, chilled, and diced (leftovers work great)
- 1 peach or nectarine, diced
Almond Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
Preparation Instructions:
- Spread salad greens onto a plate or bowl.
- Add chicken and peach on top of greens.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss together.
Strawberry Quinoa Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ½-2 cups fresh salad greens (kale, spinach, chard)
- ½ cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
- ½ cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
Yogurt Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon plain unsweetened Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
- 1-2 teaspoons milk of any kind (dairy, almond, coconut) to thin out dressing to desired consistency
Preparation Instructions:
- Spread salad greens onto a plate or bowl.
- Add quinoa and strawberries on top of greens.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss together.
Avocado Black Bean Salad with Corn Crema Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ -2 cups salad greens (kale, spinach, chard)
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 2 tablespoons black beans
- 1 tablespoon salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Corn Crema Dressing:
- ¼ cup cooked sweet corn kernels (leftover corn on the cob is great – just slice the kernels off the cob)
- 2 tablespoons plain unsweetened Greek yogurt or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoons lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- Up to 1 tablespoon milk (dairy or non-dairy) – add until you reach the desired consistency for pouring. Note: if you use coconut milk instead of yogurt you may not need any additional milk to thin it out.
Preparation Instructions:
- Spread salad greens onto a plate or bowl.
- Add avocado, beans, and pepitas on top of greens.
- Place dressing ingredients in a blender or small food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss together.
More ideas to fuel your performance:
Eat for Endurance: Chicken Sausage Quinoa Bowl
Photos courtesy of Kari Lund.
