No matter how well I think I know my husband, from time to time he will either say or do something that makes me stop and say to myself (and occasionally out loud) “Did I hear that right?” or “Did he really just do that?!”. One such instance was when he declared, rather emphatically, that we “MUST start eating more vegetables…” Not more meat, not more potatoes, not more chocolate chip cookies, but no, he was demanding (mostly politely) that we eat more “green stuff”. After the initial “huh?” wore off, I decided that I was so proud of my hubby–I mean, after all, husbands ask for more of lots of things, but for most, vegetables wouldn’t even land in the top 10 (or maybe even in the top 50!) . But then, a feeling of defensiveness rose up in me–”Had I been failing in my role as household ‘nutritional gatekeeper’ in not providing enough healthy stuff for my family to eat?” For those that know me, you know that I take health and eating pretty darn seriously (not to say that I am a perfect eater by any means, but I do take some pride in trying to put a good, reasonably healthy meal on the table (or at the couch, whichever it may be). And to think that I was (gasp!) not doing something to a good enough standard was not what I wanted to hear. But then, I came to my senses and I decided that rather than to dismiss my husband’s plea for more vegetables or to feel that I was being criticized for the meals I had been preparing, I would deliver on his request. After all, we all love veggies in my family, so that wasn’t the problem; moreso, it was me needing to plan my meals better so that I could deliberately incorporate more veggies into whatever I was making. For me, breakfast time is where I struggle to add vegetables, so the meal idea below was one way that we made sure to get in more green stuff into our day. The beauty of it is that it is so versatile; feel free to alter it to fit your family’s taste preferences. Bon appetit!
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 to 3/4 c green pepper and spinach (hence, the ‘green’, but you could add any diced veggies of your liking, such as red/yellow/orange bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, etc.). If using frozen spinach, be sure to drain upon thawing, otherwise you will have mush–trust me, your husband (or you!) won’t be asking for more of this!
- diced potatoes (I like to leave the skin on, but remove after washing, if you prefer; for 2 people, I use 2 potatoes)
- eggs (6-7)
- milk (1/4 c)
- diced/shredded cooked ham (or cooked, crumbled sausage or bacon, or you can leave the meat out, or you could have a meat medley, but that would probably negate the health benefits of the veggies)
- 1/2 c shredded cheese (we like to use Cheddar or Colby Jack)
- oil
- salt and pepper to taste
What you’ll do:
Heat oil (~2 tbsp) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced potatoes to the skillet and cook until the potatoes become soft (usually around 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often so they do not stick). Next, add the vegetables of your liking and cook until they are done (usually this will take 3-5 minutes, depending on what veggies you have chosen). Then, stir in the cooked breakfast meat of your choosing. Reduce heat to low-medium.In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour this mixture over the potatoes, vegetables, and meat. Ideally, the egg-milk mixture should cover the potatoes, vegetables, and meat. Allow eggs to cook, stirring the mixture together (think of this as being an omelet gone wrong). Once the eggs are done (they’ll look like scrambled eggs with all of the other goodness mixed in), sprinkle in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with whole wheat toast (and a good cup of coffee). So, did this dish help satisfy my husband’s desire for more vegetables? YES! He loved it and it has become a staple in our home. We’ve been known to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I will also say that this re-heats well, so if you want to make a bigger-than-usual batch, it will not go to waste (or at least it doesn’t around here). I have also used this as a filling for tortilla shells, which I freeze and pull out as breakfast burritos.