Of all the things that have changed in my approach to eating since I transitioned to eating Paleo, the meal that has changed the most drastically is breakfast.
It is sad (to me) but true that I had been in the habit of drinking my breakfast by way of a high-protein shake almost every day of the week. And almost every time, I would think of the lyrics to Alix Olson’s spoken word piece “I Believe,” in which she proclaims (among other things) that “I believe too many women drink their meals.” (I was bummed to discover that there were no Youtube videos of her performing that particular piece to share with you all, so as a pretty darned good consolation prize, here’s a link to her song “Eve’s Mouth.”) I suppose that these “breakfasts” did what they needed to, in that I lasted until lunch with a modicum of nutrition in my system, but they were not fulfilling.
Previous to the breakfast beverage era, my breakfasts were (as they are for many people) high-carb affairs involving lots of toast, cereal, pancakes, waffles, bagels, and/or apple fritters. Oh, how I love an apple fritter… (Note to self: develop a Paleo-friendly apple fritter recipe.)
And none of those items are even remotely Paleo. Not even a little bit.
So, what do my breakfasts consist of nowadays? Usually, it is either a poached egg or some fish served alongside some leftover veggies or salad from the previous night’s dinner and a piece of fresh fruit. I will eventually try out some of the recipes for Paleo pancakes that I see posted to an assortment of Paleo cooking blogs, but so far I haven’t felt the need to. Damn, I’m enjoying these breakfasts! They feel good, they’re quick to make, and I don’t just make it to lunch, but I thrive through the morning with energy and enthusiasm. Huzzah!
And the best part is that my breakfasts rarely take more than 5-10 minutes of actual prep time, so I’m not finding it to be any sort of hardship on my morning routine.
Since today was one of my days off, I did a little bit more than my usual plain-jane (and yet still absolutely delicious) fish preparation method of just searing or broiling a piece of lightly salted and peppered fish: I added a simple almond “breading,” and it worked out beautifully! So beautifully, in fact, that I’m going to share the recipe with all of you… I hope you like it! (Also… this probably goes without saying, but feel free to serve this recipe at lunch or dinner, too!)
I served this delicious flounder next to some of the leftover veggies from the Mediterranean Chicken I made a few nights ago and a sliced pear… now that’s a good breakfast!
Almond Crusted Flounder (serves 2)
- 3-4 T coconut oil, divided
- 3/4 c almond flour
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 egg
- 6 oz. flounder fillets
- Preheat your broiler: if it has multiple settings, set it to low. Cover your broiler pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and grease it with 1 T of the coconut oil.
- Combine the almond flour, sea salt, pepper, and garlic in a medium-sized bowl or large plate.
- Whisk together the egg and 1 T of the coconut oil in another bowl.
- Dip the flounder fillets in the egg mixture, and then thoroughly coat with the almond flour mixture. Place on the prepared broiler pan.
- Drizzle 1 or 2 more T of coconut oil evenly over the fish: this will help the breading get nice and tender-crisp.
- Place under the broiler for 7-10 minutes, until the fish is cooked thoroughly and lightly browned. Serve next to some veggies or a salad and a piece of fruit (maybe even a mug of yerba mate, if you’d like), and enjoy your day! It’s already off to a great start!
transgustatory 