Anatomy of a Salad: Breakfast Greens De-mystified

By now, it is no secret that I love rainbows.

I profit of almost every occasion to explode into one.

But it doesn’t stop there–I eat rainbows, too.  In fact, I eat them first thing in the morning.  My morning meal mantra: Eat Rainbow. Become rainbow.

Now, I know a number of you didn’t completely bash the notion of having salad for breakfast, and even offered a few words of enthusiasm–but as we all know (ahem! Greenola!), thinking something is a “good idea” does not always equate to carrying out said good idea.

Therefore, when I presented to you the (In)sane Challenge to eat salads for breakfast, I did so without much expectation.  You’re going to do whatever you’re inclined to do, and who am I to stop you?  After all, I’m just the small, helpless, dreamer girl, remember?  But my goal is to provide you with some tools.  Possibly some possibilities.  Dreamily some dreams.  Hopefully some hope.

If nothing else, an idea.  A really, really good idea.  Without further ado, I present to you the Anatomy of MY Salad: Breakfast Greens De-mystified (in 6 components):

1. Pick a Brassica.
   CHOOSE: Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and/or savoy cabbage. Sometimes collards.

   
   (Source)

2. Adopt a Lettuce.
   CHOOSE: Endive, Escarole, Red leaf, and/or Romaine.
   
   (Source)
   
3. Some Sweet.
   CHOOSE #1 (Fresh): A sweet potato, a couple of figs, apples, frozen bananas, or my favorite — a crisp Bosc pear!
   
   (Source)

   CHOOSE #2 (Dried): Apricots, figs, raisins, goji berries and/or dates (!!).  Unsalted sun-dried tomatoes can also be delicious!

   
   (Source)

4. Crisp, crunch, and condiments.
   CHOOSE: Crunchy carrot rounds (or sometimes when I’m lazy, the whole carrot!), diced warm-colored peppers (red, orange, or yellow), crispy broccoli or alfafa sprouts, crunchy roasted chickpeas, and finally, CAPERS.  Or pickles.  If I’m in a “savory” mood, I’ll rip up some nori sheets too!
   
5. Some Zing.
   CHOOSE: Italian parsley, Curly Parsley, and/or Cilantro.

   
   (Source)

6. Feed on Fats.
   CHOOSE: An avocado, a variety of nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds seem to be popular in my pantry), and/or chocolate. Chocolate always seems to help.
   
   (Source)

Finally, depending on how I feel, I’ll sometimes also want some grains. If this is the case, then I would typically toast a slice of whole grain bread (usually sprouted Ezekiel bread), have some Greenola, and/or eat a handful of brown rice crackers.

A few examples of all-together-ness:

…Aletheia in a Salad-shell.  As you can see, I give myself many choices for each step, and therefore, many possibilities of which I never bore.  Naturally, there are many other options I sometimes incorporate–steamed broccoli, hummus dips, or collard wraps, to name a few–but for all intents and purposes, this is only a rough guide.  I’ve been eating variations of this morning salad since I was 15, and look how I turned out!

See?  A perfectly normal, and socially acceptable human being.

…

*Crickets*

Okay, don’t respond to that statement.

But seriously — y’all should try this sometime.  Have fun with your greens.  Experiment a little.  You might still be on the fence about having greens for breakfast and that’s OK–just focus on getting in touch with the anatomy of your salad.  Figure out what you like and define your “Salad-Shell”.  Who are you in a salad? It might take you some trial and error, but once you get it right, I promise that eating yourself first thing in the morning never disappoints–because YOU, my friend, are more than a good idea.  Ha!

xo Aletheia

P.S. Check out my new SALADS page, where I am honouring all my friends who have been adventurous enough to accept my (In)sane Breakfast Salad Challenge! *HINT: THERE MAY BE A POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW.*