The Importance of a Morning Routine + a Gluten-Free Breakfast Skillet Recipe

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (at least for me!) and I decided to write a post about the importance of breakfast as well as share a delicious skillet recipe with you. This post featuring my gluten-free breakfast skillet was originally inspired by my partnership with Happy Egg Co. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclosures.

The morning sets the tone for your entire day. If you wake up feeling well rested, energized and ready to start the day, you can guarantee yourself a productive day ahead. However, if you snooze, wake up at the very last second, skip breakfast and rush out the door, you guarantee yourself a day of feeling frazzled and always playing catch-up.

I personally cherish my mornings, especially after a good night’s sleep. I wake up early and refreshed and find my mornings, for the most part, are productive and healthy. (I truly detest out-of-the-norm mornings where I have to rush out the door.)

I tell you this not to brag about how healthy and amazing I am, but to share with you how I’ve been able to create health in my life despite having an autoimmune disease. Having celiac disease has taught me the importance of treating my body with respect, not taking my health for granted, and employing consistent self-care routines.

I truly believe that starting your day off on the right foot is one of the best ways you can care for – and even heal – your body. So today, I want to share tips to ensuring your day starts off right:

Wake up at the same time every morning. Having the same wake time is one way to start your day off right and, as it turns out, is good for you too. In fact, a 2019 study in Diabetes Care found an irregular bedtime and different amounts of sleep each night puts you at a higher risk for metabolic syndrome, thereby raising your chances for heart disease.

Have a morning routine. Having a morning routine can help your body adjust to the coming day. For me, I wake around the same time every morning (5:50 am on weekdays and 6:30 am on weekends) and then take my dog for an hour-long walk. Unless it’s dark, pouring rain, freezing cold or there’s more than 4″ of snow on the ground, we’re going for that walk! The fresh air wakes me up and the movement gets my body going. By the time 7 am rolls around, I’ve already walked three miles and am hungry for breakfast!

Eat a warm, home-cooked breakfast. So many people wake up and grab a quick bite to eat on the way out the door. Usually they grab a granola bar, bagel or something loaded with refined grains and sugar.

I have found the trick to starting my day healthy requires a little effort in the kitchen. In fact, I spend about 25 minutes cooking breakfast (and preparing my kids’ lunches for the day). I’ll take a warm breakfast over a cold breakfast any day!

A warm meal gets me excited too. I seriously look forward to breakfast every morning, and I love filling my body with yummy, wholesome foods. I am so full after breakfast that I don’t even think about food again until 12:30 or 1:00 pm. No tummy growls here.

So What’s for Breakfast?

Now that I’ve convinced you to wake up early to give yourself time to prepare a home-cooked breakfast, I want to share one of my favorite gluten-free breakfast recipes with you.

It’s a veggie-loaded gluten-free breakfast skillet topped with two beautiful eggs.

So many of my readers write me asking for gluten-free breakfast ideas. Honestly, you can eat many of the same things as you did before you dumped gluten. Of course, you can buy gluten-free cereal, gluten-free bagels and gluten-free English muffins.

However, for me, breakfast cereal and bagels don’t cut it. I eat those foods and then feel hungry an hour later. It’s rarely a satisfying breakfast when cereal is involved.

Instead, I skip the excess carbs and go straight for a protein-rich, healthified breakfast. I find myself always reaching for eggs, chicken sausages, turkey bacon and/or even my famous protein pancakes.

You’ll also always find plenty of vegetables on my plate come breakfast time. I often find myself eating half of an avocado (topped with lime and Kosher salt) or slices of crispy English cucumber or bell pepper slices for breakfast.

When I have time, I most enjoy warm, cooked vegetables, and I use whatever vegetables I have on hand.

In my veggie-loaded gluten-free breakfast skillet, you’ll find diced red bell peppers, fresh leafy spinach, sliced mushrooms and chopped onions. If I would have had a zucchini in the house, I would have added it to my breakfast skillet too. You could also add tomatoes, green bell peppers, jalapenos (if you like it spicy), eggplant and even asparagus (trust me, it works). The more vegetables and color you can add, the better!

Regardless of the vegetables you use, the base of your gluten-free breakfast skillet is typically fried potatoes (I think Russet potatoes cook well in the skillet) and the top of your skillet will be scrambled or fried eggs. Everything else in between depends on what you like (and what vegetables you need to use up in the house before they spoil).

On top of the eggs, I typically add fresh avocado (I forgot to add it before I took the photo – doh!) so I can load up on those healthy fats, and feel free to add chopped scallions, chives, cilantro or any other seasoning of choice.

I personally don’t eat a lot of dairy, so I skipped the cheese, but if you like cheese, sprinkle a little shredded Mexican cheese on top of the potato and veggie mixture (before adding the eggs). You can either heat it over the stove top until the cheese melts or bake it in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese browns. Once the cheese is melted, top your skillet with the fried eggs.

If you’re like me and find yourself craving something hearty, healthy and substantial in the morning, try making this wonderful gluten-free breakfast skillet. It makes a totally satisfying warm breakfast… plus, it’s easy to make, loaded with fresh, from-the-earth ingredients, and is truly tasty from top to bottom.

I hope that this post has inspired you to take your morning routine more seriously. Whenever possible, wake up at the same time each day, create a productive morning routine, and whatever you do, don’t skip (or skimp on) breakfast.

Taking the time to make yourself a warm breakfast each and every day gives you the best chance at starting your day off a little happier and healthier. Enjoy!