Salad for breakfast.

Saturday mornings I take myself out for breakfast, a trip to the gym, and then run errands (of the "easier without kids" variety).  The earlier the better.

Most of the restaurants around here open between 7 and 8 on Saturdays, but there's one place that I recently discovered opens at 6:30, and I've been going there a lot.  It's a lovely bakery cafe that touts its local cheeses and produce (in season!) and many varieties of house baked breads (and pastries -- I can see the case from here -- strawberry rhubarb muffins and spinach-swiss scones and chocolate croissants -- not that I would ever eat these things for breakfast). 

Its menu was a revelation to me for one big reason:  They have salad for breakfast.

The first time I came in (still in weight loss mode) I ordered the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.  It was a big plate and I had to limit myself to eating only half of it, and only a half piece of the "healthy hemp toast," too.  Instead of hash browns, this particular meal came with a side of "organic mixed greens."  Which was a beautiful tender green salad with just the right amount of a classic French-style vinaigrette.  Even at 6:30 a.m., the salad felt good all the way down to my toes -- I gobbled it up before I even touched my coffee, let alone the eggs. 

I came back a few more times and discovered that they would substitute the salad for hash browns, at no extra charge, on any of the breakfasts.  Well, that was a no-brainer!  I have found myself coming back here more and more often, not just because they're the only place open at 6:30 a.m., but also because I wake up and think... poached eggs, a piece of toast, and a salad.  That's what I want for breakfast.  The remains of such a plate is at my right elbow as I type this.

I mean, most breakfast places, if you want a serving of veggies, you're stuck with tomato juice.  I like tomato juice, it's a great solution, but a little more variety is nice.

Isn't it strange that with all my effort to pack more vegetables into my day, it would take me so long to realize that salad can be a fine breakfast food?  Tomato juice, that makes sense.  An occasional omelette stuffed with last night's leftover greens.  But salad -- if the greens are already washed and ready, and the vinaigrette in a jar in the fridge, what could be easier? 

One can, of course, buy the lettuce and wash it oneself.  I struggle with time constraints especially when trying to establish a new habit, so we decided we could fit the cost of a pound of prewashed organic mixed greens into our weekly grocery bill, at least for the time being. There they are now, enough salad for me to have salad for breakfast daily if I like.  A bottle of dressing is easy (and it's what Mark and the kids prefer) but I always mix my own dressing in a jelly jar:

Erin's Idiot-proof Mustard Vinaigrette:

One part Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, one part red wine vinegar, two parts olive oil, salt and pepper to taste in a jelly jar.  Cover and shake.  Toss one tablespoon with a portion of greens.

Erin's Nearly-idiot-proof Cream Dressing:

Half a jelly jar of heavy cream, plenty of salt and pepper, cover and shake to mix (only about fifteen seconds -- you don't want to make butter).  Add vinegar to taste --- 1 tsp to start, then more if you like it more sour.  Shake very gently just to mix.  Toss a bit more than 1 tablespoon with a portion of greens.

One of those salads, a soft-boiled egg, and a half piece of toast is just perfect. 

UPDATE:  I think I must have the only blog in St. Blog's Parish with a full time staff epidemiologist.  In the comments, Christy P reminds us all that for maximum food safety one must still rinse prewashed greens.  

Careful now... the bite back from recommendations like that is that people will say "Wash the pre-washed greens?  Hang it all, I'm just picking up an Egg McMuffin on the way to work."  So *I* remind you all not to let Christy P and her ilk stop you from enjoying your salad.    

Comments

[Rebekka]

I've recently started cutting back on carbohydrates and have discovered the wonders of salad for breakfast, too. I'm too lazy to actually construct one in the morning but leftovers from dinner taste almost better for breakfast than they did for dinner! It tastes so... clean.

[bearing]

Yeah, I'm generally too lazy too, which is why I paid the big bucks for the boxed prewashed greens.

The salad dressing can be mixed the night before, fairly successfully. I thought the cream dressing might curdle, but it lasted overnight pretty well (it was kind of thick, like mayo, the next morning, but tasted fine.)

If you are planning to "not eat so darned much" (which was the gist of most of my diet during my weight loss period), you could do worse than to cut out all refined carbs and cut back on breads and grains and starchy veg in general. I look at it this way -- these are the least nutrient-dense foods we eat. Removing them keeps most of the nutrition in your diet intact.

[Christy P]

Not to be a party pooper, but even so-called 'pre-washed' greens should be washed before use for maximum food safety. May I remind you of the reproductive power of bacteria? They double every 20 minutes, around the clock (likely slower at fridge temperature).

I do often buy the box of organic mixed greens (only about $3 a pound at Costco), and I employ a salad spinner to give them a rinse immediately before dinner.

You may have seen special "green bags" for storing produce at your grocery store. They are coated with something that adsorbs ethylene oxide(dioxide?), the ripening/spoiling agent, and they really do work to preserve your expensive organic greens for a few more days.

[Rebekka]

re: removing all refined carbs, breads, etc. That's exactly what I'm doing/trying to do. It goes really well on a daily basis but is not so easy when we're eating at a friend's house... It's one thing to eat around the potatoes, but how do I resist homemade ice cream and chocolate sauce? Any tips?

[bearing]

Yes. Serve yourself a small portion -- for ice cream, for me, when losing weight, that was about an ounce and a half, or three tablespoons -- and enjoy it.

[bearing]

Fair enough, Christy -- but if it's prewashed, and I rinse it ahead of time, it's still a time saver compared to muddy sandy bunches of spinach!