Christmas Breakfasts

Posted bybrooklynwellnessnzPosted inFestive, Recipes

If you’re on a special diet and have trouble finding festive foods that work for you, or just want to try something different, maybe healthier, here are some ideas that may help. Most of these recipes are suitable for Paleo, gluten free, GAPS or SCD (starch free) or grain free diets. Some are suitable for dairy free, vegetarian or vegan diets. Most are low sugar. If you’re doing Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) even some of these recipes might not work for you, but check out The Paleo Mom’s Holiday Recipe summary. Note that not all of these recipes have been tested by us.

We believe that “special” food should taste good, so family members not on special diets might not even notice they’re different. Make sure you test the recipe before Xmas Day, so you can tweak to suit your own tastes.

Lighter Breakfasts

If your main meal is at lunchtime, you’ll want something light, but still sustaining, such as:

  • A festive-y smoothie (maybe with gelatin hydrolysate for extra protein) – this post has a few varieties for you to choose from. Or see our smoothie page for even more options.
  • Choc cherry breakfast pudding (serves 2) – Very similar to a smoothie, just thicker. Blend together:
    • About 1 cup water – just enough to be able to blend everything together, but not too much – you want the mixture to be thick, luscious and pudding like. More water will make it more like a smoothie, nice enough, but not the decadent treat we want to feel like we’re having on Christmas morning.
    • One large avocado (for good fats)
    • 100-150 grams frozen cherries (for carbs) – or other frozen fruit – berries or banana are nice. Chop up banana into chunks and freeze overnight. Fruit doesn’t have to be frozen but will make a cooler, thicker mix.
    • Enough protein powder of your choice for 25-30 grams protein each
    • Generous pinch sea salt
    • 30-50 grams cocoa or cacao (depending how dark you like it)
    • 1-2 Tablespoons honey, whole food sweetener or low carb sweetener of your choice
  • Coconut & Berry Chia Pudding
  • If you know the day is going to start hot and get hotter, make up these Boysenberry, lemon and yoghurt frozen breakfast popsicles the night before
  • Christmas morning Orange Cranberry muffins
  • Keto Blueberry scones
  • This gingerbread souffle looks fun
  • If you can eat gluten, enjoy some classic French toast or these Eggie crumpets with berries and mascarpone sound delicious. For gluten free, use the classic recipe and substitute your choice of GF bread. For low sugar or low carb, here’s a keto french toast. And here’s a vegan one.
  • Cheesy zucchini fritters – or add eggs, bacon or smoked salmon to make them a bit more substantial
  • Soup! I bet you weren’t expecting to see that on a breakfast list. But a good nourishing soup, based on a homemade or good quality broth, and rich with whole foods, is a nourishing breakfast any day of the year. It’s also something that you can make up ahead of time, and have in the fridge or freezer for a quick meal (eg a light supper after a Christmas Day with too much eaten) that will help your health goals, rather than sabotaging them. See our collection of chilled soups here and our winter soups here.

Bigger Breakfasts

If your main Christmas meal is a bit later in the day, you may want a more substantial breakfast, so you’re not as tempted by the “treats” your family and friends lay out in front of you. Choose one of these more hearty breakfasts, and follow it with some berries or stone fruit with cream or yoghurt.

  • Smoked salmon always feels festive. Or bacon may be more your thing. Team it with:
  • Crustless Ham & Cheese Quiche or a similar recipe using cream cheese is this Keto Egg bake
  • Egg Bake – a bit like a savoury bread & butter pudding
  • Avocado deviled eggs – this recipe has also made it onto the potluck list and the starters list, so very versatile. If you make them up the night before, they would make a quick but sustaining breakfast, maybe teamed with something red like a salsa or handful of cherry tomatoes.
  • Apple Bacon Pecan Butternut hash
  • Overnight oatmeal – here is a recipe (from Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon) for oatmeal that has been soaked overnight, to be made more digestible. To make it Christmassy, stir in some spices, a little honey or maple syrup, maybe some dried fruit. Drizzle with whipped cream or coconut cream to make it even more decadent. Suitable for whole foods, vegetarian, vegan, refined sugar free, egg or dairy free. Not gluten, grain or starch free.
  • Breakfast Rice Pudding
  • An “n’oatmeal” alternative that work for gluten free or plant paradox (Dr Gundry) diets is this millet porridge. Add spices, fruit, sweetener and a drizzle of good fats as above to make it more Xmassy.
  • Here is a fabulous collection of Paleo Christmas Breakfast ideas with smoothies, eggs, pancakes and more

Other Christmas posts

Recipe posts compiled by Deb.
For more recipes, go to the Recipe Index page

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