Food as Fuel and Medicine
As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, fueling your body with the right kind of food makes all the difference. As Jillian Kubala from Healthline outlines, “Research shows that dietary habits influence disease risk. While certain foods may trigger chronic health conditions, others offer strong medicinal and protective qualities… Food does much more than simply provide you with fuel. It may promote or worsen health, depending on what you eat,” (2). Plenty of other medical, health, and fitness professionals agree. Fueling your body with the right kinds of food can reverse the effects of chronic disease, such a diabetes, hypertension, and even cancer (1). The recipe below for a hearty and healthy breakfast burrito is just one example of how we can use food as medicine to get your to your ultimate goal so you can live a happy, healthy lifestyle.
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME: 30 mins
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound small round yellow potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinches of red pepper flakes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 9 large egg
- 3 12-inch tortillas
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup shredded red cabbage, optional, for color and crunch
- ¾ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup Pico de Gallo
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lime, for squeezing
- Cilantro Lime Dressing, for dipping
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the potatoes onto the sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, the smoked paprika, and pinches of red pepper flakes. Toss to coat, spread evenly on the pan, and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp around the edges.
- Heat a grill pan on the stove to medium heat. Place the red pepper on the pan and let it char for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the pepper is soft and each side has black grill marks. Alternatively, you can roast it in the oven until soft. Remove from the grill, remove the stem and ribbing, and slice the pepper into strips.
- Scramble the eggs: brush a medium nonstick stick skillet lightly with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the eggs, let them cook for a few seconds, and then stir and scramble until the eggs until just set.
- Assemble the burritos: Divide the spinach leaves and red cabbage, if using, among the tortillas. Top with the eggs, red pepper strips, black beans, pico de gallo, potatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime. Fold the left and right sides of the tortilla over the filling. Fold the bottom flap of the burrito up and over the filling, tucking the sides and the filling as you roll the burrito. Wrap in foil, slice, and serve with Cilantro Lime Dressing for dipping.
NOTES
- I love to serving this hearty and healthy breakfast burrito with Cilantro Lime Dressing for dipping, but hot sauce or your favorite salsa would be good too.
- To make these burritos in advance, I recommend wrapping them in foil and storing them in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Or better yet, make the components in advance and wrap them as you’re ready to eat. I personally don’t enjoy frozen/thawed eggs, so I don’t suggest freezing these.
MORE HEALTHY RECIPES
Keeping variety in your meals and snacks is important. Besides this hearty and healthy breakfast burrito, I’ve included below a couple other healthy recipes I’ve shared. Check back with our blog for more to come. That way you have a nice stockpile of healthy meal options readily available so you can stay on track to reaching your health and fitness goals.
- Pesto Spaghetti Squash Salad
- Apple Cinnamon Crunch Overnight Oats
- Overnight Oat Parfaits with Rhubarb Chia Jam
- 2 Healthy Porridge Recipes
- Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
- Five Different Frittatas
For additional tasty recipes, tips, and more, visit our website, Facebook page, and Instagram!
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SOURCES
- Gorn, David . (1/17/2017). Food As Medicine: It’s Not Just a Fringe Idea Anymore. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/17/509520895/food-as-medicine-it-s-not-just-a-fringe-idea-anymore
- Kubala, Jillian. (8/9/2019). Can Food Act as Medicine? All You Need to Know. //www.healthline.com/nutrition/food-as-medicine#disease-risk
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