Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls {Paleo + Whole30 Approved}

Embarking on a Whole30 when a big plate of eggs and vegetables isn’t quite your cup of tea first thing in the morning can be challenging. While I did learn to enjoy plain scrambled eggs for breakfast during Whole30, I also made some new breakfast discoveries that have become new staples in our house along with our old favorites of smoothies, oatmeal and overnight oats.

First up was chia pudding. Chia fever has definitely calmed down a little over here but we’re still eating it once or twice a week. It’s especially great for a make ahead, pack it and take it breakfast on the go.

Our new favorite is sweet potato bowls with a side of scrambled eggs. It’s become an awesome replacement for oatmeal on those cold mornings when you want something warm and comforting. One thing we really love about this breakfast is that it’s extremely filling but doesn’t sit heavy like oatmeal sometimes can and powers us through to lunch with no problem.

I first came up with this meal idea when I came home mid-afternoon from traveling to find the fridge pretty bare. There were some leftover baked sweet potatoes so I decided to make a meal/snack out of them. I had long seen people top baked sweet potatoes with almond butter in blog and Instagram land so I decided to take it a step further and doctor it up some more. I mashed the potatoes with some banana, cinnamon and ghee and then topped it with almond butter. The result was delicious and I instantly thought to myself it would be a great breakfast option.

And this is how the mashed sweet potato breakfast bowl was born. Many of you have asked how I make them so I wanted to post a quick overview.

I usually bake my sweet potatoes at night while the oven is on for whatever I’m cooking for dinner. My secret to soft, “steamed” sweet potatoes is to wash them in water, lightly dry but leave them damp, poke some holes and wrap them with foil. Since they’re damp and wrapped in foil you get a nice steaming effect that yields awesome potatoes. I usually bake them at 400 on convection bake for about 45-60 minutes. Baking time totally depends on the size of the potato.

The next morning you can get creative! I usually do straight up sweet potato and banana but sometimes add mashed or pureed winter squash or pumpkin if I happened to have baked one of those too. I’ve tried it mixed with acorn squash, a pie pumpkin and kabocha squash. I also tried canned pumpkin once but it wasn’t my favorite. I also always add kosher salt and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and sometimes add raisins, chia seeds and groud flax. Depends on my mood!

As far as toppings go, you can keep it as simple as the nut butter of your choice (I’m an almond butter fan for this combo) or add things like raisins, unsweetened shredded coconut and cacao nibs.

You have to trust me that this is a really good breakfast (or snack). I’m super serious about us choosing to eat it after Whole30. My fiance asks for it with some eggs almost every morning and we get really bummed when we run out of sweet potatoes. We have been going through them so quickly!

Here’s my general recipe. Remember you can get as creative as you want with it!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, baked and mashed (note, you might need to adjust depending on size of your potatoes)
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Dash of salt

Optional Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon ground flax
Roasted and mashed pumpkin or winter squash (note, I usually cut back on the amount of sweet potato I use if I add this)
Raisins

Optional Toppings:

Almond butter or nut butter of choice
Raisins
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Cacoa nibs

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mash together the sweet potatoes, banana, cinnamon and salt. Add optional ingredients of your choice. Reheat in a small pan or in microwave. Finish with toppings of your choice and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

I’d love to hear about your favorite non-egg and/or unconventional breakfast ideas!

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