Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet

This post contains affiliate links. Click here to see what that means!

In order to support our blogging activities, we may receive monetary compensation or other types or remuneration for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this blog.

That being said, we only promote authors, products, and services that we wholeheartedly stand by!

 

breakfastskillet

Let me introduce you to my newest obsession as of late – the breakfast skillet! It all started one day when I had a hankering for some delicata squash and didn’t want to wait for a whole one to roast – since I made that delicious discovery, everything has gone into the skillet. All it takes is a lot of fat and a starchy vegetable, the addition some flavorings, veggies, greens, leftover protein, and boom, you have a delicious one-pan meal. Below I have written a “recipe,” or more accurately the guidelines that I have been following to make these meals. The trick is to get used to the timing of the vegetables, but with a little practice it will become easier. Remember if you are using cast-iron to heat your pan up slowly, as you can overdo it and everything will stick to the pan. I love making skillets because I can use up whatever is in my fridge and I only have one pot to clean at the end of the meal.

Here are some of the skillets I have created this week, left to right:

  • carrot, cauliflower, sage, mushroom and chard cooked in bacon grease
  • delicata squash, chard and cinnamon cooked in coconut oil
  • carrot, cauliflower, mushroom and kale cooked in duck fat with bacon and leftover roast duck
  • sweet potato, mushroom, and kale with bacon and salmon

Create Your Own Skillet:

Start with a healthy saturated fat and heat up a generous amount in your skillet:

  • coconut oil
  • duck fat
  • lard
  • bacon (sometimes I cook some in the  pan and then leave the fat for cooking the vegetables)

Pick a starchy vegetable and cook until just softened (around 15 minutes):

  • sweet potato
  • yam
  • winter squash
  • carrot

Add some flavorings to the pan:

  • garlic
  • ginger
  • onions
  • shallots
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • sage
  • cinnamon

Add one or two vegetables to the pan and cook until almost completely soft:

  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • green beans
  • zucchini
  • mushrooms

In the last couple of minutes, add some greens:

  • kale
  • chard
  • spinach
  • collard greens

If you want, add some leftover cooked protein:

  • shredded chicken or duck
  • shredded or ground beef
  • salmon
  • bacon

Add some salt to taste and serve warm. Come back and tell me which delicious combinations you come up with!

About Mickey Trescott

Mickey Trescott is a co-founder here at Autoimmune Wellness and a co-teacher of AIP Certified Coach. After recovering from her own struggle with both Celiac and Hashimoto’s disease, adrenal fatigue, and multiple vitamin deficiencies, Mickey started to write about her experience to share with others and help them realize they are not alone in their struggles. She has a Master's degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Nutrition, and is the author of three best-selling books--The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook, The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook, and The Nutrient-Dense Kitchen. You can watch her AIP cooking demos by following her on Instagram.

92 comments

  • Rachel says

    Like! Would you cover the pan? You can have mushrooms? My AIP (Dr. K) says no mushrooms. What do you think about that?

    • Rachel – I don’t cover the pan. I eat mushrooms, even though I know that Dr. K’s protocol does not include them. I think it is because medicinal mushrooms are a Th1 stimulant which can be problematic for some autoimmune patients. I eliminated them in my original elimination diet and found that they made no difference when I reintroduced. I am Th1 dominant so theoretically they would make me worse, but I haven’t noticed anything. 🙂

      • Heather says

        I was just wondering how you know if you are Th1 dominant? I have read that most of Hashimoto’s patients are Th1 dominant, but not necessarily all. The lab in our town said they could draw the blood and send it out, but it would cost $1500.00.! Yikes!! Is there a cheaper test available?

        • Mickey says

          Heather,
          A supplement challenge is the best way to tell. I do not recommend the cytokine blood panel, it is expensive and inaccurate!

          Mickey

          • Cheryll says

            Hi! What kid of supplement challenge is there that would help me figure out if I’m Th1 dominant?

            Thanks!

            Cheryll

          • Mickey Trescott says

            Hi Cheryll,
            If you find a functional medicine practitioner they can help you design a challenge 🙂

  • Melissa says

    What a great post! So my style! I love flexibility <3

    • Thanks Melissa! I know a lot of people like recipes, but I find that I enjoy cooking more by guidelines instead. I plan on doing more posts like this in the future!

  • […] breakfasts.  Mickey, from autoimmunepaleo.wordpress.com, has an amazing story!  Please read her “Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet” Recipe – and […]

  • Martin says

    I love this post. It shows the simplicity of cooking and eating on a diet that people perceive as very restrictive.

    • Thanks Martin! That is exactly my aim – I am completely in love with cooking and eating, and I refuse to eat the same bland thing day after day. This diet is restrictive, but there are so many delicious and fascinating combinations that can be made with what we can eat. 🙂

  • sounds great!
    i often do that as well, with whatever is available

  • Jacqueline Keeling says

    That’s exactly how I like to cook some of my fav healthy meals. Whatever veggies and protein I have on hand or a hankering for. The tough part for me is that I use to always have some brown rice or quinoa cooked up and I would add it, now, I’m learning to do without it. But I’m so tierd of hurting and I want a new life and I believe Paleo is the way to better health. Sure do enjoy reading and learning how you and others cook and ideas for what to eat. Thanks!

  • claire says

    Hi,

    I made a skillet today based on your guidelines and loved it! thank you for giving me hope with breakfast/brunch meal ideas! i am type 1 diabetic and Hashimoto’s doing AIP and have also discovered that I also need to remove cruciferous veggies as well. I love your blog. SO glad I found you!

    • autoimmunepaleo says

      Happy you found me too! Good luck!

    • Leigh Rollins says

      Hi Claire, I am also T1d and have Hashitoxichosis. I am fine with cruciferous veggies but need to stay away from strarchy vegetables. They throw my bs way out of whack. I am sad to eliminate sweet potatoes and acorn and butternut squash. You are the first T1d I ahve seen on this site. Have you noticed a difference in your bs levels?

    • Estelle says

      Only if you need to remove cruciferous for their goitrogens for Hypothyroidism, its ok to cook them. This deactivates most of the goitrogens.

  • Heather Burkhardt says

    I made one this morning with leftover caulifour rice, turkey, garlic and kale with basil at the end. It was warm and yummy and satifying. I’m inspired!

  • […] Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet from Autoimmune Paleo […]

  • Jean says

    I made my first breakfast this morning with AIP diet that I added broccoli, carrot, mushroom, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and leftover chicken. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing Mickey!

  • Friederike says

    Great guidelines! I made one Asian-inspired skillet today with butternut squash, ginger, scallions, mushrooms, cilantro, turmeric, spinach and left-over roastbeef. It was amazing! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂

  • Teena says

    Just starting my AIP journey, and struggling with breakfast suggestions. This sounds great!

  • Aniux says

    I was gluten free due to my autoimmune but I recently had a couple of week that fell of the wagon, I am extremely bloated and sluggish, have no energy. I know I need to detox and decided to try this autoimmune paleo and it’s ,y second day but aim overwhelmed!!! It’s just so much to remember to not eat and what to eat, and breakfast is the hardest. I am used to have Protein Shake every morning, and now I have no idea what to eat. I am up at 430 and don’t have time to cook in the morning and it’s hard to find recipes…. :-/

  • […] This article has moved to a location on my new website (autoimmune-paleo.com), click here to read it! […]

  • Melanie says

    I can’t wait to try this…this seems like exactly what I need for my busy mornings!

  • Ellen says

    Hi,
    These sound great, but I just don’t have time to make them fresh in the mornings…has anyone tried making them the night before and then heating up in the morning?
    Thanks!

    • Mickey says

      Ellen, I do it all the time! Sometimes I will make a hash for breakfasts for the next 3-4 days. Good luck!

  • Tony says

    I am really enjoying this technique. Works great as a basic cooking platform. I’ve tried several different combinations and every one is a winner.

  • Saskia says

    I recently found your blog and am so grateful. I’m confused, however, because you list sweet potatoes in these skillet recipes, and I thought sweet potatoes were a no-no on the AIP. Thank you!

    • Mickey says

      Saskia,
      Sweet potatoes are fine on the autoimmune protocol!

      Mickey

      • Saskia says

        Wow! that’s great news to me. So…sweet potatoes are not considered nightshades? But white potatoes are?

        • Mickey says

          Saskia, you are correct!

          • Gabby says

            Botanists tend to classify plants by their sexual organs like flowers and fruit. It is only recently that DNA has been used to make classification more accurate. If you were to look at the flowers and fruit of sweet potatoes vs. regular potatoes you would not see many similarities.

            Sweet potatoes are in the Convolvulaceae family, like the morning glory vine, they get large tubular flowers with no separate petals and the stamens splay out from the middle each have a ball on the end, these are followed by small seedpods which are hard, dry and not at all fleshy and generally have about 3 to 6 seeds in each seedpod.

            Potatoes are in the Solanaceae family like eggplant and tomato, the flowers are flat, have 5 or 6 separate petals and have stamens which taper to a tip and are clustered into a point in the centre of the flower, the rare occurrence of a fruit on a potato looks a bit like a small green tomato, it is a wet fleshy fruit and has hundreds of seeds per fruit, much like a tomato does, it is also very high in solanine so will probably kill you.

  • Debbie says

    I’ve also done apples and chard with bacon. Quite delish!

  • Sarah says

    Mickey, do you have any thoughts about why some people with autoimmune problems really struggle with fried foods affecting their digestion?

    Thanks for this ‘template’ style post, I prefer this kind of recipe cos I can be creative and it’s also great for using up fridge leftovers.

    • Mickey says

      Sarah, people that have issues with fried food may have issues with their gallbladder. Some people use ox bile or nutrients like taurine and beet root to remedy the problem. Lipase can also help in some cases.

      Good luck!

      Mickey

  • jennifer says

    when I make bone broth do I skim off the fat after its cooled or leave it and mix it up when i re heat it please?

    • Mickey says

      Jennifer, that is up to you. I will skim if there is a lot, but I like leaving a little fat in there to satiate me when I consume it. It can be easier to remove after the broth has cooled in the fridge.

      Hope it helps!

      Mickey

  • […] Choose your own adventure – keep it fun with your favourites […]

  • Helene says

    You forgot eggs and fish!
    One of my favourite breakfast is sweet potato, green beans (not very paleo I know) and mackerel, or eggplant (chopped into small pieces and cooked until they almost melt, a bit like sweet potato), tomatoes and crumbled eggs, with lots of herbs (sage, marjoram, basil, whatever I fancy).

    • Mickey says

      Hi Helene, fish is an excellent idea, but eggs, eggplant, and tomatoes are not allowed on the elimination diet 🙂

      Mickey

  • La Rita says

    I made my first Create Your Own Skillet, and it was delicious! Even my picky husband liked it. I will definitely make it again. Ours was for dinner. Duck fat, beets, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, thyme, sprigs of rosemary, zucchini, yellow squash, beet greens, kale, ground lamb cooked previously in the same above seasonings. Yum!

  • Breanna says

    I have been making a skillet of spaghetti squash, zucchini, spinach, jicama, aip ckn sausage, shredded ckn, & avocado every morning! So delish!

  • […] A breakfast skillet made from whatever you have in the fridge […]

  • Susan says

    Simply looooved your suggestion, so easy – why did I never think of it? I will dive right into AIP today as I foud out that I had reactions to anything sweet and sometimes milk but couldn’t distinguish exactly what makes the problem. I am very happy that I found some breakfast-ideas and recipes which are NOT sweet as I hate sweet breakfast – it is surprisingly hard to find breakfast recipes with no muffin-contents… 🙂
    Did my pan with some leftover potatoes, carrots, silverbeet and bacon. First time I ate silverbeet and instantly fell in love with it!

  • Kelly says

    Where is the “Pin It” and “Print” button? Lol I’m so inspired! Thank you!!!

  • Amanda says

    Well it started with a white sweet potato gently cooking in coconut oil; then followed the onion, garlic and ginger; next broccoli and zucchini and some freshly made lamb bone broth; followed by kale and spinach. Actually had this with a piece of baked salmon for my dinner. It was DELISH

    • Mickey says

      Amanda–sounds great!

    • kc says

      Where did you find white sweet potato? No luck locally for me yet so tips welcome

      • Mickey says

        KC, I find it at my local grocery store pretty frequently. You can always ask, to see if they can order some in for you!

        Mickey

  • […]  Skillets are incredibly versatile and the combinations are endless.  Check out this post from Mickey Trescott for some additional […]

  • […] Breakfast Skillet- ground beef, mushrooms, spinach, thyme and rosemary […]

  • Katrina Jones says

    I used coconut oil & threw in a sweet potato, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach & a little bit of shredded chicken I had on hand. It was so yummy! I can’t wait to try a new combination tomorrow! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  • Tori says

    So, I am one of the slowest cooks imaginable – never finish a recipe in the time it should take. Often 50-100% more time. I am about 20 days into AIP and can no longer stand eating most of my meals as leftovers out of containers but I don’t have enough motivation or time to cook each meal before becoming ravenous, so I eat fewer times per day and this is just a vicious cycle – next time I need to cook I’m still unprepared and even more hungry!. The day I had designated for cooking last week was thrown off by a visit to the ER. I had a dream recently of eating real nachos – dairy cheese, corn chips, the whole deal. I know I”m not getting enough nutrients often enough but can’t keep up with this diet! Sometimes I cook a small amount and then still be hungry because I needed a larger portion,, so I’ll cook a bunch of something new and then not be crazy about it. I am ready to throw up my hands…this not being able to eat anything out of a bag, eating almost nothing other than veggies that’s crunchy is driving me bonkers. Any ideas?

    • Estelle says

      for breakfast: Don’t forget protein…some kind of leftover meat or fish. and eat other fresh cooked and raw food at other meals. what are your favorite veggies and protein?

  • […] Breakfast – Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet […]

  • […] Always eat breakfast, and make it high in protein and healthy fat, with no added sugars or stimulants. Eat a small breakfast even if you aren’t hungry. It sets the stage for your day. […]

  • […]     Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet […]

  • […] recipe is inspired by the article from the autoimmune paleo dedicated to skillets. Advantage of a stir-fry (skillet) or a one-pan dish in general is that you […]

  • […] Breakfast Skillet (with sweet potatoes, of course) by Autoimmune Paleo […]

  • Mindy Smith says

    Hi- thank you so much for all your helpful insight, information and guidance. I found out I had Hashimitos last summer with the help of an integrative medial praticitioner. With a healthy diet, Naturethroid and a load of vitamins I began to finally feel better- but not the “better” I wanted. I am still very symptomatic and needed to find alternative ways to feel even better and lose this weight I cannot seem to drop. In researching- I found your info- and prepared myself to follow the autoimmune protocol plan, which I began March 1st. The first week was brutal ( no wine, coffee and changing my regular healthy- so I thought diet)… But I have found my stride and feel terrific! It takes a lot of planning and dissapline on my part but feel the energy I have gained and the stomach bloat I have lost are all worth the hard work and efforts. So thank you for laying out the principles so easy to understand and follow.

    I do have a few questions – some research I read elimates cruciferius veggies. What are your thoughts on those? It’s already difficult to not eat those yummy night shades (Which WERE my go to snack with homemade hummus)! Also- to really really enjoy the benefits of the AIP – how long should I stay following it? Forever? One month? Two? And what’s the plan to reintroduce food back in?

    Thanks again- Mindy

    • Mickey Trescott says

      Hi Mindy! So happy you are feeling better, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to find healing with Hashimoto’s, and it sounds like you on on the right track!

      About the cruciferous veggies, I suggest reading this article I wrote: https://autoimmune-paleo.com/goitrogens-why-you-dont-need-to-avoid-them/

      And about how long to stay on the elimination diet, we recommend 30-90 days for starters, and you want to be feeling better before you start the reintroduction process. The plan is outlined in both mine + Angie’ books as well as The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne.

      Best of luck!

  • […] way, I’ve come up with dozens, if not hundreds, of combinations (you can check out my post Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet for an idea of where to start with your own experimenting!). Skillets are a perfect way to create a […]

  • Ingrid says

    What about serving portions? How do you know what to serve yourself when you’re just cooking for one? 🙁 help!

    • Mickey Trescott says

      Hi Ingrid,
      I like to follow an intuitive style of determining serving sizes – if I’m hungry, I eat more, not I eat less. I know that isn’t terribly helpful, and some people have issues that cause them to not be as intuitive about their portions. I like to ballpark estimate about 4 ounces of meat per meal, and then eat vegetables and healthy fats to satiety. So if I made a skillet with 1 pound of ground meat, it would be roughly four meals. Hope it helps!

  • Peggy says

    I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you and honor you for taking the time to answer comments on your posts. Not many people do that…and with blogs like this, where the people reading them are hurting and doing their best to improve their quality of life and make drastic dietary/lifestyle changes, it is even more of a blessing to us. Not just for the ones asking the questions but for those of us who come along afterward and get to read the responses.

    So thank you very much for caring enough to help us.

    I’m going to try to make some skillets…but I wonder – does anyone REALLY ever have “leftover bacon”? Not at our house lol!

    • Mickey Trescott says

      Peggy, thank you! It is a lot of work but we don’t want to leave anyone hanging. LOL at your comment about leftover bacon… we are in the same boat over here!

  • […] Create Your-Own Breakfast Skillet from Autoimmune Wellness (choose turkey as your protein) […]

  • Kathleen says

    My favorite combo so far- Bacon fat, ginger, cauliflower, spinach, shredded carrot with ground turkey & coconut aminos. Yum!

  • Julie Mack says

    Hey, Mickey, I just want to thank you for this “recipe,” and all the guidance you and Angie give on this website and through your books and podcasts. Autoimmune disease is a hard road, but you ladies make it much, much easier. Thank you so much! I’m cooking up sweet potatoes, onions, asparagus, red chard and leftover lamb meatballs with herbs de provence in some duck fat! Yummy breakfast!

    • Mickey Trescott says

      Julie,
      Thanks for the compliment! Wishing you luck on your journey!

  • […] Create Your Own Breakfast Skillet by Autoimmune Wellness Chicken Rainbow Breakfast Skillet by Joy-filled Nourishment 30-Minute Vegetable & Ground Beef Skillet by The Roasted Root Turkey Apple Breakfast Hash by Fed and Fulfilled Sunrise Beef Hash by Gutsy By Nature Plantain Pork Hash by Real Food and Love Apple Pork Sausage Stir-Fry by A Clean Plate Ginger Garlic Turmeric Beef Stir-Fry by Heal Your Kitchen Ginger Shrimp & Broccoli Stir-Fry by Adventures in Partaking Easy Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry by Unbound Wellness Asian Slaw Beef Stir-Fry by A Clean Plate Chicken Liver Fried “Rice” by Phoenix Helix Thai Basil Beef with Carrots & Rainbow Chard by Gutsy By Nature Lemon Garlic Bok Choy & Mushrooms with Shrimp by Gutsy By Nature Teriyaki Skillet Scramble by Eat Heal Thrive Greek Lamb Skillet by Adventures in Partaking Lamb & Rutabaga Pilaf with Bok Choy by Healing Family Eats One-Pan Salmon & Rainbow Chard with Garlic & Tarragon by Gutsy By Nature Salmon Primavera with Zoodles by Phoenix Helix One-Pan Chicken Alfredo by A Squirrel in the Kitchen Balsamic Chicken Veggie Bowl by Grazed and Enthused […]

  • […] preferred foods during a flare: Soups made with bone broth, simple nutrient-dense AIP hashes, and water for hydration. She also follows her intuition about what to eat. In the past, that […]

  • Amy says

    I often do this with fennel, carrot, shiitakes, garlic and some sort of green (arugula, kale, chard, or spinach) seasoned with thyme and rosemary, and for the starch I like to fry up a couple tostones (I make a freezer batch) on the side in the same pan. I just need to get back to making a larger batch and incorporating the meat instead of making a batch of freezer sausages so it is less work.

    • Mickey Trescott says

      I love the sound of that combo, Amy!

  • Estelle says

    Mickey, Many of us cant afford to pay a functional medicine doctor out of pocket. How can we tell if Th1 or Th2 dominant? Thanks

  • Mickey Trescott says

    Hi Estelle, I recommend that you be cautious of both TH1 and TH2 stimulating compounds while in the elimination phase, and then reintroduce them to assess tolerance. I’ve never been tested for these through a functional doc, I just know which ones affect me by trial and error.

Leave a Comment

CLOSE
CLOSE
var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-39114596-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'https://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();