It’s time to veer away from the indulgent desserts and back into real, whole foods. What better place to begin than breakfast?

I love breakfast. I could eat breakfast for every meal of the day. I love fried eggs, and sautéed vegetables, and sweet potato hash, and bacon, and sausage, and omelets, and nut butter pancakes, and banana smoothies… the list goes on and on.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that many people who start following a paleo diet have a really difficult time coming up with breakfast ideas. Maybe it’s the conditioning that we get as kids just to eat bowls of cereal, toast with butter, and bagels with cream cheese; but I think that breakfast can have as much variety as any other meal during the day. Once you take all the grain-full foods out, there is still a wealth of food items for your morning meal.

Here’s yet another idea for your morning munchies. The salad doubles as a great side dish for any meal. Try it during the summer once the heirloom tomatoes are ripe and ready to go!

Basil, Avocado, and Tomato Salad with Fried Eggs

1 avocado, diced into small chunks
7-8 organic grape tomatoes, halved
4 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs
coconut oil, butter, or other fat for frying

1. In a small bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Set aside.
2. Heat a small skillet and add oil. Make sure oil is hot before adding eggs (but not smoking hot).
3. Drop in two eggs.
4. Once the first side is set, flip the eggs to fry the other side. Use a spatula unless you’re fancy and can flip them in the pan.
5. You decide if you want the yolk runny or cooked through (I love mine all gooey!)
6. Divide salad into two servings and serve with eggs.