This bison and bacon breakfast skillet with pomegranate seeds is a delight for the eyes and the perfect paleo breakfast to fuel up for the day ahead of you. I find that changing the way you eat breakfast is one of the biggest challenge of the paleo diet. No more processed, sugary foods like bagels, waffles and cereals! And if you are following the autoimmune protocol, no more eggs and nuts! That is why you need to have a game plan in place for when you wake up in the morning to make sure you won’t revert to your old habits. My 2 no-fail strategies for success are:
- plan your recipe ahead
- have all your ingredients ready
The day before, I will run a quick check in the fridge to see what is available and plan my breakfast ahead of time. This simple step takes the thinking out of the cooking in the morning!
Here is a quick look at the ingredients you will need for this recipe, in addition to the ground bison.
If you want to be super efficient and serve this breakfast skillet in a record time on Monday morning, I would recommend that you prepare all of these ingredients in advance during the week-end.
At the beginning of the week, my fridge is always loaded up with ziploc bags full of chopped vegetables like chard, collard greens, lettuce, broccoli, onions, yams, and sweet potatoes. I also have small glass containers with bacon bits, chopped fresh herbs from our garden, shredded carrots, olives. Chopped vegetables, herbs and bacon will easily stay fresh in your fridge for 4-5 days.
This is my secret weapon to stay on track and eat an awesome paleo breakfast every single day of the week. Skillets are incredibly versatile and the combinations are endless. Check out this post from Mickey Trescott for some additional inspiration.
This particular breakfast skillet earned the seal of approval from my teenage girls. It is quite an accomplishment and a guarantee that this dish is seriously delicious! I think that they particularly liked the burst of flavor from the pomegranate seeds.
Tips & Tricks
Before I let you go, here is a little trick for you! The recipe will give you 5 servings. If you decide to reheat this dish later, add some coconut milk in the pan to bring back a little bit of moisture to the mix (a dish that is reheated always tends to be a little bit more dry). I am using coconut milk in cans for cooking, unsweetened and undiluted.
- 1 pound ground bison
- 1 1/2 cups of chopped yellow onions
- 4 cups bite size broccoli florets
- 5 cups sliced collard greens
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the garnish: bacon bits & pomegranate seeds
- In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat. When hot, add ground bison and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the skillet, add the onions and cook until they turn golden (3-4 minutes).
- Add the broccoli florets with 1/2 cup of water.
- Cover and simmer for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is al dente (cooked but still firm).
- Make sure the vegetables are still moist and don't stick to the pan. Add more water if needed.
- Throw the meat back into the skillet with the collard greens on top.
- Mix all the ingredients, cover, and simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Serve the preparation in bowls with bacon bits and pomegranate seeds for garnish.
This post has been featured on Real Food Wednesday and Phoenix Helix AIP roundtable. Check them out for other delicious AIP recipes!
This is a beautiful breakfast. Makes me want to go home and eat breakfast all over again.
Thank you for your compliment! I like it when my food looks pretty; it makes it easier to follow a very strict diet.
YUM…in addition to AIP I’m trying really hard to eat seasonally, all these ingredients are in the store, fresh NOW.
Thanks!
You are so right! Eating seasonal means fresh vegetables and fruits are even more packed with nutrients! win-win 🙂
Beautiful dish. I have not been able to successfully reintroduce seeds is any kind, but I might try a dried fruit. Thanks.
Hello Michelle,
Just wondering if you avoid pomegranate seeds because you don’t do well with them or if you think they are not AIP. Because if it is the latter, they are allowed on strict AIP (autoimmune protocol). Please refer to the Paleo Mom yes and no food list about this. http://www.thepaleomom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Yes-No-Maybe-So-List.pdf
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
What a colorful pretty meal. Never had bison guessing it’s on the likes of ground beef? I’ve been on semi AIP (couldn’t jump head first into it just yet, making strides)what 3 days now and breakfast…Everyone went to IHop I had a melt down like a toddler. At this point until my body heals I think I’ll stay out of restaurants altogether it’s just gonna be too hard for me. This looks so gorgeous and it’s AIP friendly this make sit doable. 🙂
Hello Tracey,
Thank you for your compliment. Yes, bison is pretty similar to beef, not gamy at all like elk. But if you can’t find it, you may substitute beef for bison in this recipe!
You made me laugh with your “melt down” LOL I bet we have all been through that 🙂 The autoimmune protocol can be hard at first because you only see all the food you can’t eat anymore. Try to switch your mind the other way around and look at all the food you can still eat. They are tons of colorful and nutritious vegetables and fruits that you can eat throughout the day. Hang in there, it gets easier, especially when you see your symptoms improving!
You might be interested in this article I wrote for “newbies” https://asquirrelinthekitchen.com//if-you-have-just-been-diagnosed-with-an-autoimmune-disease-read-this/” target=”_blank”