Mother’s Day Brunch Guide

• Is “Mother’s Day” synonymous with “brunch” in your family?
• Want to spoil that mom of yours without spoiling your clean eating lifestyle? (Or be spoiled yourself without eating a bunch of junk you normally avoid?)
• You’re a mom, you don’t want to cook, but nervous to be sucked into that endless buffet that will have you feeling more like an ogre than the queen you deserve to be on Mother’s Day?

Don’t let the pressure of “brunching” take over your Mother’s Day this year. Keep reading for our Mother’s Day brunch tips on how to order and where to go so you can enjoy your Mother’s Day to the fullest.

How to order:

If your goal is to eat clean for Mother’s Day, great! (If not, that’s fine too – more on that below.) We love to look at a menu and scan for whole food options like eggs, other proteins, veggies, and high fiber carbs. Aim to have your meal include veggies, protein, fat, and a high fiber carb.

• Be the Queen of Greens on your day
  • For breakfast, I love egg scrambles (remember that yolks are the good guys) but skip the cheese and add as many veggies as possible. They’re satisfying and enjoyable and with avocado and tons of yummy veggies, I don’t miss the cheese.
    • My personal favorite:
      • Egg scramble (protein)
      • Zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, onion and tomatoes (veggies)
      • Avocado (fat)
      • Blueberries or sweet potato (high fiber carb)

• If you are more of a lunch person, there are tons of options in terms of salads and even main dishes. With a few simple substitutions, you can be eating like the Queen Bee!
  • Salads
    • I love salads with added veggies like chopped tomatoes and cucumbers and not just lettuce
    • Diced chicken or shrimp are my favorite proteins
    • I love garbanzo beans for a high fiber carb, or I have berries for dessert
    • Replace the restaurant dressing with a simple olive oil on the side that you can drizzle on yourself. Nuts, olives, or avocado are also great options for healthy fat
• Heading to a buffet? Don’t let the options of a buffet overwhelm you, you can totally make it through eating clean (or clean-ish if you decide).
  • Tip #1: Load your plate 75% full with veggies and/or greens first!
  • Tip #2: Fill the remaining 25% of your plate with protein, high fiber and healthy fat.
  • Tip #3: Avoid repeat visits to the buffet!  After you are finished, focus on the conversation of the people around you and not the food.

Where to go?

Below are two of my favorite restaurants for brunch. Check out what I like to order there and how I make substitutions if necessary.

Sunrise Bistro – Walnut Creek

I LOVE this place! The owner has done a fantastic job and has made it her mission to offer wholesome, real food that tastes fantastic!  You can find numerous CambiatiClean options here. Remember how I mentioned getting a side of sweet potato with your egg scramble above? This is where you can get it and it is fabulous! You can check out all their dishes and healthy “Side” options online.

This is where I will be dining this Sunday morning with my family so I hope to see you there too!

Metro – Lafayette

There are two salads here that I love.  I have listed them below and noted where I make modification.

• Dungeness Crab Salad
  • Crab – love
  • Butter Lettuce – love
  • Avocado – love
  • Grapefruit – omit or ask for berries as a replacement
  • Citrus vinaigrette – omit and ask for a side of lemon wedges to squeeze over your salad. This keeps the salad tasting crisp and clean without the added sugar of a vinaigrette. You can also add some olive oil if you like.
• Chopped Salad
  • Lettuce – love
  • Crispy bacon – omit
  • Egg – love
  • Buttermilk blue cheese dressing – omit and ask for a side of lemon wedges to squeeze over your salad. (I also love avocado with this salad) This keeps the salad tasting crisp and clean without having the dairy and heaviness of a blue cheese dressing.

 

Though we often get pressured into thinking otherwise, remember that this time with your family won’t necessarily be better by chowing down on waffles and pancakes and French toast, especially if you didn’t even want them in the first place.

If you decide you do want to splurge, great. As with any special holiday or event, we recommend planning that ahead of time rather than simply arriving hungry with the intention to make a good choice (which we know usually goes sideways). Having a glass of champagne is a great dessert, plus having it at the end of the meal helps you avoid making funky food choices that can happen when we have it at the beginning of a meal (we all know what booze goggles can make us do when looking at a menu full of junk food!). Planning your treat ahead of time is a great way to enjoy something special without going too overboard and regretting it the next day. And of course don’t forget your Detox Support Packets!

And the final tip for Mother’s Day is to enjoy being with the people you love. You don’t have to be a mom to enjoy Mother’s Day.  Soak in the love and warmth of your friends and family. Love and happiness to all of you! Happy Mother’s Day!