A Savory Breakfast to Satisfy All Tastebuds: Blackberry Sage Turkey Sausages

Families are fascinating. I love seeing and hearing about all the ways that people who share not only blood, but also a roof over their heads (for a great proportion of their lives at least), the same parents, and even often the same educational system and community affiliations can be SO INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT from one another. It is clear why the either/or question of nature versus nurture is less than comprehensive and why the complex relationship between the two is one not easily understood. Although often you can see distinctive patterns or similarities, nearly every family I know of seems to be comprised of very unique members; each serving his or her own role in his or her own way. A relatively extreme example exists within my own family when you consider my sister and myself.

My sister has always been my best friend. We grew up doing absolutely everything together and shared everything we had. We played tirelessly and of course had our squabbles and a few major fights along the way, but we have always been close. And yet, especially as we have grown older, we have realized how extremely unlikely it would have been that we would have ever just become friends without having been sisters. Upon first introduction, someone might see that we indeed look like sisters and talk like sisters with similar mannerisms, voices, and “unique” laughter. However, as soon as someone gets to know the two of us, they will see just how different we are in terms of almost every personality trait and tendency.

Using my “pushy big sister” tendencies to get my sister to take my barre classes when she visited last fall.

For better and worse, I tend to be go, go, GO 24/7/365. I love to maximize every minute I have available in a day and the more that I do, the more energy I get. I am extrovert who loves to be around people and doing things. I wake up everyday with a to do list and eagerly check things off (with a yellow highlighter only!) as I go and I get a deep sense of satisfaction from accomplishing a huge list of need to do’s, nice to do’s, and want to do’s. I thrive with a plan and well thought out agenda – which translates to weekly meal planning, building my own template for class choreography, tracking bills and budgetary details, or organizing a vacation. I like routine and tend to stick to my good habits, readily meeting internal and external expectations (an “Upholder” according to Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies). All this Ultra “Type A”-ness has its definite pros, but I do know that it can also be absolutely exhausting, rigid, and excessive (annoying) to my loved ones at times.

Kyle, conversely, is the more fun and carefree one. When she was a little girl, she claimed her favorite thing to do was to “hang out,” and I think she’d probably still answer the same. She is incredibly laid back and prefers no rush or pressure to get things done; often behaving as if time does not exist. She enjoys time relaxing after work watching TV or “hanging out” with her boyfriend at home in their “comfy cozies” as they call them. She is easy to get along with because she is not overly concerned about influencing the agenda and she is very concerned with everyone being happy and at ease. Although she rates high in terms of agreeableness; she would struggle more formulating consistency with her good habits or relinquishing bad ones whether of her own accord or because of someone/something else – she might laugh as she admits that “you can’t make her do something and neither can she” – a “Rebel” according to the Four Tendencies framework.

Another major difference, that perhaps comes as no surprise is that I am also a “lark,” meaning that I truly enjoy waking up early and going out to get that proverbial worm as early as possible. Kyle is the exact opposite as a “owl,” who works and feels her best long after I have gone to bed like a grandmother, but struggles (to put it nicely) to get up and going in the morning. Consequently, breakfast is literally my most important meal of the day – I actually eat about half of my caloric intake for the whole day before 9 AM, whereas she prefers not to eat in the morning (HOW IS THIS A THING?!). When I transitioned to eating more healthfully, breakfast was a clear area of opportunity. Now savory breakfast foods are a passion of mine and I am constantly experimenting to find new and exciting protein based options which are able to be prepped in advance, can easily be enjoyed on the go or with travel and reheat well. These Whole30 and paleo blackberry sage turkey sausages fit the bill and are tasty enough to appeal even to those who would sooner just skip breakfast than deal with their obnoxiously energetic sister (me) in the morning. Because one of the things that we DO have in common is appreciation for good food.

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Blackberry Sage Turkey Sausages

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 12-14

The perfect combination for a savory breakfast option which can be eaten all on its own or paired perfectly with a simple bed of green and some eggs

Ingredients

Ground Turkey 2 lbs (800 g)
Minced Garlic Cloves 4 each
Dried Sage 1.5 TSP
Dried Thyme 1.5 TSP
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt 1.5 TSP
Ground Black Pepper 1 TSP
Blackberries 1.5 cup (250 g)
Coconut Oil

Instructions

In a large bowl break up the minced/ground turkey and add the minced garlic and spices, stirring to combine well.
Using your hands, form 12 -14 small sausage patties and then press a few of the blackberries into each. My blackberries were abnormally large, so I halved them first.
Heat a cast iron (or other works too!) over medium high heat and melt about 1 TSP of coconut oil.
Cook fully on one side allowing the sausage to brown (about 3-5 minutes) and then flip to finish cooking. I usually do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Enjoy over a bed of greens, as a main or side to the rest of your breakfast items or even crumble over a salad. These will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.