Egg White Breakfast Sandwich

Egg White Breakfast Sandwich

My (sappy) Back Story

My husband and I are very much equals when it comes to pretty much everything. There are chores he enjoys, there are other chores that I enjoy. And when it comes to our kids we put in equal amounts of time and effort. We have a great relationship, and one important hinge of that relationship is being appreciative of each other, especially when the other makes our day easier. Whether it's something they always do or something they're going out of their way to do, we take notice with appreciation just the same.

Anyways, our toddler and 2 month old woke up insanely early the other day, and while I was getting ready to start my day (get dressed, etc) he had put the baby back to sleep by the time I went to go get her and then let me go back sleep while he got up with our son. Right now, I'm on maternity leave, and his job can run for 12hrs at a time, sometimes longer, and is physically demanding. Him giving up the precious extra moments of sleep he needed was such a nice gesture. I wanted to make the next morning special for him. I let him "sleep in" (a WHOLE extra 30min) and when he got up and rushed to get ready for work, I had a coffee to go and this sandwich wrapped, both ready and waiting for him. We're not huge breakfast eaters because we're always in a rush, so I thought it would be a nice surprise.

Here's my sandwich. It's pretty basic, and I've done variations of it on here before, but it's extremely delicious.

Eggs:

1 cup finely chopped spinach

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (extra fo' my man)

8 Egg Whites

1/4 cup Lactaid Milk (my son has lactose allergies)

Pinches: salt & pepper

Mix and cook on the stove top with heated extra virgin olive oil. 

I cut a mini loaf of bread in half, and split them in two. Toasted then topped with the egg and tomato.

Alana's Review

Ease: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Comment: I'm not a huge fan of breakfast sandwiches, so when I make it again, I'll probably leave off the bread on mine. Otherwise, amazing. 

Toddler Note: He LOVED it. He ate a whole huge bowl full (just the eggs) and kept going "Mmmm" with each bite.

Eggs in a Basket

Eggs in a Basket

Today I wanted to share with you my favorite breakfast to make. It's quick, easy, and very filling. I first learned to make eggs in a basket my sophomore year of college. My best friend and I were starving one night while staying up late to study for an exam and she suggested we make eggs in a basket, and that was when I got hooked on them. Seriously, I probably ate them every day for two weeks after she showed me how to make them. So yummy! So here is how to make quick and easy eggs in a basket:

Ingredients: Bread (I used white bread from a local bakery but whole wheat would work well also)

Eggs

Black Pepper

Paprika

First spray a skillet with olive oil spray and set to medium heat. Next cut a whole in the middle of the bread. Back in sophomore year we just used a butter knife and cut around the perimeter, but now I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make a pretty diamond-esque shape. Whatever you use, just be sure not to cut too close to the edges or they'll break and all of the egg will run out. Butter the edges of the bread on both sides (you can omit this step if you want to cut extra calories, I just like doing it so the bread has a buttery crispness to it). Once the pan is warmed, put the bread in and crack an egg in the middle whole you cut out. Be careful not to break the yolk. Now, the next part is up to what you prefer. For true eggs in a basket (the kind I like), you cook it over easy so the yolk is runny and creates a little sauce for everything, but if you don't like runny yolks then you can cook it through. I've overcooked them before and they are still tasty with fully cooked yolks, so just cook to your preference. For over easy, cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side. You can tell where the yolks are at in the cooking process if you poke them with the corner of your spatula. If it looks like a waterbed then they're runny. Once they're cooked to your liking on both sides, take them out and sprinkle with black pepper and paprika. Voila!

Ease: 4/5

Taste: 5/5

Comments: As I said above, you can sub whole wheat for the white bread to make this healthier. Also, this isn't a dish to use farm fresh eggs in if you're wanting to make the eggs runny. I'd recommend using pasteurized eggs (the kind you get at the store) versus fresh eggs straight from the chicken. You're safe using pasteurized and eating runny yolks, but farm fresh eggs would be iffy.

Breakfast Repeat

Many times when we don't post, we're either remaking a simple meal or we are eating leftovers that are exactly the same with no add-ons.  This morning that is the case for me. I made the eggs described in this post: http://sofresheatclean.blogspot.com/2016/02/cinnamon-fried-bananas-with-almonds.html?m=1

In the previously posted recipe I only used olive oil,  spinach, egg whites, and salsa (no milk, no butter). Today I did the same thing, but this time I knew I'd be sharing with my son so I did 7 eggs, 2 of which the yolks were used also, my son likes the yolks. Anyways it looked exactly the same as the one in the old post (old pic also posted below), but you could definitely taste the yolk. My son LOVED it. Me, not so much. I much prefer only the egg white, but seeing as how he loves breakfast time and I don't really care for breakfast (don't ask me why!) I'd rather make something he'd enjoy! 

Anyways, that was my morning meal! Now I need an embarrassing amount of coffee. Being the mom of two kids under the age of 2.5yrs (one who is under 2 months old!), there's no hope of sleeping past 6:30am. Today, they decided 6am was better, but boy does that extra 30 min make a difference! *yawn!* I think mana will be joining in on naptime today!

Alana's Review

Ease:5/5

Taste: 3.5/5 // toddler's review: 5/5

Comments: egg whites only please! 

Cinnamon Fried Bananas with Almonds // Spinach & Egg White Scramble with Salsa

 Cinnamon Fried Bananas with Almonds

(Bananas from: http://www.dizzybusyandhungry.com/pan-fried-cinnamon-bananas/)
Cinnamon fried bananas from the link, with half a tbsp chopped unsalted almonds with 2% milk.
While not exactly super "healthy", it is clean! Only 1/3 of the sugar/cinnamon mixture was used, and sugar in the raw was subbed in.

Sarah's Review

Ease: 4.5/5

Yum: 4.5/5

Suggestion:Use skim milk in place of 2% to take it up a healthy notch.

Spinach & Egg White Scramble with Salsa

Chopped fresh spinach, 1/4 tbsp olive oil, egg whites, store bought salsa

Alana's Review

Ease: 5/5

Yum: 5/5

Suggestion:Use homemade salsa instead*

*While the store bought salsa qualified as clean eating (all ingredients are 'pronounceable'), it of course would be even better with home made

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that my toddler wanted a taste of this and as he walked away chewing it, he was "Mmmmm"ing all the way back to his play area, then promptly returned for 2nds, 3rds, and so on. 2/17/16