Monday, July 18, 2011

Breaking Out Of The Breakfast Rut

    Lately I've realized I've fallen into a breakfast rut - same thing to eat in the morning: Greek yogurt ( vanilla or honey flavored ) with fresh fruit added. If this is Wednesday, I must be having a banana. Yawn.



   Breakfast means "To break the fast" you have been under by not eating since your evening meal the night before. It doesn't mean "waffles / bacon / eggs / muffins / yogurt." My older sister Mothra™ doesn't eat "breakfast foods" as her first meal of the day. She typically eats a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and a sharp horseradish mustard. She once said to me something along the lines of "My body doesn't know what time it is. It only cares that I'm eating something healthy." ( My sister is not a Clean Eater - but she does usually eat in a very healthy manner. ) This set me back a bit, and made me think. She is absolutely right - just because it is 8 am does not mean I am limited to eating eggs, or yogurt.

     Starting today, my breakfast routine is going to change. I'm going to go out of my way to bring foods to work ( I eat once I get to work ) to eat that have more variety. Sure, I'll still have a Greek yogurt a few times a week - but I'm going to work in leftover steak from the night before in a CE burrito. I'm going to bring turkey and chicken to eat with a salad, or with my favorite black beans. I'm going to bring a 1/2 c of Clean granola to eat on the side, with my yogurt and fruit. I'm going to climb out of this rut with all of the CE tools I've taught myself in the last year   ( I just realized - August 24, I will have been eating Clean for 1 year! )

     I'm also going to make myself a batch of these crustless egg quiches for the freezer. Take a few cooked quiches out and bring them with me to work for a quick "something different" on the go.



Ingredients

  • 8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 ounces broccoli florets cut in small pieces
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallions
  • 1/4 cup shredded organic cheese  ( Use your favorite kind )
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup 1% milk

Preparation

  1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray (see Tip).
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
  3. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping teaspoon to a tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
  4. Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Tips & Notes

  • Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.
  • A good-quality nonstick muffin tin works best for this recipe. If you don't have one, line a regular muffin tin with foil baking cups.