If you have kids or work, breakfast is all about speed. This is partly why Dunkin Donuts, and their 500 calorie muffins with 81 grams of carbs are so popular, or McDonald's meals that you can eat with your hands, which range from 30 to 59 carbs are so popular.
If you are low carbing, you can have your low carb breakfast and speed too. I'll outline what I do for myself and the kids.
First, you have to be prepared.
I buy the pre-cooked bacon at Costco. There are 60 slices for $6.99. Literally takes 30 seconds in the toaster oven or microwave to cook. (Update: Costco now only sells the thick bacon. I buy my precooked bacon at BJ's now, 100 slices for $10.99 or something like that. I prefer the thin bacon -- and you can't get Costco to change anything.)
I also buy the frozen bagged vegetables from Market Basket. I buy the onions, two small bags for $1 and the cut peppers, 69 cents. This way I don't have to get my cutting board dirty in the morning but I can change the flavor of the egg in no time. (Now, my husband just cringes at this, but I am not Martha Stewart by any stretch of the imagination, and breakfast on weekdays is all about speed.)
I buy my eggs in the 18 packs (there is a reason why egg prices have gone up so much!) I also buy sliced cheese. The coffee pot is filled with water and coffee and ready to go the night before.
1. Click on the coffee pot to get it started.
2. Get out the onions, peppers, eggs, bacon, cheese, and cream for the coffee. (I just wrap an elastic band around the entire open bags of veggies to make it quick and easy to open them. In other words, I don't just wrap the open end with many twirls of the elastic, I wrap the entire bag once.)
3. Put tinfoil in the toaster oven (quick clean up), and lay out three slices of thin bacon.
4. Put butter in the pan and turn on the stove.
5. Take out a slice of cheese.
6. Crack the eggs in a mug.
7. Swirl the butter around so it is melted and put some onions and peppers in the pan.
8. Gather up everything and put it away.
9. Beat the eggs.
10. Put them in the pan.
11. When ready to flip the eggs, turn on the bacon.
12. Add the cheese.
13. Pour the coffee.
14. Eat.
You can also add salsa, leftover bernaise sauce, or just about anything else to the eggs. (Let me know what you add!)
(Update: And lots of health benefits to eggs! Furthermore, eggs help you eat fewer calories!)
Now, my kids like "cheesy" eggs, which are basically cheese omelettes. My daughter also likes an egg over easy with melted cheese on top. But I also give them Total Protein Low Carb Cereal (although my daughter has since become disenchanted with this, my son still likes it,) Special K Low Carb or Post CarbWell Cereal and low carb bagels (see the food and drink index on the left hand side for lots of reviews.) I have tried the low carb pancake stuff with the kids, but they still demand the Bisquick (but I now use no sugar maple syrup.) So my advice is to start the kids early with the whole wheat or low carb pancake mixes before you lose your chance!
Entenmann's Low Carb does have muffins, but as I have said before, this brand is dangerous!
I also make sure the kids get their vitamins, and I also give them a half a glass of Tropicana's Light'n Healthy Orange Juice, which has much less sugar than regular OJ.
what to put in eggs
* Parmesan cheese
* sliced Baby Bella mushrooms (chewier than white
mushrooms, less water in them also)
* diced turkey sausage, which is already cooked
* tarragon and Swiss cheese
* thawed-out, drained, chopped spinach, diced red
peppers, thin slices of onion
* cottage cheese (it disappears but makes the eggs
fluff up)
Posted by: martha | June 15, 2005 at 12:50 PM