More Egg White Ideas or how to use up those left over veggies

Consistently, some of my top read posts are those related to breakfast.  This tells me that like me, many of you are looking for quick, easy, and healthy ways to start your day.  As I've mentioned, I have an egg white breakfast treat 4-5 times a week so I'm always looking for new variations.

Recipe for Egg White Breakfast

I have some version of an egg white breakfast treat about five mornings a week.  They are so easy to make (2 minutes in the microwave) and very portable if you want something for on the go.  With a slice of homemade multi-grain bread, this low calorie, low fat breakfast can carry me to lunch time.

Recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Whole Wheat Quick Bread-Daring Bakers Challenge

I used to be a chocolate chip kinda girl, now more an oatmeal raisin one.  Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate but when reaching for a cookie, I'm more likely to go for the oatmeal raisin one.  Well, the truth is I'm happiest when I can have an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!  I don't know why oatmeal raisin cookies were on my mind when I came up with this recipe for February's Daring Baker's Challenge.  I'm glad they were though, because this Oatmeal Raisin Whole Wheat Quick Bread is terrific.  


The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lis stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

Recipe for Simple Biscuits-Daring Bakers

Mmmm, fresh out of the oven!  We don't eat biscuits as a general rule although I used to eat them frequently enough when I lived in the South.  I was surprised how much we both enjoyed these when I made them for our monthly Daring Bakers challenge.

Recipe for Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Scone Muffins

When I'm out for my morning bike ride, I sometimes have some creative ideas for the kitchen.  Take these scone muffins...I wanted to make something portable for a brunch time snack.  Thinking about what was on hand during my ride, I came up with the idea of using a package of King Arthur Scone Mix as a base for some savory muffins.  These were really good and around 180 calories each!

Recipe for Breakfast Quinoa

When I was on the mainland recently, I saw Breakfast Quinoa on a restaurant menu.  I didn’t try it but was intrigued.  I like quinoa-it’s healthy (more protein than any other grain and contains all eight essential amino acids), adapts well to whatever you put with it, and is easy to make.  I wondered how it would do following the method I use for my overnight oatmeal.

Recipe for Strawberry Chocolate Oat Smoothie

It is widely accepted that oats help lower cholesterol. High cholesterol runs in my family and mine has been up over acceptable levels in the past so I usually have oats as part of my breakfast several times a week.  I love overnight oatmeal but sometimes I want something different.  Could I incorporate oats into a smoothie? Why yes, yes I can!  And you can too.

Recipe for Tropical Pancakes



For Easter morning, I made Mr. ELEB some pancakes.  I thought about making my whole wheat pancakes which I know are great, but was inspired by a Mark Bittman recipe to try something different.    Unlike Mark’s recipe, I toasted the coconut, included some macadamia nut oil, and topped the pancakes with mango.

They turned out very nice!

More Egg White Breakfast Ideas

A while back I shared a recipe for a quick egg white breakfast made in the microwave.  I love these things!  Quick, easy, versatile, healthy, filling...all good things.  I've snapped a couple of photos of other variations so I thought I should be a good blogger and share.


Here's the original made with turkey pepperoni and cheese...

I call both of these "salsa egg whites" but make them two different ways.  Here's the first...

A cup of egg whites, 2 TBSP fresh salsa, 1 TBSP low fat grated cheese; microwave 1 1/2-2 minutes; top with taco sauce.

For the second version...

A cup of egg whites and 1 sandwich slice low fat cheddar torn in to small pieces microwaved 1 1/2-2 minutes.  Top with 2 TBSP fresh salsa and freshly ground black pepper.

Don't forget to use a bowl/dish large enough to allow for the puffing that occurs during cooking (I use a glass prep bowl) and do keep an eye on it but don't panic when you see it puff up.  Spray the bowl with cooking spray before adding the ingredients.

You'll be surprised how filling these are and how well they "stick" with you through the morning.

Aloha and welcome to all the new readers of the blog-glad to have you and would love to hear from you!

What are you eating for breakfast these days?



Recipe for Blueberry and Goat's Cheese French Toast

You’ve probably had French Toast spread or stuffed with cream cheese.  Mmm Mmm good, right?  I wanted to give it a try using goat’s cheese instead.  The thought was it would be a bit tangy to cut some of the richness.  I also had some frozen blueberries that were defrosted and needed to be used and figured their tartness would fit in with the tanginess of the cheese. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Recipe for Quick Breakfast Quiche

Continuing on the theme of “prepping ahead”, here is a great veggie and ham quiche that I made over the weekend.  I was able to have 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches from it.    It is very versatile-just use what you have on hand.

Happy St. Patty's Day by the way!

Recipe for Microwaved Egg White Breakfast Treat

This is sooooooo easy, very quick to make and tasty.  Inspired by Danica’s fluffy microwaved egg whites, this breakfast treat is high in protein, low in fat and calories and very filling.  Use veggies and other lean meats for variety.  Pair it with toasted whole grain bread, english muffin, or, as I do, overnight oatmeal.  No excuse for not getting a good start to the day with this quick and easy breakfast!

Makes 1 Breakfast Treat, approximately 57 calories, 2 grams fat, .7 grams carbs, 0 fiber, 10.4 grams protein, 2 WW Points+

Recipe for Whole Wheat Pancakes with Banana and Almond Butter

On a lazy Sunday morning, I surprised Mr. ELEB with these healthy and filling pancakes.  They are the basic whole wheat pancake recipe with a banana and some almond butter added.  I thought about adding some chocolate but restrained myself!  I think it would be a good add though, so let me know if you go all out.  This is another use for frozen bananas.

This is a kid-friendly recipe so if you have kids (or grab your neighbors'/friends' kids) try this recipe and cook with them.  For more kid friendly recipes check out Make Time For Change, sponsored by Frigidaire.    Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner are teaming up to inspire families everywhere to roll up their sleeves and get cooking together. Starting today, people can join in the Frigidaire Kids' Cooking Academy to get great recipes, how-to videos and tips, all designed to help involve kids in the kitchen.  If you join, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children to help make sure that more children have access to healthy foods. Plus, to help spread the word, everyone who participates will be entered for a chance to win the daily prize, a kids' apron set, and the grand prize: a new Double Oven Range from Frigidaire.

Made 9 pancakes, each approximately 112 calories, 5 grams fat, 15 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams protein without butter or syrup; 3 WW Points +

Method for Perfect Hardboiled Eggs



I have borderline high cholesterol so for years I’ve avoided eggs and used egg substitute.  The cholesterol level was high until I made some dietary and exercise changes; I’m now off medicine other than over the counter.  Let’s face it though,  as good as egg substitute can be for scrambles and in baking, nothing subs for a good hardboiled egg or a well prepared deviled egg.

The most recent recommendations I’ve seen from the American Heart Association recommend limiting cholesterol intake to no more than 300mg / day.   This is just more than 1 egg yolk so they suggest using egg whites and limiting egg yolks.  However, according the the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, there is no evidence in population studies (versus feeding studies) that eating eggs leads to high cholesterol nor the development of heart disease.

 

Recipe for Mini-Quiche

We went on a three night Staycation  recently, so before we left, I wanted to use up some of the perishables in the fridge.  I had some zucchini, spinach and mushrooms that needed to be used.  Looking through my “recipes to try” folder, I found this recipe from The Food Network.  It seemed adaptable to what I had on hand and I thought whatever didn't get eaten before we left could go in the freezer.  They defrosted nicely and are great reheated in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

So essentially, here is another make ahead healthy breakfast idea. No reason why you couldn’t also serve these as lunch or dinner with a nice large salad.

Recipe for Toasted Oats and Zucchini Mini Muffins

Some of you may be thinking “why is she giving us a recipe for zucchini muffins?  The season is over and we’ve moved on to winter squash.”  Well, maybe where you are but here on Maui and at other warm weather locations we are still getting an abundance of zucchini!   Right now I have over 5 pounds of beautiful green squash to use.  You could substitute grated pumpkin or carrots if you aren’t fortunate enough to have zucchini on hand!

My kids were on their way to visit from Georgia so I wanted to have some quick snacks or breakfasts already made so we could grab and go.  I also wanted them to be relatively healthy.   As you know, I’m a big believer in oats, enjoying my overnight oatmeal many mornings.  I thought some zucchini and oat muffins would be great to have and would help me use up some of the zucchini.

Recipe for Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Omelet

I'm trying to expand my repertoire of veggie cooking methods beyond my go-to steam and season routine.  So, this past weekend when the TV was on and I was only half way paying attention to whatever was on, I pulled out a bunch of fresh veggies from my weekly Kula Fields delivery.  I chopped them up, seasoned them, tossed them around in a little oil and roasted them up in the oven.  We’ve enjoyed them for dinner twice (just reheated in a pan on the stove top the second time) and I’ve made a veggie omelet twice.  Don’t you love cooking once and eating twice (or more!)

Recipe for Overnight Oatmeal: Three Days, Three Ways

Are you eating all the whole grains you can?  Are you?  We’re trying to do our best and a delicious bowl of oatmeal is a great start to the day.  I have high cholesterol, so I am doing myself a favor every morning I eat oatmeal because it is a great way to naturally lower my "bad" cholesterol.

When I lived in chilly San Francisco, a hot bowl of oatmeal was great.   I used to make it in the microwave with milk for a creamy hot breakfast in about 5 minutes (as long as I didn’t boil it over and have to clean up the microwave before work).

Here on Maui, even the mornings during fall and winter aren’t quite "hot bowl of cereal" kind of mornings but I still love oatmeal and am still doing everything I can to naturally manage the cholesterol (it is working pretty well, BTW). 

I don’t know when I first saw a recipe for overnight oatmeal, I’m sure it was on a South Beach chat board or the like.  It is a great recipe for warm weather and you can heat it up quickly (without any boil overs) if you prefer it that way (or during the middle of winter!).  Such a versatile recipe too.  You can use whatever milk/yogurt combination you like, or no yogurt (increase the milk).  Add in different nuts, or add in fruit, dry or fresh.  Experiment!  Let me know what you come up with.

Lighten Up Pumpkin Muffins

I like to have lazy Sunday mornings reading the paper and drinking coffee (who doesn't?!).  A few weekends ago, I came across a recipe for "Skinny Pumpkin Muffins" in Parade Magazine in our local island paper.  Since the transitions between seasons are very subtle here on Maui, Pumpkin Muffins sounded like just the thing to help get us in the "Fall" mood.  I have been looking for pumpkin puree for 3 weeks (not that unusual-"gotta wait for the boat") so when I found some today, I grabbed a few cans and promptly came home and made these muffins.

Chocolate Hazelnut Whole Wheat Pancakes

How did I come up with this concoction for Chocolate Hazelnut Whole Wheat pancakes?  Breakfast at our house is generally pretty simple.   Almost always cereal for the hubby, pretty often for me too.  I’ll also make some of my breakfast quiches and eat those, or some hard boiled eggs.  Rarely do we do pancakes unless we go out.  Primarily because I haven’t found a recipe that feels halfway healthy.  That is until I found this one on Cooks.com

I liked it because it used whole wheat flour as the base and it got rave reviews about lightness and fluffiness.  Sounded good to me.

I felt a little creative this morning so I looked in the pantry and fridge for some inspiration.  Pumpkin?  Probably would be good, but didn’t float my boat and I had recently made pumpkin muffins.  Banana?  Hmmm, sort of ho-hum.  Semi-sweet chocolate mini chips (the tiny ones)?  OK, I can work with that, who wouldn’t like a chocolate treat for breakfast? 

I was thinking of adding some walnuts or other nuts and a light bulb came on…what about chocolate and hazelnut?  Sort of like that amazing choc/hazelnut spread I refuse to buy because I’m tempted to just stick a spoon in it and eat it straight from the jar?