When you eat breakfast, you can always let yourself pig out on all the fresh fruit you desire, but sometimes you find yourself craving something more substantial. You CAN eat a hearty breakfast while trying to lose weight. Consider some of these great recipes!
Egg-White Omelet With Vegetable-Cheddar Filling
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed thinly sliced fresh spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded nonfat cheddar cheese Vegetable cooking spray
1. Whisk egg whites, water, dill (if using), salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Toss spinach, tomato, and cheddar together in a small bowl.
2. Lightly coat an omelet pan or small skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat 1 minute. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook until eggs begin to set on bottom.
3. Spread filling over half of omelet, leaving a 1/2-inch border and reserving 1 tablespoon mixture for garnish. Lift up omelet at edge nearest handle and fold in half, slightly off-center, so filling peeks out. Cook 2 minutes. Slide omelet onto a serving plate and garnish with reserved filling.
Serves: 1Zesty Cheddar-Asparagus Quiche
1 tablespoon plain dry breadcrumbs
8 ounces small all-purpose potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
3 scallions, sliced
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated fat-free milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable cooking spray and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Beginning in center, arrange potato slices in slightly overlapping circles up to rim. Lightly brush with olive oil and press down gently. Bake 10 minutes.
2. Set 8 to 12 asparagus spears aside. Cut remaining spears into 1-inch pieces.3. Sprinkle crust with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup cheddar. Cover with asparagus pieces, then sprinkle with scallions and another 1/4 cup cheese. Arrange whole asparagus spears on top.
4. Beat evaporated milk, eggs, egg whites, butter, mustard, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Pour into pie plate and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
5. Divide into 6 slices. One serving equals 1 slice.Quick French Toast
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet artificial sweetener
1 tablespoon skim milk
1 slice bread
2. Pour egg mixture into a shallow bowl. Place bread in egg mixture and soak, turning once.
3. Coat a nonstick skillet with vegetable cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place bread in skillet and pour any remaining egg mixture over bread. Cook until browned on bottom; then turn over to brown other side.
Golden Pancakes1 c uncooked whole-grain oats
6 egg whites
1 c fat-free cottage cheese ¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 packets sugar substitute ½ c sugar-free maple syrup ¼ c mixed berries
2. In a blender, combine oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar substitute. Blend on medium speed about 1 minute until smooth.
3. Pour batter about ¼ c at a time onto hot skillet. Cook pancake until bubbly on top and dry around the edges – about 3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown – about 2 more minutes
4. While pancakes are cooking, microwave maple syrup until warm – about 20 seconds
Turkey Bacon Quiche
6 strips lean turkey bacon
3 eight-inch whole wheat tortillas
3 whole eggs
8 egg whites (or 1 c egg substitute) ½ c skim milk
½ c low-fat sour cream
¾ reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 c broccoli florets
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook turkey bacon according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
3. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Overlap 2 tortillas and cut the third one in half to form a crust
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat whole eggs and egg whites with a fork or whisk until well blended. Mix skim milk and sour cream into the eggs.
5. Chop cooked turkey bacon into bite size pieces
6. Add turkey, bacon, cheese, and broccoli to blended egg mixture, combine thoroughly
7. Pour egg mixture into tortilla-lined pie plate and bake for about 50 minutes. Tap the edge of the pie plate. When the filling is set and moist but not liquidy, it is done.
8. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing into portions.
Whole wheat toast or English muffins are also good choices as are low-fat or no-fat yogurt. Just keep portion sizes to what we’ve talked about before.