Breakfast

Breakfast is the bane of my existence. I mean sure I've been known to indulge in the occasional weekend pancake or eggs Benedict but that is usually consumed well after noon and enjoyed only when someone else makes it for me. However, when I started trying to lose weight this summer I realized that breakfast is a necessary evil. Since I hate it I didn't mind just closing my eyes and bearing it while kick starting my metabolism with such vile treats as a 90 calorie packet of cottage cheese or some really yummy (note the sarcasam) egg whites. I started out on just protein because everything I read from low glycemic index advice columns to weight loss books suggested that kick starting your metabolism works better with protein and no sugar. Eventually I relented and added some "Gasp" fruit. Making it cottage cheese and blueberries or egg whites and strawberries.

Then, women's health showed me that I could ( occasionally cause I am still trying to cut back on carbs) eat something delicious for breakfast. Vans makes a series of not to bad for you frozen waffles, even the light ones are tasty and they all have some protein in them. Best part, the light ones are only 140 calories for 2 waffles. The twist is that you then add protein to the mix with some almond butter, but we're not done, drizzle some honey ( just a little) over almond butter and add some chopped strawberries and a few raspberries on top and POOF, you have a delicious and not too bad for you breakfast. If you make both waffles and use two tablespoons of almond butter (a serving) plus 1/4 cup of strawberries and raspberries the whole thing comes to. 364 calories for the whole kit and caboodle. However if this feels like too much you can have 2 egg whites and 1 waffle for just 216 calories ( this breakfast is totally worth 216 calories, it will keep you full for hours and is good fuel for a workout as well as a long morning at work) and the prep time is only about 15 minutes. I just wanted to share this one since it is so easy and was such a wonderful addition to my morning routine.

Sometimes you just don't want a traditional breakfast

And this weekend when that happened to me, instead of making my husband take me out to Brunch, I decided to save some money and make an interesting brunchy concoction on my own. I was craving two things, eggs Benedict, and some kind of breakfast tart, like a quiche but less eggy and more other stuff. So, I started out trying to make the eggs benny. And as always, I found that for some reason the creation of a workable hollendaise sauce eludes me. I don't know why but I am just not capable of getting that sauce right. So, amidst my frustration I decided to try for the tart.
Puff pastry was the tart base of choice, so I took a sheet of puff pastry and built up the sides so that there would be a well for ingredients to sit in the middle. I wanted a kind of egg base, so I combined eggs and a little bit of cream and then used it as an egg wash for the puff pastry wall and then poured the rest in the middle, on top of the eggs I put,some torn up thinly sliced prosciutto. Then I added caramelized onions, pecorino Romano cheese, dubliner cheese, and aged Pecorino Romano. I topped the whole thing off with some very thin slices of tomato and then baked the whole lot at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. The results were spectacular. A delicious and filling breakfast tart with different complex flavor combinations in every bit. The butteryness of the puff pastry combined really well with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the saltiness of the prosecutor coupled delightfully with the sweet tartness of the tomato slices. And underneath it all the eggs and cream created a light quichey texture for the whole tart. Overall I would call this breakfast an unqualified success. Hooray for experimenting!

mmm breakfast

Something that needs no introduction and no recipe (unless you don't happen to have the side of a Bisquick box handy) Waffles!! (and fruit) My husband requested this for breakfast this morning and I obliged him.