A few days ago, Karel came home from work and as soon as he walked in the door I excitedly told him "You won't believe the creation I just made!!!"
This is a running joke in our place because I get inspired by meals on the internet and on TV, but I rarely follow the recipe details, nor use the same ingredients (I typically try to find healthier options). Therefore, everything I make is just a creation. In this case, with the egg muffin, I wasn't even inspired by anything. I was actually finishing up a hashbrown and veggie recipe (which I will post later this week) and forgot to add the egg mixture that I had set aside in a bowl on the counter.
Speaking of Egg Muffins, when you think of an egg muffin, the Egg mcmuffin, from McD's, probably comes to mind.
Nutrition profile of McDonald's Egg Mcmuffin
Calories: 300
Fat: 12g (1/3rd calories from fat)
Saturated fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 260 mg (87% daily value)
Sodium: 820 mg
Carbohydrates: 30g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 18g
I find that a problem with consumers (that would be you) is that we associate bad food to certain restaurants and associate good food to other restaurants. Many athletes would steer clear from McD's because it is a fast-food chain and thus, choose another restaurant with "healthier" options when looking for a healthy-start for the day.
In order to prove that consumers MUST look at online nutrition guides before ordering/eating out, I will post the nutrition profile of two comparable products and you won't believe where they are from....
1) Bacon, Egg and Cheese breakfast sandwich
Calories: 510 calories
Fat: 24 grams
Saturated fat: 10g
Trans fat: .5g
Cholesterol: 215 mg
Sodium: 1060 mg
Carbs: 44g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 28g
2) Healthy Egg Muffin Sandwich
Calories: 380 calories
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 260g
Sodium: 1400mg
Carbs: 28g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 26g
The first product that I listed was from Panera and the second product is from Whole Foods. Now, when comparing the products to the English Muffin from McDonald's, a breakfast for less than $2 at a fast-food chain is a deal-breaking (for your wallet) compared to the other two products that I listed. However, due to the saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol of both products, I wouldn't recommend any of the above items.
Of course I am making comparisons and I am not endorsing products from any of the restaurants/fast-food facilities that I listed. In my opinion, we should be making the majority of our meals and not ordering out. However, because I want my blog readers to understand that I am just like everyone else out there and my suggestions are for the average athlete/fitness enthusiast who is trying to lose/maintain weight and live a healthy life, which requires a balanced lifestyle, I have eaten at all three places in the last month. Life is all about balance and moderation and most of all, understanding what your body needs, why it needs it and when to eat it.
-Karel and I got parfaits at McD's when traveling to the US 100K classic in Marietta, GA.
-I bought a loaf of Stoned Milled Rye bread at Panera, yesterday to go with the egg salad that I made yesterday.
-I went to Whole foods yesterday to buy bulk Trail mix, for the muffins that I made yesterday.
Although I was not inspired by McDonald's, Panera or Whole Foods, I created a great egg muffin recipe which can be eaten as a snack or with a meal. If you are a morning egg eater (or want to be one) be creative with your egg muffin and find ways to incorporate it into your next breakfast meal.
Egg Muffin
4 egg whites, 1 whole egg
1/8 cup skim milk
1 ounce mozzarella part-skim cheese (shredded)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
Lean meat (optional)
2 roma tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 cup jalapenos (chopped)
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
1) Mix together eggs and milk, add pepper and cayenne (pinch of each) and scramble with fork.
2) Add cheese, garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and lean meat and scramble.
3) With a ladle (or 1/8 cup) pour egg mixture into a muffin pan (sprayed with non stick spray) until each tin is 3/4 full.
4) Cook at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until top of muffin is firm.
How do you plan to eat your new egg muffin recipe?
This is a running joke in our place because I get inspired by meals on the internet and on TV, but I rarely follow the recipe details, nor use the same ingredients (I typically try to find healthier options). Therefore, everything I make is just a creation. In this case, with the egg muffin, I wasn't even inspired by anything. I was actually finishing up a hashbrown and veggie recipe (which I will post later this week) and forgot to add the egg mixture that I had set aside in a bowl on the counter.
Speaking of Egg Muffins, when you think of an egg muffin, the Egg mcmuffin, from McD's, probably comes to mind.
Nutrition profile of McDonald's Egg Mcmuffin
Calories: 300
Fat: 12g (1/3rd calories from fat)
Saturated fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 260 mg (87% daily value)
Sodium: 820 mg
Carbohydrates: 30g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 18g
I find that a problem with consumers (that would be you) is that we associate bad food to certain restaurants and associate good food to other restaurants. Many athletes would steer clear from McD's because it is a fast-food chain and thus, choose another restaurant with "healthier" options when looking for a healthy-start for the day.
In order to prove that consumers MUST look at online nutrition guides before ordering/eating out, I will post the nutrition profile of two comparable products and you won't believe where they are from....
1) Bacon, Egg and Cheese breakfast sandwich
Calories: 510 calories
Fat: 24 grams
Saturated fat: 10g
Trans fat: .5g
Cholesterol: 215 mg
Sodium: 1060 mg
Carbs: 44g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 28g
2) Healthy Egg Muffin Sandwich
Calories: 380 calories
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 260g
Sodium: 1400mg
Carbs: 28g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 26g
The first product that I listed was from Panera and the second product is from Whole Foods. Now, when comparing the products to the English Muffin from McDonald's, a breakfast for less than $2 at a fast-food chain is a deal-breaking (for your wallet) compared to the other two products that I listed. However, due to the saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol of both products, I wouldn't recommend any of the above items.
Of course I am making comparisons and I am not endorsing products from any of the restaurants/fast-food facilities that I listed. In my opinion, we should be making the majority of our meals and not ordering out. However, because I want my blog readers to understand that I am just like everyone else out there and my suggestions are for the average athlete/fitness enthusiast who is trying to lose/maintain weight and live a healthy life, which requires a balanced lifestyle, I have eaten at all three places in the last month. Life is all about balance and moderation and most of all, understanding what your body needs, why it needs it and when to eat it.
-Karel and I got parfaits at McD's when traveling to the US 100K classic in Marietta, GA.
-I bought a loaf of Stoned Milled Rye bread at Panera, yesterday to go with the egg salad that I made yesterday.
-I went to Whole foods yesterday to buy bulk Trail mix, for the muffins that I made yesterday.
Although I was not inspired by McDonald's, Panera or Whole Foods, I created a great egg muffin recipe which can be eaten as a snack or with a meal. If you are a morning egg eater (or want to be one) be creative with your egg muffin and find ways to incorporate it into your next breakfast meal.
Egg Muffin
4 egg whites, 1 whole egg
1/8 cup skim milk
1 ounce mozzarella part-skim cheese (shredded)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
Lean meat (optional)
2 roma tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 cup jalapenos (chopped)
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
1) Mix together eggs and milk, add pepper and cayenne (pinch of each) and scramble with fork.
2) Add cheese, garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and lean meat and scramble.
3) With a ladle (or 1/8 cup) pour egg mixture into a muffin pan (sprayed with non stick spray) until each tin is 3/4 full.
4) Cook at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until top of muffin is firm.
How do you plan to eat your new egg muffin recipe?