No Ordinary Eggs

The best part of summer is the garden. At least for me, it is. I love to experiment with whatever's bountiful and come up with new combinations.

Right now, basil is booming. So the last time I made eggs, I yummied them up. Here's how to make No Ordinary Eggs:

1. Beat two eggs in a bowl with a dash a of milk, salt and pepper.

2. Drop a slice of butter in a small pan.

3. Sprinkle sundried tomatoes in the pan.

4. After the tomatoes are well heated, add the eggs to the pan.

5. Scramble up the eggs. Then rip up some basil leaves and add them to the eggs.

6. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy delicious basily garden goodness for breakfast!

Suzie

Huevos y Frijoles

My lust for black beans is making me do crazy things with them. This morning I made a black bean omelet that made me salsa dance all over the kitchen. Try it:

1. Defrost a pack of your single serving vacuum sealed black beans. Add a little chopped jalapeno to your beans. Warm them in a little pot over medium heat.

2. Beat two eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk.

3. Chop up a little fresh cilantro.

4. Drop some butter in an omelet pan on medium heat. When it melts, pour in the egg mixture.

5. Cover the pan.

6. When the egg mass is no longer runny, spoon beans onto one half of omelet.

7. Sprinkle with cilantro and jack cheese.

8. Flip the other half of the omelet over the delicious bean mixture.

9. Wait for the cheese to melt.

10. Eat the heavenly omelet.

Can you think of a more delicious omelet? What's your favorite type of omelet?

Suzie

Perfect Hash Browns

Sunday morning breakfast is a luxury. Bacon, eggs, and hash browns. That's what's on my menu. And as I cooked it all up this Sunday, I thought about how most people probably have the egg thing down. And taking bacon out of a package and putting it in a pan is definitely not rocket science.

But the perfect hash browns? Well, they're a little tricky. So here goes:

1. Peel your potatoes. One large russet potato should cover one medium skillet and feed two people.

2. Shred them using the large holes on a box grater.

3. Heat vegetable oil on medium high heat in a pan on the stove.

NOTE: Vegetable oil can be heated it at higher temperatures than olive oil. Since you're frying the potatoes, you don't want to use olive oil. It may burn, and frankly, it's a little too olivey for hashbrowns.

4. Add a pat of butter to the oil. The butter gives them a buttery taste and the oil prevents the butter from burning.

5. Squeeze all of the liquid out of your potatoes using paper towels. The secret is to get them as dry as possible. Wet potatoes = soggy hash browns.

6. Salt and pepper potatoes.

7. Drop the hash browns in the pan. Spread them out so they look like a pancake.

8. Brown the first side. Then flip them.

9. When they're done, slide them out of the pan and enjoy!

What's your favorite Sunday morning breakfast treat?

Suzie

Mmm...Delicious Smoothie

1 cup frozen organic mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)

1 cup organic apple juice

1/4 cup raw organic wheat germ

2 tbsp organic ground flax meal

Blend it up!

Five reasons why you should have a smoothie for breakfast:

1. Two servings of fruit. It's not easy to get five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. But it's really important. A smoothie is a great way to knock out two.

2. Fiber. You've heard it's important to eat fiber. But do you know why? It helps maintain a healthy digestive system and colon, but fiber is also extremely important for heart health. And ground flax and raw wheat germ go a long way when it comes to proper pumping. They act as cleansers in your arteries, reducing plaque. So your good cholesterol goes up and your bad cholesterol goes down.

A woman my age needs about 25 grams of fiber a day. This smoothie provides about 13. (4 - wheat germ, 4 - ground flax, 5 - berries) That's half of what I need before I even get in the shower. But 25 grams is a lot. And if you think you're going to hit that by simply having a salad for lunch, you're wrong. So start early and track your grams during the day.

3. It's filling. It seems like they wouldn't be, but smoothies will fill you up. The added grains really help to fight hunger.

4. It's a great way to kickstart your day. If you don't eat breakfast, start. Your body needs nutrients to get going. Plus, berries are brainfood. Start feeding your brain and your body early and you'll feel more energetic throughout the day. In addition, a healthy breakfast revs up your metabolism so you keep burning more calories throughout the day.

5. Smoothies are cheap. Bags of blueberries and mixed berries are about $3.00 each. Two will get me through a week of smoothies. Raw Wheat Germ runs about $2.00 and Organic ground flax meal is about $4.00. A bag of each will last about a month.

I'm no mathematician, but based on berry cost alone, you can eat breakfast for less than a $1 a day and also feel good about eating something healthy.

So, what do you think? Will you give smoothies a try?

Suzie