I. – Breakfast -

This recipe comes directly from my husband:

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Hey everyone! I fixed this recipe for my wife (Ellen), one morning as “breakfast in bed.” She loved it.

Guys, take note. This is super easy and will only cost about 30-40 minutes of your time in the morning. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb ground pork sausage (I used Jimmy’s Deans 1lb-er, split in half)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 of 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 2 burrito-sized flour tortillas
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (or whatever cheese you like)

Directions:

1. Get out a cutting board, knife, large skillet, two bowls, and a baking dish.
2. Place sausage in the large skillet and cook on low-medium heat until sausage is lightly brown. Make sure the meat is cooked thoroughly (no red spots). Take sausage out and place aside in a bowl for later. If you’re trying to cut back on the grease, just strain the sausage or use paper towels to blot the grease off.
3. Chop the bell pepper into tiny square bits. Crack the eggs into the skillet and mix in the bell pepper bits.  Cook the eggs until they are “set” (not runny/uncooked).
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Take the eggs out and place them into the other bowl.  Get the tortilla shells out. Halving the eggs, sausage, and cheese, place an even portion into each tortilla, and wrap into a roll (burrito).
6. Put the burritos onto the baking dish and place them into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese has firmly melted and the burritos are a tad hardened.

Take them out of the oven and serve to your wife (or spouse) in bed. I promise you it will be good!

Most of us have made a list of things we want to complete/succeed at in 2009. For many of us, that list includes healthy goals such as eating better, exercising, and losing weight. Eating breakfast, known as the most important meal of the day, is a wonderful way to start your day off right, but it is often difficult to get out the door in the morning with something healthy in your stomach.

Here are a few of my favorite healthy breakfast options and ideas, as well as a delicious-looking recipe I found on the Splenda website for Apple Pie Oatmeal (see previous post):

• Yogurt – Keeping low-fat or fat-free yogurt in the refrigerator helps you always have a healthy option to grab in the morning. Yogurt with a granola bar, muffin, or piece of fruit offers a healthy and complete breakfast.
  
• Muffins – There are several muffin recipes on my website, as well as Ever-Ready Bran Muffins, a quick option to keep mixed up in the refrigerator to pull out and bake when needed. We enjoy keeping muffins and other breakfast breads in a covered cake server on the counter to enjoy as needed.
• Bagels – Bagels offer a hearty and filling breakfast option. Keep in mind that a whole bagel is 4 servings of carbohydrate, so if you’re watching your waistline watch to see how many calories you’re eating.
• Cold Cereal – Look for whole grain cereal that is high in fiber. I enjoy mixing a high fiber or high protein cereal (i.e. Fiber One, All Bran, Special K with Protein, etc) with cereals that have more starches and sugars. Adding a low-fat granola on top of your cereal is very filling as well.
  
• Oatmeal – The oatmeal recipe below is very similar to the single serving oatmeal packets you can find at the grocery store. I enjoy the heartiness of simply placing rolled or quick oats in a bowl and adding hot water, Splenda, cinnamon, and a little salt. Keeping oatmeal on hand is a low-cost and filling breakfast option.