Spinach and Spaghetti Squash Quiche

This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes to make. I like to double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 glass baking dish, increasing the time by about 15 minutes. I just test the middle with a knife or toothpick to see if it has set up. These instructions say to cook the squash in the microwave...I've done that before and it has worked, but I've also done it and it exploded. twice. So you can bake it in the oven as well...just google for instructions.

Spinach and Spaghetti Squash Quiche
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach , thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1/2 cup cooked, shredded spaghetti squash
1 beaten egg
3 egg whites
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup part-skim-milk mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

seasonings of your choice such as italian, garlic, onion, cayenne, hot sauce, etc
1 cooking spray
1/3 cup bread crumbs (use gluten free or omit for GF)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pierce squash several times with a fork, and place in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 10 minutes, turn over, and continue cooking 10 minutes more. Squash flesh should be very tender inside. Set aside to cool.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Pull a fork across the flesh--it should easily come out in strands. Place a 1/2 cup of squash strands in a mixing bowl. Stir in egg, egg whites, evaporated milk, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and seasonings until well combined. I used 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's, cayenne, garlic, and a dash of sriracha hot sauce for my seasonings

Spray a 9 inch pie place or quiche dish with cooking spray. Spread bread crumbs in the bottom and around the sides to coat. Pour egg mixture into prepared dish. Bake quiche in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Calories: 145 Total Fat: 4.5g Total Carbs: 12.9g Dietary Fiber: 0.7g Protein: 12.8g

Football Brunch

If you’re having company to watch an early football game, have brunch! Think of it as a “classier” version of kegs and eggs (because I am a classy lady…stop laughing)! Some of these recipes can be prepared the night before and popped in the oven in the morning so you can sleep in (if you're not too excited...I can always sleep in though). You can have the regular snacks available too…it’s after noon, so anything goes. Tell your guests to come hungry so they don’t eat a big breakfast. I was surprised at how well this went over last year when I made brunch for a game---beer and breakfast food go together just fine.

Brunch Ideas:French Toast Strata, recipe below
Breakfast Casserole, recipe below
Breakfast Cookies
Cut up Fruit, with or without fruit dip
Croissants or bagels
Bacon or sausage (everyone loves bacon)
Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

Snacks:
Honey Chipotle Almonds or Pecans
Spicy Pretzels
Caramel Apple Bars (these are delicious), click link for recipe

Beverages:
Coffee with Kahlua or Baileys
Bloody Mary’s
Mimosas (yay!)
Cherry Hammocks (cherry vodka and pink lemonade with a floating cherry – courtesy of S.T.)
Most importantly, beer…because on football Saturday or Sunday, it’s never too early to starting drinking.

French Toast Strata

1/3 cup SPLENDA or sugar
1 cup egg substitute or equivalent egg whites
2/3 cup skim milk
3/4 teaspoon imitation maple flavor* or 3 T. maple syrup
8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 cups peeled apples, thinly sliced
1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon SPLENDA or sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8X8-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Blend together 1/3 cup Splenda, egg substitute, milk and maple flavor in a medium bowl. Tear cinnamon raisin bread into pieces, approx. 1-2 inches each. Add bread and sliced apples into mixing bowl with other ingredients. Toss to coat bread. Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Cut cream cheese into 8 chunks and place on top of strata. Blend remaining 1 Tbsp. Splenda Granulated and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over strata. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven 40-50 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. Serve with extra maple syrup.

Breakfast Casserole
6 slices bread, cubed
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. link sausage, fried and cubed, or bacon or ground pork, browned
6 eggs, beaten
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
Hot sauce, optional

Beat milk and eggs, add salt and mustard (I add hot sauce now too). Butter a deep dish and layer bread, sausage, and cheese, three layers of each. Top with egg mixture. Let set in refrigerator overnight. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve with hot sauce.

(2) Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast cookies can be a decent grab-and-go breakfast for those who are too busy to stop and eat something in the morning. They are also great for a snack at any point in the day. Below are two (very) different breakfast cookies recipes that I've made...one is healthy, while the other is no-so-much (as it contains bacon). I'd love to try other recipes for breakfast cookies if you have one!


Healthy Breakfast Cookies
3 mashed bananas (ripe)
4 oz. applesauce (small plastic lunchbox container)
2 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1/2 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit you want to add)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp Splenda , sugar or other sweetener.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes to let the oats become hydrated. Heap the dough by tsp onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool. Let it sit for ten minutes. Makes about 20.

Breakfast Cookies (with bacon!)

1/2 pound bacon (could use turkey)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups of multi-grain flakes or corn flakes
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon until very crisp, drain well and break into 1/2 inch pieces. Beat together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and baking soda; stir into butter mixture. Stir in bacon, mult-grain flakes and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Space 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove to rack to cool--about 2 minutes, then remove from rack.

Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

Looking for a breakfast to serve for a holiday or when you have guests? This looks great, tastes great, and is easy to make. I always add garlic powder.

Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooked ham, chopped or 9 slices of deli ham (could sub in other breakfast meat)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (you can reduce amount for lower fat)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Beat eggs and milk until fluffy. Add flour, salt and pepper and beat or whisk until smooth. Pour into a buttered or greased 9 x 13 baking dish or pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until eggs are just about set. Sprinkle with chopped ham or lay slices of ham evenly on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Starting at short side, loosen one end with a spatula and roll up omelet while still in pan (like a swiss cake roll). Place seam side down on serving dish. Cut into slices.

Protein Pancakes

I made these on Sunday because I was craving pancakes and had some cottage cheese to use up. They are pretty good (as long as you aren’t expecting typical pancakes). I topped 2 big ones with 2 crumbled slices of bacon and pure maple syrup, but I think they’d be good with peanut butter too. It made about 7 pancakes, but they are thin and probably aren’t intended to feed more than 2 people. If you eat a big breakfast, it may just be one meal. (Note: I calculated that the whole batch is 310 calories, 4 grams fat, and 34 grams protein using nutritiondata.com)

Protein Pancakes

1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (uncooked) (check for gluten, used certified GF if allergic)
1/4 cup low-fat/FF cottage cheese (or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder instead)
4-6 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together the oatmeal, cottage cheese, egg whites, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to make a batter (I used a blender, but it's probably not necessary). Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add the batter and cook over medium heat until both sides are lightly browned. Use your choice of toppings. The flavor isn’t sweet like typical pancakes. I could use these in place of bread/tortilla for a sandwich since the flavor is plain.

Breakfast Sandwiches

Want to make multiple breakfasts that you can just reheat and eat throughout the week? Instead of stopping for fast food when you're in a hurry, take some time on the weekend or an evening to prepare breakfast sandwiches for the week. These can also be prepared ahead of time and froze for a month or two, if desired. Feel free to tweak the ingredients and seasonings to your liking, as I came up with this version on my own. This will make 6 sandwiches. You could probably double the ingredients and use a 9x13 pan.

Breakfast sandwiches

6 english muffins
Turkey bacon or sausage (optional)
Onion and garlic (I used a ½ onion and 2-3 garlic cloves)
Peppers, spinach, mushrooms, or preferred veggies (about ½ cup worth)
5-6 eggs (or 10-12 egg whites)
Pour of milk (1/4 cup?)
Seasoning as desired
Cheese
Deli ham or turkey (if desired)

While browning meat, if using, toast English muffins and lay on a plate to cool. After browning meat, place in a mixing bowl. Cook onions and garlic until very lightly browned in skillet. Add veggies; cook until desired doneness (if using a harder veggie, precook slightly). While veggies cook, crack eggs into mixing bowl with meat and pour in milk. Add spices and beat to blend everything. When veggies are done, stir them into the egg mixture. Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 (silicone works well). Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until set. Turn off oven and sprinkle cheese on top and place back in the oven to melt. Cut eggs into 6 squares. If squares will be too large for muffins, cut into 12 squares to stack 2 on each muffin. Once egg squares are cool, place on muffins with deli meat if using. Wrap in foil or sandwich bags. Freeze if desired; thaw overnight to heat in the morning.