Morning Feast: Pump-priming My Day

I love to eat. I also love to cook. I really don't know which one came first, but I really love the idea of having the right color, texture and taste for anything that I put in my mouth--that is food. Just food, don't get me wrong. Somewhere at the back of my head, I have this prejudice about what a meal should be in order for it to be complete. Just give me the right combination of carbs, protein and veggies and my meal will always be complete. So, needless to say, even for breakfast, I appreciate a complete meal. At times though when I am in a hurry, a bowl of fiber-enriched cereal with soy milk and fresh fruit chunks will do. And still it is as complete as can be. But when I have all the time in the world to fix a sumptuous breakfast, this is what I come up with. I love scrambled eggs(semi-omelet style), slices of multi-grain bread and a handful of fresh fruit on the side.

Unlike most morning scrambled eggs out there, I choose to make mine a little more exciting. How?

1. Melt half a tablespoon of butter on a non-stick pan.




2. Whisk three eggs in a bowl.




3. Cook the eggs in the pan with the heat set to the lowest settings, stirring it occasionally so it doesn't dry up.




4. While letting the eggs cook, slice some sweet cherry tomatoes, and as soon as the eggs start to get a little thick, put the sliced tomatoes in.




5. While still a little moist, add some nuts (e.g., slivered blanched almonds or some roasted pine nuts) and mix it up a little.




6. Heat up the eggs a little bit more and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top always making sure that the eggs don't dry up.




7. Take the pan off the heat and fold in some crisp fresh green baby spinach leaves into the cooked eggs. The spinach leaves will add a fresh crunchy texture to the eggs.




8. Immediately transfer the cooked eggs into a dish. Remember, the heat from the pan will dry up the eggs.

Add a few slices of healthy multi-grain bread with your choice of fruit and wallah...you have a kingly breakfast at your fingertips! I usually water it down with a glass of low-sugar fruit-based beverage. My favorite is diet cranberry juice.

Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is always an exciting undertaking. And if there's any one meal that I'd rather fill up on, it's my breakfast because I have the entire day to burn up the extra calories. Oh yeah, I don't eat all three eggs. I only eat half of what the three eggs make.

And if you are worried about your cholesterol levels, do enjoy other breakfast alternatives that you can eat to start the day. Just keep it healthy and delicious. This way, you can never go wrong.

If you want to keep a healthy weight, the one meal you shouldn't miss is your breakfast. It pumps-prime your metabolic engine early on the day.