What’s Up Wednesday 10.29.13 Edition

Yep. That is pretty much it for this week, but on the bright side phase 1 of operation moving back to Houston is complete!! After 3 days of non-stop packing and loading we are out of the “old” house. It is suppose to close escrow either this Friday or Monday and I am pretty excited.

Now it’s on to finding a new house in Houston! Officer P is leaving tomorrow, and taking Pixie with him. :( We are hoping he finds us a house soon. He is enjoying the fact that he has all the power in buying our new house and it is driving me nuts!! Seriously, I keep telling him “I know you know this BUT . . .” I am a bit type A and buying a house is a huge thing!! I think we are going to have some Facetime house showings going on. That should be interesting. 

And in other news I am finally officially registered for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon!! I was signing up with one of my Facebook running groups and I was afraid it was going to fall through and my legacy status would be lost. BUT I got this in my email today

I am now breathing a sigh of relief and am gearing up to plan my costume. What oh what should I wear???

I’m also considering seeing if they happen to have any 10k spots open so I can throw that in there too. I really do need a good 10k time to submit as proof in the future since my PR at Tink 2012 is starting to “expire”. 

And that is this week’s WUW for you. Short and sweet.

My Disney Tee Finds at Target!!

This weekend was full of packing and loading and more packing, yet somehow I still found myself at Target 2 or 3 times. The first trip I came across this adorable shirt and had to make it mine!!

Then on one of the other trips my mom was looking for a couple shirts and I found the Disney mother load of juniors shirts. Since I refuse to accept that I am no longer a junior I decided to investigate closer, and take pics to share with all of you, of course. The t-shirts ran around $12 and the sweatshirts $20 at my Target, to give you an idea of the price point.

I think that I may need to go back and add the Woody sweatshirt to my closet, not that I am a party animal or anything, I just think it is cute. Personally I don’t really get the relevance of the Jasmine shirt, it kind of seems like a random meme to me.

I really like all three of these!! The Mickey shirt is burnout, and the Lion King Sweatshirt is short cropped length so you would want to wear a tank under them. Nemo may happen to find his way into my closet too. I do have an up coming Disneyland trip so they would come in handy. 

All of the t-shirts are made out of a thin but really soft cotton. All in all it was a pretty fun trip to Target. I always love finding Disney merchandise at discount prices!! 

What are some of your favorite discount Disney finds?

Foodie Friday Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut

I have a confession, this is a bit of a cheater recipe, but hey we all need a cheater recipe every now and then, right?

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup egg white
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 box spice cake mix

 

This is really a super easy recipe. I took the cake mix box and just made a few adjustments. I knew you could use apple sauce in place of oil so I figured why not use pumpkin?? I did a quick internet search to validate my hypothesis and I was in luck!! According to the internet you can in fact substitute pumpkin for oil, good to know.

The box calls for 3 eggs, but I only had 2. Then I noticed an * on the bottom of the box and a web address to make the cake “cholesterol free”, and for this particular mix it said to use 5 egg whites, which according to my carton was about a cup. Woo hoo my donuts were saved, and I cut even more fat from the recipe!

The box also called for 1 cup of water, but since I wanted my donuts to be a little denser/ drier then a cake to make them more donut like so I cut the liquid in half. I also couldn’t decide if I wanted to make apple cider donuts or pumpkin so I figured I’d just combine them and subbed apple cider for the water.

You just mix all the ingredients together and pour the batter into a donut pan. They run around $10 and you can get them at most hobby stores, and there are usually 40%-50% off coupons for these stores floating around so you can get them for $5-$6. I would suggest getting 2 so that you can bake a dozen donuts at once. If you want your donuts to look more donut like only fill your pan about half way, not like the photo above. ;) Then you simply bake according to the boxes directions for cupcakes. For this particular brand it was 350* for 15-20 minutes.

This is what they look like when you fill the pan a little too full. They still tasted great! But looked more like a bagel then a donut.

This is what they look like when you only fill the pan half full.

This round I was able to make 16 donuts, but if I had filled all the pans only halfway I am sure it would have been closer to 2 dozen.

I was trying to keep these on the healthier side so I opted to not ice them. I think next time I will try a caramel cream cheese icing. So look for a recipe retake sometime next month.

Since next Friday will be the start of a new month I will be starting a new theme!! My theme for November is going to be fall baking, and up first is an apple crisp, because it just isn’t fall without one.   

What’s Up Wednesday: October 23rd Edition

It’s only Wednesday and this week has already been a rough one. I have been dealing with some hip issues that has pretty much brought my training to a halt.

If I don’t run I’m okay, but if I do it gets irritated, and that is irritating me. Last weekend I managed to get an 8 mile run in, and this weekend I planned to do 5 and only managed to do 1. Really my heart wasn’t in it to begin with so once my hip started feeling the least bit funky I just called it a day. That coupled with my little toe cutting the toe next to it, I just wasn’t in the mood.

I’m hoping and praying that I can get 10 in this weekend and then rest as much as I can for the 2 weeks after that and at least be able to get through RnR Las Vegas. I fear I may be in for a new longest half record, which is not what I was hoping for when I signed up.

My mom also kindly reminded me yesterday that I haven’t actually made our room reservations yet . . . yeah I should get on that. Now if it was a runDisney race it would have been done months ago, but it’s Vegas and “last minute” ressies are getting cheaper, so I am pretending it was part of my plan all along.

Then of course I still have that whole moving thing going on. I went to Target yesterday and when I got home Officer P informed me that our agent called and the buyer wants to close early!!!

Part of me is good with this. I just want to put it behind me and move forward, but another part of me is freaking out because that is one less week I have to get everything packed!! So, if I seem to have fallen off the edge of the earth next week, that might be exactly what has happened.

The house hunting is going less then stellar so I am getting a bit frustrated there too. I just keep telling myself to “just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming” and eventually it will all settle down and the world will be “right” again.

 

So there you have it.

What exciting things do you have going on this week?

I Run 4 Logan

October is Down Syndrome awareness month and in order to help support awareness I added a Down Syndrome awareness button on my homepage. I also wanted to put a face and a name to DS so I would like to introduce you the cutest little 2 year old I know!!


Don’t you just want to cuddle him up?? I know I do!!

If you read my Diva Half run 3rd recap you know that I like to run for people or causes “bigger then me”. I love that someone struggling or going through hard times knows that someone out there is thinking of them, and on a slightly selfish side they really help to carry me through my runs as well. That is why when I heard about I Run 4 I was really excited to sign up.

It works similar to run 3rd, but instead of taking dedications for an individual race you become a virtual pen pal of sort with a person with special needs. They cheer you on during your runs, and you cheer for them on their accomplishments as well. It’s really a pretty cool system! I was absolutely ecstatic when I received my match and got to meet Logan!!

This is the story his mom shared with me back in July: 
  
“Just wanted to introduce my little man to you! This is Logan, sometimes known as Yogee by his big brother Landon (almost 4yr). Watch out because he's a bit of a heart throb! He's got a birthday coming up on Aug 9 & turns 2yrs old & dreams planted that he will be taking steps without help just for the occasion. He's a little heart hero too & we celebrate his happy heart day on Dec 7-- his surgeon called his scar a zipper.... So last year for our Buddy Walk, he also has Down syndrome (Ds), we wore a shirt that says "rocking designer genes & a radical zipper" We can't wait to get to know you & yours & wanted to send a smile & a thank you!”

Of course I fell in love with him instantly and have had him on my mind for each run since. At the Neon Splash Dash I sported this glow in the dark tribute to my running buddy


I realize it kind of looks like it says rum, but I assure you it does, in fact, say run. ;) 

After reading about Logan’s heart zipper I was inspired to make my own heart zipper to bring with me to my races!! It will be making it’s debut in just a few weeks at the Rock N Roll Las Vegas half marathon, so keep an eye out for it! It will then be traveling with me to each race after!!

I run 4 Logan . . . who do you run for??

Foodie Friday: Fruity Nutella Crepes

 I know crepes can be rather intimidating since they are so thin and delicate, but with a study hand they are really quite simple to make. I used the follow recipe for my crepe batter:

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoon butter melted

First you will need to sift the dry ingredients together and set them aside. Next you will beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla together. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet and then whisk in the melted butter. You should have a thin, smooth, lump free batter. Something like this



Many recipes I have seen suggest that you refrigerate the batter for at least an hour, but I don’t. It might be a little easier to work with, so you might want to try it. But as for me:



To cook the crepes you need to have a good nonstick pan. This is a must because if the crepes stick to the pan at all they will rip, and nobody wants to rip their crepes!! Once again I used my handy-dany nonstick wok since it is pretty much the only nonstick pan I own. ;)

You will need to heat your pan on a medium setting. You will want to get the pan hot, but if you get it too hot it will cook too fast and trap bubbles in your batter. Bubbles in your batter gives you small holes in your crepes and small holes in your crepes will be messy!! Trust me on this one. 

Depending on the size of your pan add 1/4-1/3 cup of batter to the bottom of the hot pan and swirl it around to evenly disperse the batter. Since these are so thin they will cook rather quickly so keep an eye on it. Once the edges start to brown a bit very carefully flip the crepe over. Take care not to let the crepe fold over onto itself or it will stick together and will be more difficult to work with.

   
Once you get your crepe flipped leave it on the second side for no longer then a minute or so. The crepe is mostly cooked through at this point so you are only browning the second side so you don’t need to leave it there very long.



Yes, if you look closely I did, in fact, rip my crepe. *Hanging my head in shame*. It happens.
Now that you have your crepe cooked it’s time to fill them with some yummy goodness. Today I used a very over ripe smashed banana, strawberry preserves, and nutella, since this is a favorite among my brood.



Since the crepes are very thin you want to take care not to over fill them. Not only will this be messy and increase the risk of ripping your crepe, it will also over bare the flavor of the crepe it self.

I start by putting a very thin layer of nutella on half of the crepe. Do this with care, as the nutella can stick a bit and , yep you guessed it rip the crepes. Are you noticing a theme here? For heaven sake do not rip your crepes!! And please ignore that rip there in my crepe MMmmm-k?



Next I put about half a tablespoon of the smash banana on top of the nutella, and follow that with about a teaspoon of my strawberry preserves.



Normally I just roll my crepes up, but today I decided to attempt the “crepe fold” so that we could eat them without a fork. To do this you first fold the crepe in half, then you take both outer edges and fold them to meet in the center. Then to eat it you just fold it in half again, along the seem where the 2 halves meet and enjoy!!


Here is one more shot with all the filling oozing out. Yes, I may have overfilled them a bit. How do you think I know not to do these things? :)



One thing I love about crepes is that they are so versatile. I usually make them as a sweet breakfast, but you could always fill them with some chicken and spinach, or ham and cheese for a savory meal as well.

Next week I will be finishing up my breakfast theme with some baked donuts, so make sure you check back for it!

Do you prefer sweet or savory crepe? What is your favorite filling? I’m always looking for new ideas.

The Story of MY Government Employee

In light of the government shutdown, which I hear may be just about over, I would like to take the time to share my families story.

Officer P is a corrections officer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and has been for almost 6 years now. Throughout the years I have often heard many an opinionated person spouting off a lot of misinformation about government employees and I always took it in stride. I tried to educate where I could and just let it slide when I couldn’t.  

 

I have tried to stay low key on the shutdown topic because, as I stated before, I hate politics and didn’t want to go down that road. But today I read this post on the blog Run Eat Repeat regarding the shutdown. I felt her reader said it so much more eloquently that I ever could, and was very proud of Monica for sharing her story . . . and then I read the comments. While most were positive and commended her, just like I am, I did come across a bunch of made up truths being posted as fact, once again.


I want to remind everyone that the majority of government employees are your “Average Joe”, just like the rest of us. They are not driving around in luxury vehicles drinking champagne on the tax payers dollar, like many seem to think. They are going to work to support their family, just like everyone else. They pay taxes, just like everyone else, and they pay for their benefits, just like everyone else. That’s right, the government subsidizes our benefits, just like companies in the private sector, and we pay for and hold private insurance policies. We do NOT get “free government insurance”  as I have been told time and time again from those who assume that to be true. 

I get that most people think of the elected members of congress as “the government” and they don’t realize it’s the everyday people who work for the government that are actually being impacted by the shutdown. This is why reading meme after meme and blog after blog telling me that the government shutdown doesn’t mean anything in the real world and that the media is just trying to “sensationalize” it it really upsets me.

I’ve seen some military wives claiming all federal employees are still getting paid so what’s the big deal?? Well, of course this is false. Military personnel are getting paid, yes, but the majority of government employees are not. Yes, furloughed workers will receive back pay, even though they didn’t work, but on the flip side “essential” employees like officer P have been working without pay for the last 2 weeks.

Nobody is talking about people like him in the media. The TSA agents, who make less money then most of you, and are responsible for YOUR safety when flying, are not being paid at all right now. Officer P is busy keeping YOU safe from the hardened criminals of the world, at the risk of his own safety, going without pay. The Customs and Boarder Protection officers working to keep you safe from international threats are also going without compensation and the government shutdown isn’t affecting the real world? I’ll let you decide that one on your own.  

What’s Up Wednesday: October 16th Edition

Today I am talking about the return of The Biggest Loser, DisBroads, and the wonderful world of memes!!


Last night was the premier of The Biggest Loser season 15 and I was watching it, how about you?

I can’t say I’ve watched every season, but I have watched most of them and I am still find it so inspiring every single time! I also must admit I teared up a few times. The back stories are always so touching and often heartbreaking.

It’s still too early for me to pick my favorite, but I’m leaning toward David. What I can I say? Any man who stands by their wife through cancer, twice, and then loses his wife to that cancer deserves some good karma in my book. 

New this year they also added a “trainer save” that will definitely make things more interesting!



Up next is a shout out to my The DisBroads!! Last week we started our #MeetTheDisBroads campaign on our Facebook and Twitter pages, and today the blog goes live so you might want to go check it out!!
In case you haven’t heard of The DisBroads, before today I am going to tell you the cast of characters and my version of how we came together!

It all started way back in 2011. DisBroad Patty and I had already known each other for a few years through a message board we were both members of for children born in April of 2005, and were planning on running the Princess Half Marathon together. We often frequented another message board community designated to all things Disney and that is where we met DisBroad Julie and DisBroad Amy, who were also planning to run PHM 2011 for the first time.

Now fast forward a couple of years.

I met DisBroad April at PHM 2013, thanks to the runDisney pusher Patty. I am not sure exactly where I met DisBroad Suzanne, DisBroad Kristen, DisBroad Shannon and DisBroad Tania first since we are all members of several of the same Facebook groups,  but before too long we were all chatting away on Twitter and viola!! The DisBroads were born, or at least that is my side of the story and how I met all my fellow broads!

Lastly, last week I was introduced to the world of memes. I mean I knew of them, and saw them on Pinterest and Facebook all the time, but it was the first time I just went searching for them and laughed for hours! So I decided to leave you one of my favorite memes from the week. There are many more, but I am saving them for future posts. :)    




Do you watch The Biggest Loser? If so who are you rutting for?

What are some of your favorite memes from the last week?

I’m Going to Disneyland!!!

Well, not right now, but soon. Real soon.

Since I was born and raised in Southern California Disneyland was a regular part of my childhood. We took family trips at least once a year, 2 or 3 times if I worked some Disney magic on my parents.

When I became an adult and had children of my own we got annual passes and went at least once a month. In the off season we would go as often as once a week!!

Well, then we moved to Texas. Do you know how far away from Houston Disneyland is? ? I’ll tell you. Too far!! Logistic wise it was quicker and easier to go to Disney World so it became our new Disney vacation of choice.

Now that we are in California again I wanted to make it a priority to take the kids to Disneyland before we head back to Houston. I also wanted to get as much out of the trip as we could and it just so happens that Chyenne’s 11th birthday is December 3rd so I figured it would be the perfect time to visit the most magical place on earth!! Not only will it be all decked up for the holidays, and have cooler temps, but it will also have lower crowds since it is before most schools get out for winter break! ! That’s a big +1 for homeschooling!!  

Image Source

For those of you who have never visited Disneyland before, it is quite a bit different then Disney World. When visiting Disney World there are great benefits to staying on property, which includes park transportation, but since Disneyland has so many wonderful Good Neighbor hotels that are all within walking distance of the parks transportation is a non-issue. Don’t get me wrong, there are still wonderful perks that come with staying on property like early entry to the parks on select days, and package delivery. With so many choices available both on and off property, there is something for every budget.

Since we are a family of 6 one of our favorite hotels is the Portofino Inn, where we can stay 2 nights in one of their kid’s suites for the same price as one night in a standard room at the Grand Californian!! (which wouldn’t even fit my family) No disrespect meant toward the Grand Californian as I would LOVE to stay there one day, but for this trip it’s just not in our budget.

With our room booked, and park tickets ordered what is left to plan? Well, for a foodie like me that would be our dining reservations, of course! ! The dining reservation system for Disneyland is very different then that of Disney World.

At Disney World you can, and really should, make advanced dining reservations (ADRs) 180 days out! Disneyland on the other hand only offers “priority seating” 60 days out. Part of my likes the shorter time frame, since honestly how do I know what I am going to want to eat on which day 6 months from now?? But, the planner in me likes to have things set a bit earlier.

New this month Disneyland dining reservations can now be made ONLINE!! I love, love, love this!!! I have been making my Disney World ADRs online for the last couple of trips and it is SO MUCH easier this way. First of all I don’t really like to talk on the phone so not having to do so is a huge plus for me, and secondly I hate the whole back and forth process of trying to make reservation over the phone.

The new online system is so easy to use. You simply click on “make dining reservation” choose your party size, the time you want to eat and it brings up a list of every restaurant that takes reservations and has openings around the time you want to eat. Just like this!! 

Doesn’t that look much easier??

I still haven’t locked down where we are going to eat yet, but when I do you better believe I will be doing it online! ! 

What is your favorite (kid friendly) celebratory meal at Disneyland?

Foodie Friday: Open-face Breakfast Sandwich

As promised here is my favorite breakfast sandwich.



Isn’t it beautiful?

Here is what you need to make it:

• 1/2 a sandwich thin (I used 100% whole wheat)
• 2 slices of Canadian bacon
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
• 1 slice of cheese (I use pepper jack for a little kick)

I start by toasting my sandwich thin, you don’t have to do this, but it helps to prevent it from getting soggy.
While my thin is toasting I wilt up the fresh spinach. This is very easy to do, just heat up your skillet, throw in a handful or 2 of spinach, add a tablespoon or so of water and cover with a lid. It is very important not to forget the water or you risk scorching your spinach. I also like to stir it every minute or so to make sure none of it is burning.



After your spinach is wilted to your liking remove it to a cutting board, give it a rough chop and set it aside.
Next up brown your Canadian bacon. It usually only takes a minute or so on each side.



While the Canadian bacon is cooking beat together you whole egg and egg whites. I like to add a little Mrs. Dash table blend to my eggs, but feel free to add salt and pepper if you like, or even nothing at all.

Once the Canadian bacon is done top your sandwich thin with it, and start on the eggs. I like to add my eggs to the hot skillet and then stir in the cooked spinach, but as long as your spinach has cooled some you could always add it to the egg mixture before cooking if you like.

I don’t like runny eggs at all so I scramble mine for 3-4 minutes, or until they look done the way I like them. I then add them on top of the Canadian bacon and top with a slice of cheese.

Like I said before, I really like to use pepper jack for this because it gives it a spicy kick, but you can use whatever you like. If you are watching your fat intake you can use low fat cheese, or even omit it, but I find it is a bit blah without it.

To melt the cheese I just pop it into the microwave for 15- 20 seconds, then add a side of fruit and viola my breakfast is ready!!



This is another one of my weekday, quick and easy recipes. Next week I will be making some fun weekend crepes! Not that you can’t make crepes on the weekdays, I just like to save them for the weekends since they take a little longer to make!

What’s Up Wednesday: October 9th Edition

This weeks top stories are the government shutdown, house hunting and holy crap 38 days till Rock n Roll Las Vegas!!

I will start with the shutdown. I have really tried to not go here since I absolutely hate politics and honestly the whole thing just makes me mad. BUT . . . this is a huge issue affecting our family so I am going to go there.


Officer P is, of course, an “essential” government employee. What does this mean in the terms of the shutdown? To make it short and sweet it means that he is forced to work without pay until *our* elected officials can get their stuff together and decide to start paying him again. This also means that his agency transfer has been postponed, so while our house here in California is in escrow and is set to close next month, until the government is up and running again we have no where to go. Which oddly enough brings us to house hunting. 

Yep. That’s right, we are virtually house hunting, which is silly since we have zero income but we will, eventually, need to get another house. Personally, my heart just isn’t in it. I am very happy and excited that we will be back in Houston sooner or later, but mentally I’m not in the right place to deal with it right now. I almost think being familiar with the area is making it even harder. We need a house that is zoned for the “right” schools, mostly updated, with a minimum of 4 bedrooms, and with in our budget. Easy peasy, right? Yeaaah not so much. And don’t even get me started on the new construction vs. “used” house debate, in which Officer P and I have differing opinions.

While I have been dealing with all that fun stuff some how my next half marathon, Rock n Roll Las Vegas, has snuck up on me. That’s right I have 38 days to finish up my training, that has been pretty much non-existent for the last 3 weeks due to a hip injury. I am use to my training not going as planned, but I am pretty bummed about abandoning my PR goals and reverting back to my very first half marathon goal of finishing under 3 hours.  Thankfully I have never finished in over 3 hours, but I really don’t want to start now.

So there it is my week in a nutshell. Anyone have anything fun, exciting and/or up lifting to share about their week? I could use the pick me up.     

Homeschooling Woes

I must admit when I found out we were moving to California and I decided to homeschool the girls my expectation were a bit high. I started pinning all kinds of awesome ideas from Pinterest as visions of smiling children stretched out on hammocks, basking in the sun while reading books filled my head. I could hear the birds chirping and my wonderful children were learning “naturally” and absorbing all kinds of knowledge from the world around us. We would take nature hikes for science, trips to the art museum to determine who our favorite impressionists of all time where, and we would write literary masterpieces that were sure to become best sellers while lounging in the park.

*Cue the sound of a screeching halt*    

What I was not prepared for was the crying, the arguing, the deception and the flat out lying. Did I mention the crying?

Yeah there is a lot of crying. A LOT.

I don’t remember anyone ever warning me about these things. Every other homeschooling mom out there must just be way better at this then me. My ego has taken a hit. Even at the recent back to school picnic I overheard all the other smiling moms talking about just how wonderful everything is going and how there children’s grades have all improved just so much.

Mean while, I am sitting on the bench wondering where I went wrong. My straight A middle schooler is now barely skating by, my inconsistent 10 year old is just as inconsistent, and my struggling 8 year old doesn’t even like me any more. There are obviously some flaws to my methods, but when I catch a moment like this


or better yet one like this

it renews my spirit and give me the strength and determination to try again tomorrow. After all it is progress, not perfection we are after. I can honestly say that although the experience is not what I had expected it to be, I am so much closer to my kids then I ever have been before and as they are getting older I am realizing just how precious these moments are.

Foodie Friday: Protein Breakfast Pizza

Welcome to my first installment of Foodie Friday! I am a total foodie so I am surprised it took me this long to get on board the Foodie Friday train, but at last here I am.
I have decided to choose a theme for each month and share recipes and/ or foodie experiences involving that theme. For the month of October I decided to go with breakfast; after all it is the most important meal of the day!
I’m not sure about most of you but breakfast is a very tricky meal for me. I usually want something fast, easy, and yet still filling. I have found that my protein breakfast pizza meets all three of these criteria and quickly became one of my favorite go to choices.
One thing to keep in mind when reading my recipes is that I graduated from the Rachel Ray school of measuring. That means I don’t really do it. I am not being all mysterious about the measurements or anything, I really just don’t know exactly how much I use. Got it?
Good, now we may proceed.

For this “pizza” I use a combination of 3 eggs. Today I used 1/4 cup egg whites and 1 whole egg, but I have used all egg whites in the past and found it to be just as good. Really it can be whatever you have on hand.
I used spicy pork breakfast sausage this time, but have used bacon, turkey sausage, or just left it as a plain cheese pizza in the past. Again, just use what you have.
For the sauce we will use tomato paste. I like to use Hunt’s tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano, but if you can’t find it you can always get plain tomato paste and stir in a tablespoon or so of Italian Seasoning and some minced garlic. 
Last but not least is the cheese! I don’t skimp here. If I have some Kraft 2% or mozzarella part skim on hand I will use that, but most of the time I use the full fat stuff, because I am a rebel like that. Again whatever you have. I have used several different blends and have found I liked them all about the same. Just don’t use fat free. It’s not really cheese, doesn’t want to melt, and when it does it resembles plastic. Just stay away!
The first thing you want to do is cook up your meat topping. I cooked the whole pound of sausage and put the leftovers in a food storage container to use another day. When the meat is almost done heat up a nonstick skillet to make your egg “crust”. Eggs lose their temperature pretty quickly so don’t start them too soon.
This crust is very simply. I just beat together my whole egg with my egg white and poor them into the bottom of my skillet. To ensure that the eggs are cooked all the way through you can either flip them after a minute or two, or simply put a lid on your skillet to help steam the top. I prefer to use the lid since it lessens the chance of ripping the crust, but since I used my wok today I didn’t have a lid that fit it so I flipped it.
Be very careful not to overcook your eggs or they will become tough! So cook them through, but don’t overcook. Got it?
After your crust is cooked through simply slide it off onto your plate, top with about 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste, your cooked meat, and a handful or so of cheese and viola! It’s done.

It really is that easy, and if you omit the meat, or have it already prepared from the pervious day it will literally only take about 5 minutes to make and has over 20 grams of protein!! I add an iced coffee and a side of fruit and there you go, a complete breakfast!
For those of you like me, who will scan the post for the list of ingredients, here you go:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1/4 cup cooked sausage
• handful of cheese

Next week I will be making my take on an open-face, eggs florentine breakfast sandwich, so don’t forget to be on the lookout for it!
What is your favorite go to weekday breakfast?