Good Eggs: 6 Healthy, Easy Morning Recipes
By Rachel Meltzer Warren, RD
If your stomach tends to start rumbling an hour after you've finished breakfast, it's time to think outside the cereal box. A new study from Louisiana State University showed that people who ate a morning meal made with eggs felt fuller and consumed fewer calories at lunchtime than those who ate cold cereal. One explanation: Each 72-calorie egg contains six grams of hunger-busting protein, not to mention memory-boosting choline and vision-protecting lutein. Get cracking with these delicious egg dishes -- whip one up in less than 15 minutes.
Related: More Egg Recipes: Any Way You Want 'Em!
Marinara-Poached Egg
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 small yellow onion, thinly sliced, and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add pinch of red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Heat sauce until warmed through, about 1 minute, then gently break 1 egg into it. Cover pan and simmer over low heat until white is firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with 1 small whole wheat pita pocket, toasted and torn into wedges.
Nutrition facts per serving: 306 calories, 11g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 16g fat (3.1g saturated), 5g fiber, 761mg sodium
Spinach Omelet Roll-Up
Drizzle 1 teaspoon canola oil into a medium nonstick skillet and wipe with a paper towel so a thin film remains; heat over medium heat. Beat 1 egg and swirl into skillet. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until egg is set; flip and cook about 1 minute more. Carefully slide onto a plate. In same pan, sauté 1 cup baby spinach until wilted, about 1 minute. Spread 1 teaspoon prepared olive tapenade on cooked egg and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese. Top with wilted spinach, roll up, and cut in half.
Nutrition facts per serving: 198 calories, 10g protein, 2g carbohydrate, 17g fat (5.2g saturated), 1g fiber, 301mg sodium
Tex-Mex Scrambled Eggs
In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil. Add corn tortilla to skillet and pan-fry until crisp, about 2 minutes a side. Remove from heat and dice. In same pan, sauté 1/8 jalapeño, seeded and diced, and 1/4 cup each diced red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion, and tomato. Whisk 2 eggs, add to pan and scramble with vegetables, then stir in diced tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro.
Nutrition facts per serving: 308 calories, 17g protein, 21g carbohydrate, 17g fat (5.1g saturated), 4g fiber, 203mg sodium
Related: 300-Calorie Breakfast Recipes to Drop 10 Pounds
Egg in a Ring
Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat; place one 3/4-inch-thick red or yellow bell pepper ring in skillet. Crack an egg into center of ring and cook until white is just firm, 1 to 2 minutes; flip and cook about 2 minutes more. Serve with 1/4 avocado, thinly sliced, and 1 slice whole wheat toast.
Nutrition facts per serving: 308 calories, 11g protein, 29g carbohydrate, 17g fat (3g saturated), 6g fiber, 235mg sodium
Creamy Vanilla Breakfast Pudding
Prepare 1 serving cream of rice cereal according to package directions, omitting salt. Meanwhile, whisk 1 egg in a small bowl. Whisk 2 tablespoons cooked cereal into egg, then slowly whisk egg mixture into saucepan of cooked cereal. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon sugar and simmer 2 minutes more. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped peach.
Nutrition facts per serving: 227 calories, 9g protein, 35g carbohydrate, 5g fat (1.6g saturated), 1g fiber, 74mg sodium
Easy, Cheesy Baked Egg
Combine 1 teaspoon whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon butter, and 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan in a small ramekin. Broil on high until bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Crack 1 egg into ramekin and top with 1 tablespoon finely chopped tomato. Broil until white is set, 7 to 10 minutes. Let rest 2 minutes; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chopped chives and serve with 1 toasted whole-grain English muffin.
Nutrition facts per serving: 233 calories, 13g protein, 29g carbohydrate, 7g fat (2.8g saturated), 2g fiber, 356mg sodium
Related: 8 Exercises to Supercharge Your Metabolism
Why You Should Eat the Yolk
You can stop ordering the egg-white omelet. Whole eggs not only contain 14 percent less cholesterol than previously believed, but "recent data also suggest that the cholesterol in food doesn't have as big an impact on the cholesterol level in our body as we thought," explains Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, the author of Read It Before You Eat It. Plus, eggs pack 64 percent more vitamin D -- all of it in the yolk -- than they did when tested in 2002, probably thanks to changes in hens' diets. That's an important finding because many of us don't get enough D, a substance that can help boost immunity and strengthen bones. What's more, the yolks contain nearly three grams of hunger-busting proteins. Nix the yellow and you're likely to feel less satisfied, which can cause you to eat more later on.
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