7. 160 Calorie Fried Egg Breakfast

I absolutely adore my family, really I do.  I get as excited for Christmas as I did as a kid and it's not because of presents - it's because I get to spend a lot of time with all of my family, even the ones that live out of town.  Well, to be perfectly honest, my excitement is about 70% family-time, 20% "the spirit of the season," and 10% due to food.  I'm really into food.

Anyway, the point is this - I love my family and I love food.  Unfortunately, along with my delightful sense of humor, passion for reading, adorable freckles, and virtually hair-less arms, I also received the gift of a slow metabolism.  I didn't always have problems with my weight, but somewhere around my senior year of college, I must have triggered the curse.  I know this is something a lot of people deal with, especially women, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating.  Especially when some of my other gifts include a deep, uncompromising love of food and the ability to make it.

I have tried all kinds of diets - the 14 day diet, detoxifying diets, Nutri-system, low-carb, vegetarian, and so on.  However, and this shouldn't shock anyone, the only thing that ever really worked for me was a very low-calorie diet.  I tried 2,000 calories a day... nothing.  I tried 1,500 calories a day... almost nothing.  The only number that seemed to give me "healthy weight loss" rates of 1-3 lbs. a week was somewhere between 1,000-1,200 calories a day.  And before anyone jumps all over me about it, I did discuss it with my doctor.

Geez, that was the most boring, self-absorbed blog intro EVER.  The only reason I started out by giving you some of my personal background is that: (A) If you are on a very calorie-restricted diet, you can't really blow much on your breakfast because lunch and dinner are more social and therefore usually end up being the higher-calorie meals of the day, (B) I am a FIRM believer that eating eggs in the morning, especially paired with a whole grain, keep you full all the way until lunch, and (C) I can't stay on a "diet" if I don't feel satisfied by my meals, meaning not only do I need to feel full, but I need to feel like I ate something tasty.

So, it's pretty great that places like Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's have breakfast sandwiches that are touted as being under 300 calories, but if I can have a great breakfast - at home and less costly, for HALF those calories... well, then Hallelujah!

This is the "recipe" for my 150-160 calorie breakfast that is gooey, filling, satisfying and utterly delicious!  I'll warn you in advance that I'll totally be pimping a couple specific brands, but I think you'll understand why.

Ingredient #1: one toasted slice of Healthy Life brand whole wheat bread.  If you don't have Healthy Life products in your grocery store, I'm so very, very sorry.  This brand is amazing.  They make hot dog buns, hamburger buns, and lots of different kids of bread.  You can see right there on the package that they like to label themselves "the dieter's dream" and they are RIGHT.  Each slice of this bread only has 35 calories.  In case you didn't realize, the average slice of sandwich bread (whether it is whole wheat or white) is 70-100 calories.  Which means, if you make a little, boring sandwich for lunch, your could still end up with a 400 calorie sandwich without chips or a drink or anything.  There are some other low-calorie bread options out there... I think Sara Lee makes one that is 45 calories a slice... But I'm pretty partial to Healthy Life because I can get 100% whole grain, with no hydrogenated oils, and the bag is made of #4 LDPE recyclable plastic.  All things to love.

Ingredient #2: Kraft fat-free, American cheese slice.  Listen, I lean HEAVILY towards a "clean" and "natural" diet.  I buy very few processed foods, I always eat whole grains, most of my groceries include fresh fruits and vegetables (and wine), and I generally stick with meats that come from local farms.  However, there is a time and place for foods like processed cheese, and I vote for this breakfast.  Nothing gets as gooey and melty as processed cheese.  Plus, I like my food to have a variety of textures, as well as flavors.  So, I know it's not exactly in my usual arsenal of healthy foods, but it works great for this meal, is inexpensive, only has 25 calories per slice, and absolutely adds an essential component to my signature low-calorie fried egg breakfast.  I should also mention that I have looked at store brands of fat-free American cheese and it always has 5-10 calories more per slice.  Call me crazy, but I suspect that the same people make the store brands and part of the contract is to give them a good price, but keep them at a calorie disadvantage.  That's just my little theory.  So, while I might save a few dimes to get the store brand, I go for the lowest calorie option.

Ingredient #3: A fresh, delicious, fried egg.  If you haven't ever had a really, really, fresh egg, I want you to know that YES, they really do taste better.  It's certainly possible you could get a fresh one from the store, depending on how close you are to the farm and where your store fits into the distribution channel, but a farmer's market or a neighbor with chickens is your best bet.  Notice in the picture how tall the yolk sits up from pan?  That's one way to tell a fresh egg from an older egg.  If the yolk lays flat, it's a little older.  That doesn't mean it's bad, by any means.  But one thing I've noticed is that the fresher the egg is, and the taller the yolk sits, the better your fried or sunny-side up eggs will turn out.  Flatter yolks cook a lot quicker so you can end up with an "over hard" or "over medium" when you intended an "over easy."  I fried this egg in a thin coating of extra-virgin olive oil, but use whatever you like best, just try to keep the layer very thin to minimize calories.  A "large" egg has an average of 70 calories.  I add another 20-30 calories to account for the fat needed to fry it.  You could certainly poach the egg to cut it down even more, but I'm usually making this breakfast before work and fried eggs are a little quicker and more convenient.

STEP ONE: Place the piece of toast on a plate. 
It generally works best if you put the "toastier" side down, as that
keeps the crispy texture intact after you add the cheese and egg.

STEP TWO: Place the cheese slice on top of the toast.

STEP THREE: Place the fried egg on top of the cheese slice.

OMG, it's so simple, right?  You're totally thinking, "this is so dumb, I could totally do that and not need a blog to show me how."  But still, if you are a calorie-counter, you should give it a try.  The whole grains add fiber, while the egg is a great source of vitamins and protein.  The cheese melts between the toast and egg which gives every single bite a luscious texture and flavor, especially when you cut down the middle and watch that golden yolk spill out on the plate, begging you to cut off a bite and dip it into the puddle of deliciousness.

Is it low-calorie?  CHECK.  Does it keep me full for 4+ hours?  CHECK.  Does it satisfy my need to eat tasty food?  DOUBLE CHECK.  This is why my "low-calorie fried egg breakfast" is my default setting for most weekday mornings. 

Love & Eggs,

Laura

This egg brought to you by Alabama, our "Easter Egger" hen with an attitude and a penchant for escaping which led to a dog incident, which led to a surgery, which led to her missing a lot of feathers around her neck and I'm beginning to suspect they'll never grow back. (picture taken before the incident with all neck feathers intact)