Friday Favorites: Barbara’s Simple Powerhouse Breakfast

For this Friday Favorite, I’m sharing with you what I had for breakfast this morning… and most mornings over the past few years. I call it my simple powerhouse breakfast because, well, it’s pretty darn simple and it lasts me all morning through to lunchtime. I’m not quite sure when I began combining eggs and lentils. I’m guessing it happened on a sleepy Saturday morning when I was struggling to come up with something new and different for breakfast. I don’t know why I always try to get so creative with breakfast but it never fails that I try to put something interesting in it like miso or tilapia [hmmm, tilapia might not be so bad…] Since that day, however, eggs and lentils have been the go-to breakfast in house.

In the beginning, M & I ate this meal with a dollop of garlic mustard aioli (a-maze-balls sauce also from Trader Joe’s). Over time, however, we realized that this was getting in the way of our morning kisses, so unfortunately we had to ditch it from the regular routine. Now I sometimes add a little Dijon to the mix and I usually have tomato slices because I could literally eat tomatoes with everything.

I use Trader Joe’s steamed lentils for the sheer convenience in the morning. I also really like the texture and flavor of their lentils. You can certainly steam your own lentils and I have before when I followed Andrew Wilder’s October Unprocessed Challenge. If you are interested in trying out going unprocessed, I highly recommend visiting his site (CLICK HERE!) and taking the challenge. It is very educational and he provides a wealth of information on the food system and making healthier choices.

As for lentils, they are a powerhouse food with 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber and 0 fat & cholesterol per ½ cup serving. Pump up that protein with an egg and and it will get your brain working in top condition first thing in the morning and keep you going strong through to lunch. Still think this combo sounds weird? I challenge you to try it. You just might surprise yourself and have a new easy go-to powerhouse breakfast.

Barbara’s Simple Powerhouse Breakfast

www.barbaracooks.com

Servings: 1 • Size: 1 egg + ½ cup steamed lentils • Weight Watcher Points+: 4

Calories: 190 • Fat: 4g • Carbs: 20g • Fiber: 8g • Protein: 15g

Sugars: 2g • Sodium: 300g • Cholesterol: 175mg

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, cooked to preference*
• ½ cup steamed lentils
• Tomato slices (optional)
• Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

*For the photos I used a sunny side up egg because it’s pretty but we usually have ours over medium because we like just a little yolk to run into the lentils. Cook your egg to your preference.

Directions:

Prepare the egg to your preference.

Heat the lentils in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Serve together with tomato slices and garnish with parsley. Easy peasy!