Egg Breakfast with Quinoa

I was in Honolulu last spring for work. It was definitely not the way I imagined I would visit Hawai'i for the first time, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. All I did during that trip was wake up, hit the gym and head to the conference hall. While you are traveling for work, it can be very difficult to eat well. You are limited to the menus at the restaurants, and sometime it seems much easier to grab a quick burger while running from one place to another. I learned awhile ago that starting my day with a good breakfast is paramount to keeping my hunger in check throughout the day and promote my healthy diet choices.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When we wake up, we need to fuel our bodies for the day that lies ahead. Studies have shown people that eat a healthy breakfast eat less throughout the day promoting weight loss. A breakfast with high protein, fiber and healthy carbohydrates will promote the feeling of satiety longer than a breakfast of a bowl of a crispy, sugar-laced cereal. Like any healthy decision, it is about choices.

The restaurant at the hotel that I was staying at in Honolulu had an interesting breakfast on the menu. It was steamed rice, ground beef and 2 eggs. I really enjoyed the breakfast, but it was way too much. Not to mention the wrong kind of rice to help me throughout the day.

Recently, I have been eating eggs for breakfast a little more often. I do use products like Egg Beaters for scrambled eggs and omelets, but I had been become bored of having just my eggs. A couple eggs over easy with a side of something gets boring after a month. So did the scrambled eggs and omelets. That is why I had to try an idea I had of a way to change the breakfast that I enjoyed in Honolulu when I thought of it. I have been using quinoa in place of rice in many recipes and figured that substituting quinoa in this recipe would be a nice twist.

If you haven't heard of quinoa before, you aren't alone. It is probably the most nutritious of all the grains being high in fiber, a good source of iron and has all eight essential amino acids. Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wa) was originally found in South America and a stable of the ancient Inca's diet. This nutty flavored grain is simple to prepare and is versatile enough to be used alone or in recipes as a substitute for other grains.

I have prepared quinoa in many recipes in the past including mixing it with some crushed almonds and a touch of pure maple syrup and fruit. I also made this simple egg breakfast recipe that will fill you up and get you going in the morning.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of cooked quinoa

• 2 large eggs

• Chicken Sausage (optional-I use Alfresco Country Style Chicken Sausage with a Hint of Sage and Thyme)

1. Cook the quinoa by the direction on the package

2. Cook one sausage link in a skillet and chop into fine pieces resembling ground beef

3. In a skillet prepare 2 large eggs (I cook mine over easy)

This is an easy recipe to whip up in the morning. I usually cook a cup of quinoa and keep it in the fridge through the week and take what I need. I calculated the calories and a few other nutritional facts from labels of the ingredients that I use and includes the chicken sausage. You can subtract 60 calories if you go without it.

• Calories - 370

• Fat - 10.5 g

o Saturated Fat - 2.5 g

• Carbohydrates - 32 g

o Fiber - 3 g

o Sugar - 0 g

• Protein - 26 g

I hope you enjoy this easy twist on the Hawaiian breakfast I found all over Honolulu. It truly fills me up and keeps me going in the morning.