Cold Pizza: Breakfast of Champions

Damn straight.

Seriously, every time my pal V and I have dinner together, I promise to utilize bits and pieces of our meal as my breakfast of choice. Last night was no different. She stopped over with a bottle of wine expecting me to cook her a five star quality meal as I had advertised in a previous G-chat message.

When she arrived with the pinot, I told her the pork smelled funny, but I had a Groupon for pizza at Papa Saverio's and who needs a five star meal when you can have pizza? 20 inches of mushroom and cheese pizza, 3 cannoli, 2 cookies, and 1 bottle of wine later, we were stuffed and happy. Of course, I still had to make my requisite promise that some of the remaining decadence would be my breakfast...I originally thought: cookies and milk...but this morning the cold pizza was calling my name.

You see, I'm a believer in the hot pizza equals lunch or dinner. Cold pizza equals breakfast. Yes. Delicious breakfast of joy. So I took out a few pieces of the leftover pizza and a bag of Trader Joe's Rocket Salad Arugula (gotta get my veggies in). I topped the pizza with arugula and called it breakfast. Yumm-o.

8 Point Fancy Breakfast

Trader Joe's and I are BFFs. For realsies. It's part of my house-buying requirements: Is the house within a 10 minute drive to a Trader Joe's? If not, I'm going to veto it. Seriously.

So now that I'm between jobs (and when I say between jobs, I mean I have a very fantastic job waiting for me on my return from Disney World), I get time to make my delicious breakfast again! I'm also back on the WW wagon, so trying to stay in points. Of course, for someone who may or may not be slightly over 200 lbs (DON'T JUDGE), I get a lot of points in my daily diet. So an 8 point breakfast seems totally acceptable, especially if my lunches are a lot smaller.

So I buy a good portion of my breakfast products from Trader Joe's. If you don't have one, I pity you, because Whole Foods is WAY more expensive. This morning In fact, I think that other than the herb garden fresh thyme and the white truffle oil, everything is from TJ. Here's the recipe:

1 Small slice TJ Asiago Peppercorn Sourdough Bread
1 TJ Large Brown Egg
3/4 oz TJ Mushroom Brie
1 1/2 C TJ Fresh Baby Arugula
1 serving TG (Trader Giotto's) Balsamic Glaze
1 tsp truffle oil
Cooking Spray

First, I got all of my ingredients ready. I sliced up the brie (removing the rind), harvested some fresh thyme sprigs, measured out my ingredients, and started with the toast. I keep the bread in the freezer so it lasts longer, so I toasted from frozen. I really like how this works out.

Then, I "sauteed" the arugula in cooking spray. I layered the toast with brie, then arugula, letting the warmth melt the brie. I cooked my egg to my over-medium preference and placed it atop the arugula. Drizzle with truffle oil and balsamic glaze and garnish with thyme. Simple and delish.

Enjoy.

The Most Amazing 5 Point Weight Watcher Breakfast You'll Ever Eat

Yes, I said 5 Points. For breakfast. On Weight Watchers.


I'm masterful at creating low Points Plus options to consume. Take last night for example. Turkey Meatloaf (YUM) with cheesy cauliflower. Yeah, I wish I had a picture to show you. But it was a grand total of 11 points. I had a lot to spare and it was worth every bite.

So for breakfast this morning, I wanted something decadent. I also had a goal of consuming my oils today. Since I'm going out drinking tonight, I want to limit my point intake throughout the day to account for the booze and snacks to come. Weight Watchers and I have come to an understanding about drinking... I'll do it once in a while, and drink whatever and eat whatever, and then I'll pay it back to Weight Watchers in workouts. On NYE I think I consumed 68 points...

Back to breakfast: I started with one egg, which I accidentally cracked the yolk of. So I kept the egg white and tossed the broken yolk. When I want yolk, I don't want it cooked hard. I added another egg to the egg white, yolk still intact. (2 points total so far). Then I cooked 3 super small slices of deli ham from one of those packaged deli meat companies. The ham was the bottom. Then I added 1/4 oz of shredded Amish baby Swiss cheese. Then cooked the egg and topped the meaty cheesy with the egg. Added another 1/4 oz of the Swiss on top, sprinkled finely chopped fresh rosemary, and drizzled with truffle flavored olive oil. Voila. Heaven is served.

In other news, the job search is going well, by the way, if anyone's wondering. I've come across several phenomenal opportunities, and I'm just hoping that one will stick. There are a lot of prospects out there for a girl like me!

4 Points for Bacon and Brie on Weight Watchers

Yesterday, I lost my job. Which, of course, means there will be more time to write. But it also means that I have no valuable source of income. Which isn't fun. But life goes on, and I know that I will find another job that I love. My best friend told me that if anyone can pick themselves up by the bootstraps, it's me. So after a few Imperial Stouts, a pile of loaded nachos, and some cheesecake at Two Brothers Roundhouse, last night...I went to bed stuffed and happy (and maybe a little tipsy).

So this morning, I weighed in at my second Weight Watchers meeting. I lost 4.4 lbs! I lost a small percentage of my body and one daily point target point. And this is just the beginning! Of course, after weighing in, one doesn't want to eat a big breakfast. I'm always inspired to eat something really healthy and small. So I had a banana and a bowl of Rice Krispies. (Hello 4 point breakfast!)

But that's boring. So it's a good thing that I took a picture of yesterday's breakfast for you! It was also only 4 points...So maybe I should have just made this guy!I was trying to make up for my relatively "bad" week. I had eaten my fair share on New Year's Eve and Monday--oh GAWD...Monday...

Monday, we went to Mon Ami Gabi for their New Year's Brunch. An off-the-menu selection of French delicacies, I was in heaven...the BF was not so much. But he survived. And we got $50 in gift cards to come back! Yay! We started with the warm Brie cheese (can you tell I'm on a Brie kick?) served with roasted garlic, hazelnuts (ick), and drizzled with honey. Oh gawd so good! I had a Bloody Mary from the Bloody Mary Bar--mix, seasonings, hot sauces, olives, blue cheese stuffed olives, roasted red peppers, lemon, lime, celery, and cheese! :D Yes! Then for actual meal, I had a Quiche Lorraine. I'd been craving this for a while, hence the other day's Omelet Lorraine. It was decadent. I was bad. Weight Watchers would not have been proud. But I still lost this week so yay me! (I did try really hard to get my activity in to consume these extra points).

That being said, here's a healthy recipe/substitute for decadence. :D Enjoy.

Weight Watchers Bacon & Brie Omelet

• 2 egg whites
• 1 slice bacon, cooked and crumbled
• .5 oz brie
• 1 apple
• fresh ground Cinnamon

 

 I had cooked up the entire lb of bacon to save it for use throughout the week. This works for me, but some people may be tempted to eat all of the pieces in one sitting. Don't fall to temptation! Use the egg whites mixed with bacon to make your omelet, and fold it over a small slice of brie (that melts perfectly and spreads itself pretty evenly). Serve with the apple cored and sprinkled with fresh ground cinnamon.

I really enjoyed this one, and will definitely be making it again.

Weight Watchers Omelet Lorraine

 

I'm telling you, I refuse to give up decadent breakfast. 

Happy New Year!

So I made the bf and I a New Year's Day feast for "brunch." I started by cooking up some Corn King Bacon (My fave!) I made several pieces nice and crisp to crumble into the omelet. Now you may be thinking that bacon and Weight Watchers don't really fly well together, but alas! They can mingle. With the Weight Watchers plan, you can eat anything you want within reason, with the right portion size, and as long as you count it! Bacon happens to run 1-2 points per slice, depending on the thickness. Since I was using the Corn King Thick variety, mine were 2 Weight Watchers points per slice. So I had 1 slice outside of the omelet, and a half slice inside the omelet. Ok, Ok, I'll give you the recipe now.

Weight Watchers Omelet Lorraine

• 3 egg whites
• 2/3 oz Amish Baby Swiss (or any other Swiss cheese of your choosing)
• 2/3 oz Brie 
• 1/2 slice extra thick bacon crumbled
• 1 small apple sliced

I already told you that the bacon was pre-cooked. The cheese was also pre-cut. I sliced the cheese, but you can shred it and it will look like there is more (tricks of the trade, I'm tellin' ya). So, as I tend to do for my egg white omelets, I separated the egg whites from the shell into a bowl, tossing out the egg yolk (I saved one to add to the BF's omelet). 

 

Then, I poured the egg white into a hot pan, sprayed with PAM (on MEDIUM heat--no more, no less). I let the eggs cook to near the top, then I flipped the egg round over. 

 

I laid the cheese onto half of the egg round, and sprinkled the bacon bits over the cheese. Finally, fold the omelet over and slide onto a plate. 

 

Of course, my need to garnish everything left me with an idea...garnish with cheese! I laid a very thin slice of brie along the top of the omelet, added a piece of bacon, and served the omelet with the apple slices. Overall, a successful, tasty, and only 8 Weight Watchers points breakfast. 

I'll keep y'all posted on my Weight Watchers journey, as this time it's really going to work. Fat kid no more! I'm gonna be so skinny when I grow up.

I

Weight Watchers Points Plus Breakfast

So I went to my first meeting last week. Yep, a real Weight Watchers meeting. It's been a while since I did the online thing WITH the meetings, and this time it's going to stick. I'm ashamed to say that I am the heaviest that I have ever been, and it's time for a change. In college I lost almost 50 lbs doing the WW plan, so this time I'm going to keep it all off. The new plan is different--more carb based, which sucks in one respect but in another, it's not half bad. You can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want for 0 points, you have a higher point value than on the old plan, and hopefully it works the same way!

Of course, in doing Weight Watchers, the key to success is still enjoying food, and not thinking of it as a diet. It's a healthy lifestyle. And guess what, kids? I can still eat delicious breakfast foods. In fact, I can make amazing breakfasts for less than 10 points a pop. And still eat cheese. Boo-Ya!

So I've made this omelet twice already because it's REALLY good and only takes about 10 minutes from prep to dine. As well you may have noticed, I'm a big fan of Mexican breakfast. My love for Chilequiles should speak for itself. Of course, tortilla chips would drastically raise the point value of my breakfast, so no mas for now.

Weight Watchers Mexican Omelet

• 3 egg whites beaten
• 1 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded or sliced (you can lower the point value by using reduced fat, but I don't)
• 3 tablespoons black bean salsa
• 1 medium vine ripened tomato sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh sliced avocado
• sea salt
• ground black pepper

  Pour the beaten egg whites into a small, heated pan sprayed with PAM. Let the egg cook through until the top is almost cooked as well. Then, gently flip the entire egg. Add the cheese to one side of the round egg, and fold the other half over the cheese. Slide the omelet onto a plate with the sliced tomatoes, garnish with salsa and avocado. Then sprinkle the tomatoes with sea salt and black pepper. Voila! Breakfast is served.
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 7

The best part about my little weight watcher's omelet is that this will fill me up for a decent amount of time. I won't be hungry until lunch. And worst case scenario, if I am hungry, I can eat an apple or two without wasting any points at all. I call that a win.

Breakfast Sandwiches

Dear faithful viewers,

I have not been very dedicated to this blog. I have spent a  great deal of time writing for my work blog at ImIn. Of course, I haven't forgotten about the breakfast love. So I thought that this morning, I would post about one of my favorite things in this world:

The Breakfast Sandwich

Oh yes. I had one this morning (A Dunkin Donuts Turkey Sausage Flatbread is only 7 points in the Weight Watchers World--more about that later). It was sort of tasty (not going to lie...the flatbread tastes like cardboard.)

I've decided to inform you of my top orders at my main breakfast locations for the almighty breakfast sandwich.

In no particular order, here goes.

• Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit with the Round Egg instead of the Folded Egg at McDonald's
• The folded egg is gross. I don't know what they do to that thing, but it is not real eggy goodness
• I sometimes switch this up with the (Sausage McMuffin on a Biscuit instead of an English Muffin)
• Bacon, Egg, and Sun-dried Tomato Cream Cheese on Spinach Florentine Bagel at Einstein Brothers
• Occasionally switched up with Six Cheese Bagel or Asiago Bagel. *drool*
• Turkey Sausage Egg White with cheese on a Croissant at Dunkin Donuts
• Also delicious with additional meat (preferrably back, as they sometimes over cook the sausage)
• Bacon, Egg, and Giardinara Cream Cheese on a Jalapeno Egg Bagel from Jake's Bagels (Aurora)
• Dude this thing is massive. You'll need a fork and knife
• Bacon, Egg, and Cheddar on a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from Panera
• I occasionally add extra bacon
• This thing is life changing, I swear
• Chicken Apple Sausage, Egg, and Cheese from Caribou Coffee
• No modifications necessary--It's that good

So those are just a few on the list of my breakfast sandwich joys, but try them out. Taaaaasty.  Of course I'm totally missing Potbelly breakfast--they had a pretty tasty breakfast sandwich as well. Wendy's did a terrible job in their brief stint with breakfast. Burger King needs to change the egg that they use. Gross. White Castle is barely edible (but remind me to tell you about homemade White Castle breakfast.

Enjoy!