#FoodForThought: The Adventures of Fanny and Olive (McMuffin)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Fanny. No really - that is her actual name. She is a massive massive massive foodie, and would like to share with you all the adventures on all of the things she puts in her mouth. Wait, no - not like that ... I mean ... well, you know what I mean. Aw shucks, just hit it already Fanny ... </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Fanny Slater 
okay, seriously guys.
let's talk about breakfast.
if it was up to me, breakfast would happen more than once a day.
i'm one of those weird people that, more often than not, wakes up in a good mood. i don't leap out of bed singing like a disney character--unless my best friend is there and needs to be woken up. but i do find the fuzzy socks lodged somewhere in my jersey sheets and hop into the kitchen with a smile on my face. i think the reason i'm so excited in the mornings is because it's been at least twelve hours since my last meal. some people have a favorite time of the day. mine is whenever it's time to eat again. i usually stick to the breakfast basics, but of course i try to occasionally switch up what i'm making to keep things exciting.
so let's talk tips.
i'm a big fan of any kind of breakfast sandwich. i think that everything originated from the egg mcmuffin and should all be built off of that idea. english muffin (vehicle) + egg patty (star) + american cheese (supporting character) + canadian bacon (cameo). yes, breakfast just became a movie. i think the english muffin a fabulous suitcase for your sandwich--but recently i've been loving a product from a company called "western bagels". they make a variety of different bagels available packaged in your local grocery store, but my favorite are the roasted onion flavor. it's not just that they resemble everything bagels (on my top ten list of favorite foods) but they happen to be 100 calories! a regular bagel can run you 300-450 calories so i think it's a great substitution. and don't worry--we're not talking mini fat-free bagels. we're talking about regular sized, savory, full flavored bagels.
so my first breakfast tip for you is branch out from your typical egg mcmuffin recipe and start experimenting! POOF! you're a breakfast sandwich scientist! here are two examples of how i re-invented the egg mcmuffin:
-toasted roasted onion bagel, 1 scrambled egg, grafton sharp white cheddar cheese, two thin slices of genoa salami, fresh basil.
-warmed pita pocket with 1 egg + 1 egg white scrambled with smoked provolone cheese, diced red and yellow tomatoes, sweet chicken sausage, thin spread of garden veggie cream, basil.
i realize you're not going to find either of these on a drive-thru menu on the way to work in the morning, but in your spare time you can certainly mess around in your own kitchen. i invite you to make your own version of the fanny mcmuffin. also, while we're on the topic of eggs, i'm a big fan of frittatas and omelets. today is less about recipes and more about tips, so i wanted to give you some omelet advice while we're on the subject. since an omelet acts as a snuggie for its internal ingredients, it can be hard to differentiate whether you're getting a goat cheese omelet or one with shoelaces on the inside. i'm just saying...you never know. a great way to brighten up the outside of your omelet is to set aside some of your ingredients and sprinkle them on top before serving. for example:
now, your guest will be fully aware that you're serving them a herb, feta, tomato, and chicken sausage omelet instead of a chocolate chip cookie omelet. like i said...you never know. there are also caramelized onions in there...shhh! we have to keep some element of surprise! now of course there are many other forms of breakfast that don't involve eggs. i happen to be a big fan of yogurt parfaits. they're a great light and healthy breakfast that get you ready to attack the day. or your boss. whatever. making a yogurt parfait is obviously not rocket science, but i do have some tips for sprucing it up a bit.
first and foremost--the type and flavor of yogurt is completely up to you. i've found recently that i'm a big fan of greek yogurt. not only does it have three times more protein than regular yogurt, but all of the non-fat flavors are fantastic, and it's thick and creamy so you think you're eating something bad! i like pretending that it's ice cream. or a cheeseburger. whatever i'm in the mood for that day really. anyway, my parfait tips are the following:
-everyone knows that a yogurt parfait includes granola, but try mixing up the texture. throw in some toasted nuts or homemade honey roasted sunflower seeds.
-everyone knows that raisins are awesome, but try changing that up as well. see those tiny little raisin-looking nuggets on my parfait? those are currants!
**foodie note: currants are small, seedless, sweet grapes that are great for baking. they're less plump and have a touch of tartness. i like them for parfaits because they spread out nicely since they're so itty bitty.
**foodie note: itty bitty is NOT a technical term.
-everyone likes a little extra touch of something sweet, so try drizzling honey or agave right on top of your parfait for some added brightness.
i asked olive to share with you her favorite breakfast tips, but since she sleeps 17 hours of the day...she eats breakfast for pretty much every meal.
right olive?
#nerdsunite
click here to check out more from Fanny! (heheheeheh her name is Fanny)