Eat a Good Breakfast - Everyday!

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By Terry Orr

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Breakfast has always been an important part of daily routine.  As a kid going to school – cereal – cream of wheat, oatmeal or cold cereal was the general rule in our home.  We enjoyed family breakfast on weekends and holiday and they were simply wonderful with eggs, breakfast meats (including fresh water fish – yum), fruit, veggies, French toast, pancakes, gravy and biscuits could be part of our meal.  Breakfast continues to be an important part of my life and more nutritional balance over the past few years.

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Ask Dr. Sears offers these 10 Balanced Breakfasts:

Granola cereal, yogurt, a sliced apple

Scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice

Veggie omelet, bran muffin, fruit with yogurt

Whole-grain pancakes or waffles topped with berries and/or yogurt, milk

Whole-wheat zucchini pancakes topped with fruit, milk

French toast topped with fruit, orange juice or milk

Low-fat cheese melted on toast with a piece of fruit

Low-fat cream cheese on a whole-grain bagel, orange juice

Peanut butter and banana slices on an English muffin, milk

For a breakfast-on-the-run smoothie

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Spry Living offers “3 Reasons to Eat a Balance Breakfast:

To maintain healthy blood sugar levels;

To maintain a healthy weight; and

To maintain cognitive function.

All three make good sense. There are probably hundreds of recipes, ideas on what are the right types of foods to eat for breakfast – including portions of each – I still a believer in moderation and balance.

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What are your thoughts regarding a good breakfast?

What is your favorite breakfast?

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Thanks and enjoy your breakfast!

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References and Links:

http://www.myredrabbit.com/blog/why-should-you-eat-a-healthy-breakfast-everyday-.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/brain-foods/10-balanced-breakfasts

http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/healthy-breakfast

http://spryliving.com/articles/3-reasons-to-eat-a-balanced-breakfast/

National Deviled Egg Day

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Chef Diane

I found this great book, so I bought a copy for my mother.  She gave it back to me though, since she already had a copy.  The title of the book?  “Being Dead is No Excuse”, The official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral.  Being from the south, one of the main things we do is take food places.  We take food when welcoming a new neighbor, new baby, if there is someone sick, or if there is a death.  There is one dish you are sure to find at a funeral gathering, and that is deviled eggs.  They are quick to make, and very tasty!  Many people have special plates to serve them one, like the one pictured above.  I have three deviled egg plates, and have given them to my mother as well.  These plates allow the egg to sit in a hollowed out area to prevent them from sliding around and squashing the other eggs.

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One of my favorite meals is sliced ham, tater salad, and deviled eggs.  Although my deviled eggs and tater salad seem to taste the same, I still fix them both together.  You just take a boiled egg, remove the shell and cut in half.  Then you take the yolk out, careful not to break the white, and put the yolks in a bowl.  six boiled eggs will make a dozen deviled eggs.  One you have the yolks in a bow, add a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise, a squirt of mustard, a little pickle relish, sweet or dill according to your preference, and a little salt and pepper.  Mix it together, if it is a little dry, add more mayonnaise.  Then spoon into the egg white shells, you may also sprinkle a little paprika on top for added color.  Then put them on your special plate and stick them in the refrigerator to allow them to set, or just eat them right away.

Today is National Deviled Egg Day.  According to punchbowl.com, deviled eggs originated in ancient Rome, the term "deviled" didn't appear until the 18th century when it was used to describe highly seasoned, fried, or boiled dishes. By the 19th century, the word "deviled" was used to describe hot seasonings in general. Today, not all deviled egg recipes are spicy, but a little cayenne pepper or hot mustard can always give them an extra kick.

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So today, boil up a few eggs and devil them, you can eat them as an appetizer or a side dish, or even the main course.

National Deviled Eggs Day

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By Diane Forrest,

I usually try to stay out of bookstores, not because I don't like books, but because I want to buy them all!  One day I went into this great bookstore in town and saw on the shelf this great book that I had to buy for my mother.  I was so excited, I couldn't wait to give it to her, but as luck would have it, she already had it!  So she told me to keep it.  The title?  "Being Dead is No Excuse...The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral."

Having been born and raised in Mississippi, and never living anywhere else, the only customs I know of are the ones that are practiced here.  "Deviled eggs are associated so closely with death, that any time you see the egg platter out, you might as well ask "Who died?'  Most Southern families own a China Egg Platter with indentions for deviled eggs.  For some reason, it rarely leaves the shelf unless there has been a death. "

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I always look forward to Easter because I know there will be ham, potato salad and deviled eggs from the boiled eggs the Easter Bunny hid.   The recipe is very simple.  I don’t have one written, but I found one from Paula Deen that I will share with you.  I think it is mostly just a preference of taste, I like mine with a lot of mayonnaise and a little mustard, salt, pepper and pickle relish.  My mother doesn't use as much mayonnaise, so they are a little dryer.  You can also use dill pickle relish or sweet pickle relish, I like both, so it’s really just a matter of choice. The hardest part is cutting the egg in half and removing the yolk.  You want to be careful not to tear the formed "cup" in the egg white, because you will need it to be attached to refill with the yolk mixture.  If they break, it doesn’t matter, just chop the whole thing up and put it in the potato salad.

The second most important part about deviled eggs is the platter they are served on.  The eggs are slippery, so if you place them on a regular plate, they will all slide to the center, and are hard to pick up.  The egg plate has indentions around the edge for the egg to sit in.  They normally hold 12 devil egg halves, and can be very beautiful and expensive, to simple and plain.  I have a few egg plates that I just love, and I have been looking for one for my mother's Christmas present this year.

The best thing about deviled eggs is you can make as many or as few as you need.  You can just boil one egg or a dozen.  So today, on National Deviled Egg day, why not fix some for yourself or your family, you don't have to wait for Easter or a funeral.

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Paula Deen's Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 7 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper, for taste
• Paprika, for garnishing
• Sweet gherkin pickles sliced, for garnishing
• Pimentos, for garnishing

Directions

• Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.
• Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard.
• Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture.
• Garnish with paprika, pickles and pimentos.
• Store covered in refrigerator.