Healthy Living: A Tip for a Great, Healthy Breakfast

I want to shift gears in this post and focus on a tip for preparing a healthy breakfast.  As a coronary by-pass patient (I had a quadruple by-pass five years ago) I had to re-learn good, healthy eating habits, which included getting as much bad fat out of my diet as possible.  Two of my favorite foods were red meat and eggs.  While I have drastically reduced my red meat intake (once or twice a month on average), I still love to have an egg for breakfast occasionally.  The medical community advised me that three eggs a week was acceptable consumption for a person like me.  However, they strongly advised that eggs be cooked with as little grease, fats, or oil as practical.  I tried using cooking sprays, but didn't like the taste they left, so I kept looking.

Recently I became aware of a product that works in the microwave (my first choice for cooking) and works on the basis of steam cooking- with no butter, margarine, fats, grease, or oils....got to be healthy!  The cookware I picked up is made of ceramic stoneware with a handle and a domed lid.  The concept is that the design traps steam generated with a small amount water (for a poached egg which I made) to cook evenly and to lock-in flavor.  In my case, the egg cooked perfectly with no fats or oils and tasted great.  I added shredded cheese.  Here's a tip for making a super poached egg:

• Put one raw egg into the ceramic pot with a very small amount of water (1/4 teaspoon or so)
• Add salt and pepper before cooking
• Microwave at full power for approx. 20 to 25 seconds
• Let rest for 20 to 25 seconds
• Cook again for 20 to 25 seconds
• Look at the egg.  You can tell if it is done the way you like it.  
• Add cheese at this point and replace the domed cover.  It will melt after about 40 to 45 seconds
• You are ready to eat.....with no fats or oils....and great flavor.
• Put over a low-calorie, multi-grain English muffin or toast

Because the ceramic wear I got is coated with non-stick, clean up is a snap.  Healthy eating of course is not limited to only a healthy breakfast.  You can benefit from this type of steam cooking with potatoes, vegetables, some desserts, and more.  I look forward to trying other recipes that will allow me to truly enjoy a healthy lifestyle and healthy living.  I'll share some of the recipes that I like in future posts.

The product I got is the Stonewave, which I picked up at CVS for $9.99,  You will find other like-products that fit this bill that will help you along the road to healthy eating.  Let me know if you have recipes you'd like to share.