Happy April friends!

Today I want to talk about breakfast sandwiches. A couple of years ago,  I was on a co-op placement at an ad agency and one of my projects involved researching our client’s competitors in the fast food industry. It was on this co-op term that I became incredibly well versed in the specifics of breakfast sandwiches – who sold them, what the price was (down to the cent), which restaurant’s version had the most calories, what personalities normally ate them, whether or not the sandwiches were eaten slathered in ketchup or on their own… you get the idea. During that term, I was tasked with the challenge of coming up with business insights that would put the client ahead of the game when it came to breakfast, and at the time, breakfast sandwiches were allll the rage.

As you are probably aware, a breakfast sandwich on the menu of a fast food restaurant probably isn’t the healthiest option when it comes to a morning meal. Sure it’ll do if you’re in a pinch and there are certainly worse options (one being not eating breakfast at all), but it’s not difficult to create a much-better-for-you variation. I’ll fully admit that I did my fair share of McLovin the Egg McMuffin when I was a kiddie, but had I known that I could create something even more supreme, I’d have been on it in a heartbeat. May I introduce to you, the stars of today’s show:

Tomato…

English muffin (of the whole wheat variety)…

Avocado…

Spinach…

and last but certainly not least,

Egg!

All together, these fabulous ingredients, each of which packs a punch of nutritional goodness, come together to form what I have decided to call The Big T.E.A.S.E.

The Big T.E.A.S.E

by Angela

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Keywords: fry toast breakfast lunch high protein low-fat low-sodium nut-free soy-free vegetarian eggs grains

 

Ingredients (1 serving)

  • 1 whole wheat English muffin (or gluten-free, if necessary)
  • 1 egg
  • about ¼ cup baby spinach leaves
  • 1 thick slice of tomato
  • 2 thin slices of avocado

Instructions

Lightly mist a non-stick frying pan with oil and fry the egg, without breaking the yolk. If you want to, leave the egg a little runny in the middle as this helps to create a wonderful oozey juice in the sandwich!

While the egg is frying, lightly toast the English muffin. Slice the tomato, then begin to line the bottom half of the English muffin with spinach leaves. Place the tomato slice on top.

When the egg is ready, stack it on top of the tomato slice. Finally, top the egg with the avocado slices. Put the ‘hat’ on the top of the sandwich and enjoy!

Nutrition per serving: 251 calories, 9g fat (2g saturated), 211mg cholesterol, 424mg sodium, 31g carbs, 7g fiber, 7g sugar, 14g protein.

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Why is it a tease? Because it tastes just as good – no, actually it’s a bazillion times better – than a typical fast food breakfast sandwich. You’ll get your healthy fats from the avocado, complete protein in the egg, and whole grains in the English muffin. You’ll also receive a hefty dose of vitamins  and minerals from the spinach and tomato. And, pairing the tomato with healthy fat in the avocado helps our bodies to absorb the antioxidant lycopene. This package, friends, is not something that comes out of a drive-thru window.

The part I most enjoyed about eating this sandwich – aside from the taste of course – was the runny yolk that oozed down onto the other layers.

You may be wondering, how does it stack up numbers-wise in comparison to a fast food sammy? Calorie-wise, it appears to be at least 50 lower than most restaurants. But more impressive is that other breakfast sandwiches weigh in with 6 or more grams of saturated fat, double the sodium, and half the fiber. Now, numbers only tell part of the story. You probably know that we should be paying more attention to the ingredients. Others contain processed cheese, a mysterious ‘trans fat free liquid’ and ‘egg mixture’, and various fatty animal protein sources. And as far as I know, none offer avocado – which to me is kinda like the piece-de-resistance. Well, after the oozey yolk of course.

Have I got you convinced yet?

Now tell me…

  • Are you a breakfast sandwich fan?
  • If yes, what are your ideal fillings?
  • If you’re taking part in my 1-2-3 TGIM Makeover Challenge, what is your 1-2-3 for this week?Here’s mine:
      • 1 main focus: Sleep quality
      • 2 things I’m going to do: I’ll be turning my computer off at least half and hour before bed, and reading a few pages of my latest reading project before going to sleep – you’ll hear more about what it is tomorrow!
      • 3 benefits I’ll receive: My body will be in a calmer state, so I’ll (hopefully) fall asleep faster. I’ll also have better quality sleep, and feel more rested in the morning.
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