Egging Your Kids On To a Great Day!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Nothing new there. What is noteworthy, however, are the recent news reports touting nutrient-dense eggs as the new “super food.” Some nutritionists are now recommending an egg-a-day protocol as though it were a nutritional epiphany. But prior to the high cholesterol egg hysteria of the mid 70’s, an egg on every breakfast plate was nothing new, either.

A study to be published in the June 2010 Nutrition and Food Science journal, analyzed 71 research papers and reference documents that examined the nutritional composition of eggs and their role in one’s diet. What did they discovered? That at only 80 calories each, eggs are a rich source of protein, are packed with nutrients thought essential to good health — in particularly vitamins D (of which North Americans are sadly deficient in) and B12, selenium and choline — and that among protein foods, eggs contain the richest mix of essential amino acids, a crucial nutritional balancing act for children, adolescents and young adults for proper growth and cell repair. Factor in high levels of antioxidants found in eggs that could help prevent age-related macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness) and emerging evidence that eggs may be beneficial for satiety, thus aiding in weight control and weight loss, and, well, what are you waiting for? Get your kids cracking!

Here’s a few Fridge Whisperer recipes to get your mornings off to a good start.

“Crust-less” Egg Pizza (serves 4)
A frittata in disguise, this recipe is a great way to sneak a few extra vegetables into a kid’s day.

Pre-heat oven to 350F
Coat a heavy bottomed, medium sized oven-proof skillet with vegetable spray and set aside

4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup EACH finely chopped green onion, red pepper, tomato and pepperoni
1 teaspoon dried Italian spice seasoning (optional)
1 cup grated low fat mozzarella cheese

• Whisk together eggs, milk, green onion, red pepper, tomato, pepperoni and Italian seasoning (if using) and pour into prepared skillet.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.
• Bake “pizza” on middle rack of preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pizza is set around the edges but still slightly giggly in the centre.
• Transfer cooked pizza to a wire cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes before cutting and plating.

Whisper, whisper:
• This is a great recipe for using up those odds and ends of veggies hanging out in your fridge.


“Kid Approved” Eggs in a Hole (serves 4)
What would a kid-friendly breakfast be without including a recipe for timeless eggs-in-a-hole?

Preheat oven to 200F
Coat a rimmed baking sheet pan with vegetable spray and set aside

4 slices whole wheat bread (Try Wonder + sandwich bread. It looks like white bread but with all the goodness of whole wheat.)
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Using a biscuit cutter or a 2-inch diameter drinking glass, cut out the centre from each bread slice.
• In a heavy bottomed skillet set over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Swirl butter around to evenly coat bottom of skillet.
• Place two slices of bread in skillet and break an egg into each hole. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for about 2 minutes or until bottom side of bread is golden. Carefully flip over and continue cooking for 1 more minute or until eggs are cooked to desired doneness.
• Slide bread slices onto prepared baking sheet and set in preheated oven to keep warm while repeating cooking process with remaining bread and eggs.

Whisper, whisper:
• This recipe screams “kids in the kitchen.” To avoid the yoke breaking before it hits its “target,” crack each egg into a coffee/tea cup and let the kids gently pour the eggs into the bread holes.

Visit www.thefridgewhisperer.com to view video cooking segments, learn about The Fridge Whisperer cookbook series, or have The Fridge Whisperer answer your “What’s for Dinner?... or breakfast” questions.