Fiesta Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1/2 pound sausage
12 slices bread, cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup Pace Picante sauce

In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook sausage until well browned; drain off the fat.
Dump the sausage into a shallow 2 quart baking dish.
As evenly as possible layer the bread over the sausage. Sprinkle cheese on top of bread.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the milk, eggs and picante sauce. Pour over the bread mixture, making sure bread slices are coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees, remove plastic wrap and bake for 45 minutes.

Festive Spinach And Pepper Breakfast Casserole

1 pound sausage, browned and drained
6 slices of bread, cubed
2 cups cheddar cheese, divided in half
1/2 cup spinach, rough chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped small
2 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons herb seasoning 

Combine the sausage, bread, cheese, spinach and red bell pepper in a large mixing bowl.
In another bowl beat together the milk, eggs, and seasoning.
Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture and stir gently to combine.
Turn the combined mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or let set for an hour.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 45 minutes, then top with the remaining cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts and browns a bit.
Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking Tips For A Healthy Breakfast

Fill Up Not Out With A Healthy Breakfast

Do you skip breakfast?  Perhaps you feel that by the time you get everyone up and out of the house in the morning, eating breakfast is the last thing you want to do.  Do you also spend time worry about weight gain?  When you skip breakfast are you thinking; “Well, I don't need the calories anyway.”

Breakfast and fitness are more related than you might think.  The fact is, skipping breakfast can actually make you gain weight.  Not eating breakfast, whether due to running out of time or a conscious effort to bypass the calories, will do more harm than good when it comes to your fitness and weight control.

You might think that by skipping breakfast in the morning you are skipping calories, too, but that's just not the case.  What happens when you hit mid-morning?  Studies show that most people reach for a snack sometime during the day, and the people who don't eat breakfast typically reach for high calorie, high carb, high fat foods during the day.  Studies also show that people who skip breakfast, whether they snack during the day or not, also eat a larger dinner and often dessert.

Right now you could be saying; “Oh, but that's not me. I never snack and I eat a small dinner.”  That may be true.  However, your metabolism should be a concern then.  Eating first thing in the morning gives your metabolism the jump-start it needs to understand that it's alright now to start burning calories and fat.  When your body is given the 'green light' to get your metabolism in action, it knows that it doesn't need to hoard fat to survive.  You are telling your body that there is more food on the way, so it's okay to burn up what you already have.  Small meals throughout the day, beginning with breakfast, triggers the brain to tell the body that you are not starving.  Skipping meals is a danger sign to your metabolism that it needs to slow down, hibernate, and store that fat.

We see now how breakfast is an important meal in our overall weight control program.  However, you have to be careful when you choose your breakfast food.  If you are grabbing a toaster pastry,  doughnut, or even a bagel, your body will have a quick spike in blood sugar and then have an even quicker fall.  This 'crash' results in more eating of the same foods.  Your body will crave sugar and this will lead to overeating.  If you're going to skip anything, skip the sugar loaded, carb loaded goodies.  That's where breakfast casseroles come in.

Protein and fiber – that's what your body needs in the morning.  Eggs give you the protein and fat you need to function and feel full.  Fiber from veggies and whole grains are great sugar regulators that offer high energy for a long time.  Good carbs like raw oatmeal, multi-grain breads, black beans, and brown rice will keep you active longer.

Breakfast casseroles are built around protein, good carbs, fiber, and healthy fat.  This is the perfect meal to fill you up and not out.  You body gets the 'wake up call' it needs to start burning fat stores, while also enjoying all the nutrition it needs to get through the day without extra calories or sugar. 

Simply put, if you want to be at a healthy weight (and who doesn't!) then you need to eat breakfast every morning.  And not just any breakfast.  It has to be a healthy breakfast.  When you look at breakfast casserole recipes, you'll find lots of healthy ingredients all rolled into one easy to make and serve meal.  Isn't that what you want in the morning?  Make a breakfast casserole at night and stick it in the refrigerator.  When you put on your coffee, put your casserole in the oven.  In no time, you'll be able to enjoy a nutritious filling meal that will set you up for energy as well as weight control.

Hearty English Muffin With Two Cheese Breakfast Casserole

2 packages breakfast sausage links
6 English muffins, cubed
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 ounces cheddar cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
2 cups milk
1 dozen eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup bacon bits

According to the package directions, cook the sausage and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish and layer half the English muffin cubes on the bottom.
Using half the sausage, layer on top of English muffins. Repeat until these ingredients are gone.
Drizzle with melted butter and top with red pepper, onion and cheeses. 
In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour this over the casserole and sprinkle with bacon bits. Cover with tin foil and keep in refrigerator overnight.
When ready to bake, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover and bake for 45 minutes, remove and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Cowboy Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

1/2 cup milk
10 eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried hot pepper
1/2 teaspoon BBQ seasoning 
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large potatoes, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a medium bowl, combine the milk and eggs. Set aside. 
Sauté the onions in butter until they turn slightly translucent, then add the ground beef with the garlic and dried hot pepper, cooking until ground beef is no longer pink. Season it with salt, pepper, cumin, BBQ seasoning and liquid smoke.
In a separate skillet, add olive oil and sauté the potatoes to slightly soften them.
Butter a 3 1/2 quart crock pot.
Layer 1/3 of the potatoes, 1/2 of the beef, 1/2 of the onion, and 1/3 of the cheese. Continue layering until ingredients gone, making sure that the top layer is potatoes. Pour the egg mixture over the top and sprinkle cheese over egg mixture.
Cook for 8-10 hours on LOW.

A Good Breakfast Begins With Eggs

Eggs Win The Nutrition Excellence Award

When you think of a hearty nutritious breakfast, do you think of a bowl of cereal?  Probably not.  Even a bowl of hot cereal doesn't have the same appeal as a skillet of eggs with sides of meat and potatoes, or a omelet loaded with goodies, or a big thick breakfast casserole.

There are reasons why, other than habit, that we think of eggs for breakfast.  They are cheap, taste good, satisfy just about any appetite, and they can be cooked in so many ways. 

But, eggs have come under some criticism through the years.  Should you eliminate eggs from your diet because of some bad press?  Maybe eggs should be reconsidered before you make your final decision.  Let's take a look.

Eggs Pack a Big Punch in a Tiny Package

Just eating one whole egg provides a wide range of nutrients that your body needs to function.  As the advertising goes, eggs are an incredible food.  A whole egg is what is known as a 'nutrient-dense' food.  This means in the relatively small volume of that egg you receive a large volume of nutrients.

If you have decided to stop eating eggs because you've heard they may be bad for you, let's look at the facts.  Eggs are high in cholesterol, yes, but they are also a tremendous source of nutrients at a very frugal cost.  For this reason, families have depended on eggs to provide healthy meals when budgets are tight. 

In a nutshell, or eggshell, a whole egg provides all the basic building blocks in just the right amounts to maintain a healthy and functioning body. You'll find the entire list of essential amino acids (proteins) including lysine.  This particular amino acid converts fat to energy and helps the body absorb calcium and promotes the production of collagen.  Eggs are the perfect food for not only maintaining health, but for building strong bones and muscles. 

According to many studies, eating an egg a day will help you meet your daily protein requirements as well as other necessary nutrients.  However, there is always that question lurking in the background;  what about the cholesterol?  Let's look at the breakdown to help you understand where the nutrients come from in this super-food so you can make an informed decision.

Egg Yolks

We hear a lot about complete proteins, and this is one example.  Egg yolks have about 2.5 grams of protein which includes lysine, one protein that is not found in all protein-rich foods.  Yolks also provide a wide range of nutrients such as vitamins A, B6, B12, E, D, K, and Folate, as well as iron, calcium, zinc, carotenoids (antioxidants), and essential fatty acids. You'll find only 40 calories from fat in an egg yolk, but you'll also have over 200 grams of cholesterol.  This is where the concern often lies.  If your doctor has you on a cholesterol reduced diet, egg yolks should be discussed.  If not, egg yolks may offer a much needed source of nutrients in your diet.

Egg Whites

The great news is, if you are looking for an excellent source of protein with absolutely no cholesterol, egg whites are the perfect solution. You'll get even more protein in the egg whites than the egg yolks, about 3.5 grams.  Egg whites also have only 1 calorie from fat.  But you must consider the downside.  Egg whites offer none of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, or essential fatty acids that egg yolks do.

Best of Both

As you can see, egg yolks offer a lot of nutrients that egg whites don't.  If your diet is restricted due to high cholesterol, you need to talk to your doctor about egg yolks.  If not, you'll want to consider the nutrients in eggs, including the yolks, before you eliminate them from your diet.

If you are not on a diet restriction ordered by your doctor, but still would like to have less cholesterol in your diet, you can.  Many recipes work just fine when you substitute some or all of the whole eggs for just egg whites.  You can often remove egg yolks from recipes and get similar results.

Even one egg yolk mixed into three or four egg whites will produce a flavorful and colorful omelet.  The egg whites will provide the bulk of the dish along with the majority of the protein, while the yolk provides the additional nutrients, more protein, and a bit of color.

When you make a breakfast casserole or cheese strata, replace some of the whole eggs with just the whites and you'll still enjoy a light, fluffy dish with all the flavor and nutrition and a lot less fat and cholesterol.

That's the magic of eggs - you can separate them!  Mix and match more whites, less yolks, and enjoy eggs in different, healthier ways without losing the benefits. 

Keep a carton of fresh eggs on hand at all times so you can whip up a hearty meal in a snap with this old fashioned super-food.  A strata, quiche, omelet, casserole, or any simple egg dish can be easily suited to most diets.  Give eggs a try today and start enjoying both the healthy and frugal benefits.

Cottage And Cheddar Cheese Spinach Breakfast Casserole

3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
6 beaten eggs
16 ounces cottage cheese
16 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup butter, melted
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray while preheating oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the onion, flour and eggs until it's smooth and not lumpy.
Add in the cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, butter, spinach, salt and pepper and stir until mixed thoroughly. Pour into the prepared dish.
Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until casserole is golden brown and bubbly.