I have been a victim of insane cleanses and detoxes...they flush your system and the second you eat something with the slightest bit of fat or sugar you blow up like a blood tick!
So, every so often I eliminate all processed food (even including protein bars, light calorie snacks, etc)...and I do just organic ingredients all day, and sometimes even 2-3 days.
Instead of my normal special k protein meal bar I eat when I get up in the am, I chug a hugeeee glass of water. And I make organic egg whites * Also, for those of you who don't know, I am what you call a pescetarian..no, not some new religion...it is a vegetarian that will occasionally eat seafood...however with the exception of egg whites which are still included in a vegetarian diet, I DO NOT eat meat whatsoever of any animals. Just the fishies, mainly because I truly need that extra protein, and well, I make delish seafood* Back to bid-ness.
I make organic liquid egg whites. They come in a fancy lil carton, and 3 tbsp of egg whites is only 25 calories. Do you know how amazing this is for you if you can forego cheese and toast and hashbrowns!? You could have a freakin CUP of liquid egg whites and whip up a serious omelette with some calorie free butter spray (I can't believe its not butter spray made with extra virgin olive oil, omg, its amazing)...
So my low carb breakfast days consist of 3/4 cup of liquid egg whites. Which is a whopping 100 calories. I do NOT use any straight oil to cook eggs, ever. I like to save my oil intake for if I am going to cook a meal requiring it later in the day...I try not to ever exceed 1-2 tbsp a day of oil. Is olive oil good for you? YES...is it good to throw that stuff on everything you eat? Absolutely not.
Here are a few KEY ingredients I could not survive without for my egg whites (and well, most food I make):
-Garlic Powder! Stankin up that breath nice and early...I recommend a good mouthwash ;)
-Black peppercorn mill- crush that black pepper, baby!
-ADOBO! - this is my replacement of regular salt, for like, everything...BUT! just a pinch! You get that hint of salty goodness without using as much straight up salt as you normally would. Half the time, I will actually eliminate this ingredient and replace it with one or two spritzes of my butter spray (which also gives a hint of salt).
-COOKING SPRAYYY! Check the label! You want a spray made with REAL ingredients you can understand, and choose calorie free. Does this mean you use half a can on an omelette? NO...a little goes a LONG way
That rule also goes for my fave, I can't believe it's not butter SPRAY made with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, for those of you who havent heard that term from good ol' Rachel Ray...who I can thank for the idear of the garbage bowl while cooking, brilliance)...It is simply for keeping your food from sticking to a pan or baking sheet, or to add a little flavor to your food, especially veggies for those picky eaters who prefer their veg covered in butter and cheese, defeating the purpose of the VEGGIE itself. With that said, don't go getting trigger happy on that butter spray and ruining the initial food properties.
And my last egg go-to ingredient...my ultimate jam...SRIRACHA! If you cannot handle hot or spicy, this will not be your favorite...but if you are unsure, I beg you to try it. Srircha is an asian chile sauce...I put it on everything. A ridiculously low calorie count for a small amount (you do not need a lot to feel the fire of this sauce)...For those who havent tried it, I suggest literally trying a little dab on your finger alone, to really feel the heat that you think you will be able to handle, bc the worst mistake you can make is overpowering the dishes you make with too mch heat, too much salt, too much garlic, too much sugar, etc...TOO MUCHHH = too bad. I also love the word sriracha...everyone I introduce it to, I tell them you have to whisper the word, and emphasize the "ahhh" in the end of the word...Try it with me. Whisper voice, srirach-ahhhh...You got it...(i know you just said it outloud :) )...If you are a ketchup lover, and literally drown your food, especially eggs in it, and can handle some heat...switch teams! Why you ask? Because if you use a lot of ketchup you probably arent measuring it out and really seeing just how much you are using...Ill just show you the numbers...
Ketchup:
1 tbsp = 15 calories, 0 fat, 4 carbs, 4 sugar *ketchup lovers, do you ever actually measure how much ketchup you use? one big squirt of the bottle is over 1 tbsp)\*
Srirachaaaa:
1 tbsp = 15 calories, 0 fat, 3 carbs, 3 sugar...and you will NOT need much more...I only use about 2 tsp on my egg whites (10 calz)
Okay...So where was I.
Egg whites...Now I use egg whites bc I don't eat yolks, and I use a hefty amount of the egg whites bc I still need the nutritional properties...You at home can use the whole egg, but the caloric value is different. One whole large egg is 70 calories, and one serving of whites (3 tbsp) is 25 calories...so pay attention to how many calories you were targeting for your breakfast.
3 TBSP Egg whites = 25 calories, 0 fat, 1 carb, 0 sugar, 5 GRAMS OF PROTEIN!
Therefore, 3/4 cup of egg whites (12 tbsp) = 100 calories, 0 fat, 4 carbs, 0 sugar, 20 GRAMS OF PROTEIN!! ...I know you sense my excitement...being a vegetarian leaves it hard to get enough protein each day with really monitoring my daily intake because I cant just eat a piece of steak and call it a day...
NOW
Even with non-stick pans, I will spray a SMALL amount of cooking spray on a small pan. I crank up my heat to med-high and let the pan warm up...I measure out 3/4 of a cup of organic liquid egg whites and once i feel the heat coming off that pan I throw in my whites. Immediately I whip out the pepper mill and crack some fresh black pepper on top, I get out my breath busting garlic powder and sprinkle some of that on...IF you dont think that is enough flavor use EITHER a pinch of adobo seasoning OR one-two sprays of the ICBINB spray right into the liquid. At this point you can either make an omelette or get that spatula grooving and make scrambled whites.
I elimate the option of cheesy scrambled eggs or a nice cheddar omelette 9/10 times I make this because I want to achieve my weight loss nice and quick and, well cheese, while definitely great to have in moderation in your diet, sometimes gets over used, all day long and lets face it....fat free cheese frigen sucks! SO I sure as hell know you aren't eating the type of cheese that slims the waist and tastes like cardboard crap...save that good cheese for the good recipes! Not for your eggs! Besides...cheese backs ya up if consumed too much...Yes, you know what I am talking about. **and dont worry, I LOVE cheese, there will be plenty of cheesy recipes that are good for us, and ill even make it a point to create a cheesy breakfast that is flat belly conscious for you to make on days off when you want to indulge. OR, if you can't part with cheese on your eggs, do it smart. Use either part-skim mozzarella or 2% reduced fat shredded cheeses, never full fat unless it is a lower calorie cheese like feta. I always try and use LESS than 1 serving of cheese...just enough to get the taste. So if one serving of part-skim mozzarella is 1/4 cup, I will use half or 3/4 of that...TRUST ME, after a while, once you break from the habit of butter, oil, and cheese hiding all of the original food properties of your food, you wont miss it.
But for me, my large carb conscious, fat free, sugar free, high protein and spicy breakfast consists of just 3/4 cup of organic liquid egg whites, some spices, topped with sriracha...coming in at a total of 110 calories. If you are on weight watchers plans, the old plan as well as the new points plus plan ring in at a total of 2 points!
Need to up your veggie intake? Take some fresh spinach leaves, about a cup, throw it in a bowl, spray it once with butter spray, pop it in the microwave for 30 seecs, check it...keep adding 10 secs until the leaves begin to wilt down a little...throw em in the eggs...boom. Florentine omelette..On weight watchers? Most veggies are zero points! So a nice big egg white omelette with veggies and no cheese is still just 2 points.
.Like mushrooms? throw half a cup of sliced canned mushrooms or freshies in your eggs...boom.
Like broccoli? Buy the single serving broccoli steamers (NOT THE ONES WITH BUTTER!) pop em in the microwave...when they are done, toss the contents of the steamer bag right into the eggs...broccoli omelette...boom...no points for broccoli!
Feeling greek? chop a lil spinach, dice a few tomatoes, and use a PINCH of feta cheese...just about 30 extra calories for a pinch of feta.
Fresh ingredients MAKE A DIFFERENCE...YOU have control over what you put into your body when you buy organic or fresh foods.
I simply throw my egg whites on a plate and I drizzle some srirachaaa over top. I like the heat in a lot of my food because hot and spicy seasonings and sauces not only help speed your metabolism, but make you feel full much quicker.
SO, I have shared my ultimate skinny biddiez breakfast...quick, easy, and you can customize it by adding ingredients yourself. But the main lesson, really pay close attention to the little things you might normally do...That is what I cannot stress enough...I will show you an example of a typical breakfast that you may have made and thought, hey, these are things I read are good for me, and I put them together...
2 large eggs = 140 calories
1/4 cup of skim milk whisked in with the eggs = 21 calories
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in the pan = 120 calories
1 serving of 2% reduced fat cheddar cheese = 80 calories
1 tbsp ketchup = 15 calories
Granted, this meal will provide you with just around 22 grams of protein, but...the amount of fat, for just breakfast...yikes...ringing in at 376 calories...Hell, you could have a cup and a half of egg whites, a few spritzes of butter spray, and 1/4 cup of reduced fat cheddar with some calorie free cooking spray and STILL only be 210 calories.
Stressful calorie counting is not worth the anxiety, but once you know basic facts of nutrition and really focus on fresh foods and not covering up food with fat and preservatives...you will see that healthy eating is actually an eye opener when done the right way. Have an egg-cellent evening....yeah...I just did that.
P.S. I do not just pull nutritional values out of my ass, I research everything to ensure you are getting the correct stats from me. <3
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