How do people make time for nourishing foods for breakfast, amid all the hustle and bustle of mornings and getting out the door? I have to admit, being a stay-at-home-mom without kids in school yet makes this a whole lot easier, but there are still days when we have to be on the go.
It’s hard not to rely on boxed cereal, or at least high-carb things like toast, muffins, etc. We do a lot of oatmeal, especially in the winter, but I know that getting protein in our bodies in the morning is important. Particularly when I’m pregnant, I try to eat eggs often, two a day when possible. Last year when I was expecting our little one, my son and I would eat scrambled eggs about four times a week.
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Here’s the easy system to eggs-as-quick-as-cereal and the secret ingredient to the fluffiest eggs you’ll ever eat:
Be sure to use the best eggs you can find, especially if you are expecting.
- Butter
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese (secret ingredient!)
- Spinach
- Put pan on stove and turn burner on medium heat.
- Grab from fridge: butter, eggs, cottage cheese (secret ingredient!) and spinach, if any is washed.
- Run stick of butter around pan a few times. (Why real butter only?)
- Throw handful of spinach in pan or a few cubes of frozen spinach (optional).
- Use spoonula (one of my favorite kitchen gadgets!) to scoop cottage cheese into pan. (Ratio is about 2-3 Tbs cottage cheese for every two eggs. This is especially excellent for pregnant women because cottage cheese has a lot of protein, oh-so-important for growing babies. Be sure to use full fat cottage cheese – here’s why.)
- Break eggs directly into pan.
- Mix with spoonula; turn heat to medium-low.
- Continue to stir periodically as eggs cook.
- During this time, you get the plates and forks out, put stuff back into the fridge, get toast going, put dishes away from last night’s dinner, corral kiddos into the kitchen…all the stuff you’d usually be doing before or after pouring the milk on the cereal.
- Add optional shredded cheese, definitely if you’re expecting (bring on the protein!).
- Eat! Yummy!
Note: Sometimes the water content of the cottage cheese makes the eggs look a little runny. Don’t worry, they are fully cooked. Decrease cottage cheese next time if you don’t like it.
Does this seem crazy?
An 11-step “recipe” for scrambled eggs, for heaven’s sakes? There are some nuances I want you to notice and appreciate, though, and maybe you won’t think I’m so crazy, just extremely conscious in the kitchen.
- Getting everything out of the fridge at once saves steps. You just need to make sure you know what you need when you open the door.
- If you put the cottage cheese in first, you don’t have to use an extra spoon to dip it out, because the spoonula (or spatula) doesn’t have raw egg on it yet. Plus the cottage cheese gets a chance to melt a bit before meeting the eggs.
- Spinach combines with egg yolks to reduce inflammation — you can use frozen spinach too. I just open the box when I get home from the store and the spinach is slightly soft, use a sharp knife to cut it into 1″ chunks, and store in a bag. One or two chunks is great for scrambled eggs; just allow a little time for it to thaw in the pan.
- Scrambling in the pan avoids yet another dirty dish. (Can you tell I hate doing dishes?)
- Cooking eggs slowly on low heat just makes them taste better and have better texture. Thanks to my mom for that one!
- UPDATE: The Schwarzbein Principle books confirm that cooking eggs over low heat is important to preserve the fatty acids in the egg yolk.
- If you can rationalize the time it takes for the eggs to cook by doing other need-to-do tasks, making eggs in the morning really doesn’t take any longer than pouring cereal, especially if people have different kinds of cereal and you have to get out multiple boxes.
- If you’re using a non-stick pan, my brother would say just wipe it out with a paper towel and use it again the next day! Apparently avoiding dishes runs in the family (which is funny, because my mom doesn’t seem to mind it).
- If you use a cast iron or stainless steel pan, add water right away and bring to a rolling boil – this will release all the cooked on egg junk that is soooo hard to get off later!
Read the Food for Thought about why eggs are a Super Food for more inspiration!
Include other Super Foods in your day:
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I was thinking about the cottage cheese and the watery looking. Can you the night before take the amount you want and put it on a cheese cloth in a bowl? That way it would be less runny.
Thanx for sharing this amazing recipe! I’m not a fan of scrambled eggs, it’s been several ages since my last time and oh your recipe sounded so heavenly that I had to try it out. And all I can say: yummy!
That makes my day! What fun, such a simple recipe. Glad you tried and enjoyed it!
We love eggs. I often fry them but I will try this when the school year gets going. I’m already prepared to make some extra time in the morning to cook a good b’fast every day, but this sounds easy-peasy!
I’ll have to give this a try, I normally add cream cheese. Just about an ouce, then add chopped green onions a nice grind or two of fresh black pepper. This is my favorite scrambled egg recipe. I add spinach to quiches which are super easy (I make crustless) Not a great fan of cheese and scrambled eggs, but if I have some pepper jack on had I do like a little of it grated over top.
I also make what I call “French Eggs”(I’m a low carber so no bread) 2 eggs beat with a splash of cream, an oz of cream cheese a pinch of sweetener. Scramble just til soft set not dry and the dish up and drizzle with syrup… oh my gosh!
.-= vikki´s last blog ..Menu Monday =-.
Maybe you could use yogurt cheese instead of cream cheese? Yum 😉
Just tried these today and love them! 🙂 Even my picky 3yr old likes them!
I just have to say ~ 11 steps to make the eggs and 9 explanations on why there are 11 steps. You are a woman after my heart!!
I mix in some cooked sausage and onions. As for cooking ‘low & slow’, my dad taught me that one, too. They are beter.
Is there any spinach or cottage cheese taste to the final eggs? I hate spinach, but I’m trying to sneak it into our diets as much as we can (and Hubby hates cottage cheese).
We both love scrambled eggs (and I get to claim credit for Hubby’s love of scrambled eggs, because when we first got married he hated them =P), so a recipe like this is intriguing. 🙂
Rebecca,
I would say no on the spinach, my husband would probably say yes. It’s all about proportions and chopping small. Fresh spinach is a world better than frozen spinach, which always has a stronger flavor. I absolutely don’t taste the cottage cheese, and most people are very surprised to learn that’s the secret fluffy ingredient after they’ve tasted it.
🙂 Katie
I put salsa in eggs sometimes and they get watery but it doesn’t bother me. These look good! Thanks!
Sometimes I put sour cream in my eggs. I don’t think it makes them fluffier but it does make them taste much richer. I will be trying cottage cheese the next time I make eggs. I love the tip of cutting up your frozen spinach. Genius!!
So you make your cottage cheese or just use store bought? What kind?
Chris,
Just store bought – I used to use anything until I finally read the ingredients and noticed all the fillers. Daisy brand has nothing “extra” in it, and I think *maybe* Breakstone but I don’t remember now.
🙂 Katie
WOW who knew cottage cheese could be the answer! Love it ….love your site…I am getting smarter by the day!
Cream Cheese is also great with scrambled eggs and spinach!
My son and I are absolutely LOVING these eggs! Thank you!
My son and I love scrambled eggs. He likes them with cheddar cheese on mornings that he has to go to college classes or has a test.
I make it with cream cheese/yogurt cheese, and they sure are yum! I like your idea of doing it all in the pan. It feels like I’m breaking some important rule but it is easier.
Thanks for this great recipe! My 15 month old daughter has a molar coming in and it’s definitely affecting her appetite. She already loves eggs so I tried this tonight and she gobbled it up. Thanks!!
Thank you for this recipe! I have 2 young picky eaters and I’m pregnant too. We have free range hens so we have access to a lot of eggs. I’m always looking for ways to use them and to get my kids away from so many “bread” type breakfasts. We don’t do cereal but they love toast, bagels and muffins. I’m going to try this and hope they like it. I know I will!
can you use ricotta instead of cottage cheese ?
If you use ham, is there any other way of seasoning the omlet?
Gloria,
I’ve never tried ricotta, but I bet it would be good too! As for ham, oh, man, I put everything in these eggs nowadays. Just saute any onions or peppers first, even ham to brown it a bit. Yum! 🙂 Katie
thank you for your advise. By the way is there any chance for us people with diabetes receipes for breakfast and can you recomend a
book on easy receipes I can purchases.
I’ve read that scrambling eggs is not good, as it oxidises the cholesterol in the yolk. Would you know anything about that?
Santhy,
I did hear that recently, and I just can’t buy into the fact that I can’t stir eggs. *shrug* So sure, I don’t need to whip them with all my might before scrambling, and in fact, you’ll notice we just scramble them in the pan…but I just cannot worry about one more miniscule thing. That’s just my personal opinion/visceral response, but at least you’ve got an ally if you decide to ignore that information!
If you’re worried about oxidation, soft fry the egg. They’re delicious that way, too, but not so handy for omelets! 😉 Katie
Tried these eggs today for lunch…Yum!! Plus, I’m preggers so I definitely added extra shredded cheese at the end for a bonus. My 1yo and 3yo also liked it, I was afraid my 3yo would balk at the spinach. Now I’ll just have to see if my husband will be willing to eat it with spinach!!
Nicole,
My hint for husbands? Keep the pieces small.
🙂 Katie
Definitely will try that! Thanks 🙂
these eggs are super simple and yummy. i dont use the spinach because i dont care for it in my eggs. my kids and husband love them too:)
What a great recipe – I have made it for breakfast for two days in a row and know that this is going to make a regular appearance on my table from now on. Love it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Needed something quick, healthy, and protein rich for my late dinner. I followed the directions exactly and with the products I used, it came out perfectly delicious! I’m excited to add this to my cooking repertoire! Thanks for sharing!