This post is part of a month long series on “lighter fare” with the Arkansas Women Bloggers #FoodieFriday collection.
Each week for the past year I’ve made these breakfast sandwiches for Mr. McKinney. I need a little variety in my food life, but he can eat the same darn thing every, single, day. I came up with the recipe when we were both trying to do a little better with our eating. We jumped on the Weight Watchers campaign, tried the myfitnesspal app for a while, and then learned if we watched what we ate instead of watching everything we eat go in our mouths, we could find the balance we were seeking. That and an evening stroll around the neighborhood with our dog Bailey always helped too!
Mr. McKinney was driving through McDonald’s in the mornings for an egg white delight, which is a great option if you can afford to eat out breakfast every morning or travel a lot. Then, we tried the Jimmy Dean frozen option and still with a 250 or below calorie count, they were a good plan. But, I’m always convinced I can make something better and cheaper than we can just buy it pre-made, so the challenge was on! <she says with her hands on her hip in domestic diva, sassy voice>
Every other week, 4 ingredients make their way to my grocery list and on the weeks in between, its just English Muffins that I need. Really, it’s that simple. On Sundays or Mondays I prepare the sausage/egg mixture, let it cool and then make the sandwiches later in the day before I go to bed. Because the recipe makes 6, and there are 5 workdays in a week, I usually get an extra day of grace to keep myself sane.
Mr. McKinney loves these and I have made them every week for a year…. that’s really all I need for buy in.
Every other week shopping list:
- 1 30 ounce carton of Southwest Egg Beaters
- 1 box 12 count Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage links (when I first made these, my store carried Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage Crumbles. Get a bag of those instead if you can find them so you save the cutting time)
- 1 pkg, 6-count 100 calorie Multigrain Thomas English Muffins (any 100 calorie flavor will work)
- 1 pkg Sargento Ultra Thin colby jack cheese (any flavor or brand will work, just go for the lowest calorie count)
Off week grocery list:
- 1 pkg, 6-count 100 calorie Multigrain Thomas English Muffins (any 100 calorie flavor will work)
- all other ingredients last for 2 weeks and sometimes a pkg of cheese will last for 3 if you don’t use it for anything else
Just as a point of note, I did make them ahead in the beginning and freeze them. He was ok with it for a while, but when I froze them, the egg patties retained water and made the bread soggy when it was warmed, so we went with just making 6 at a time and all is well!
Nutrition facts (based on my recipe creation in the myfitnesspal app):
Calories: 210
Fat (g): 6.7
Carbs (g): 27 – could be adjusted by cutting the bread and just eating the egg square and cheese
Protein (g): 18.3
Weight Watcher points: 5
Another great recipe, that is similar and just uses the egg part is the Southwest Egg Bake.
