Fast, Simple Breakfast

We are all busy people, and many times breakfast gets pushed out of the priorities list. It doesn't have to be elaborate or time consuming. In fact, I believe that breakfast is best when it is simple, yet delicious.

I have never been good about remembering to eat breakfast, despite the constant reminders about it being the most important meal of the day. My job has me getting up at 3am every morning, heading out the door by 3:45. Now, I am not at all a morning person, so waking up that early leaves me in a daze. By the time I realize I need to eat something, I have to dash out the door.

In my efforts to eat better to maintain a healthy ticker (see previous post), I will start by changing my breakfast routine. However, making breakfast every morning is not always feasible as mentioned before. My husband, Vaughn, suggested that I make a quiche every Sunday which I can eat throughout the week. A brilliant idea - why didn't I think of that?!

One of our wedding gifts was a wonderful cookbook called The Good Egg by Marie Simmons. It consists of more than 200 egg recipes, from breakfast to dessert. Vaughn and I love eggs for any meal of the day since they are quick, versatile, delicious and good for you (I choose to ignore the claims that my cholesterol will go through the roof if I consume eggs).

The book has a handy section on quiches and other such baked egg dishes, but I often use cookbooks to find inspiration rather than specific recipes. They must have known that because there is a handy section about improvising quiche from odds and ends in refrigerator. All you need is a great pie crust (which you can make ahead of time and freeze), egg batter, and a cup or two of ingredients. In fact, that's exactly how I make quiche at work. Here are the specifics the book provides:

• 1 cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated, diced, or crumbled cheese
• 1-2 cups solid ingredients, such as cooked vegetables, shredded or diced meats or seafood

The book suggests that you limit yourself to three basic filling ingredients, plus a compatible cheese and seasonings to tie it all together. This will keep the flavors from becoming too muddled or over powering, plus it will cut down on prep time.

This Sunday I will bake up a quiche with things I have on hand - I already have an idea, but I won't announce it just yet. If the "quiche of the week" plan goes well, I will keep it up and create a new quiche each week. I'll post the recipe and photos of course!

See y'all on Sunday!