Breakfast Pita Pocket

Lately I have been bored with breakfast.   I was on a big oatmeal kick, but its gotten old.  I try not to eat cereal because its full of sugar.  To complicate things more, I'm on the meatless trend right now. 

What's a girl to do?  This week I've tried to think out of the box to give myself a healthy jump start to the day.  It's important to eat breakfast. Why? (According to WebMD), Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast (as opposed to the kind containing doughnuts) can help give you:

• A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals
• Improved concentration and performance in the classroom or the boardroom
• More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity
• Lower cholesterol levels
• Breakfast is also closely linked to successful weight loss strategies

In an effort to get something good in my body for breakfast I've arrived back at the egg.  Though, I've never been big on eggs.  Honestly, if I never ate one again I don't think I would miss it. But they are good for you and eggs contain lean protein keeps you feeling fuller, longer. I figured it's worth giving the old egg a second chance.
(See more benefits on eggs at the end of the post)

Using whatever I had on hand in the fridge I came up with this breakfast Pita Pocket, but now that I have the idea I see the possibilities are endless. 

For the egg filling, I used 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white.  The egg yolk is where the most of the fat and cholesterol is so I try to use them sparingly. 

Scramble the eggs in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat, stirring as little as possible (*the trick to fluffy scrambled eggs is to cook them slow and low and not stir too much). Give your pan a couple of quick sprays of non-stick cooking spray before adding in eggs to be on the safe side.   When they were almost complete I added in a sprinkle of sea salt and cracked black pepper, a fork full of capers, and a handful of spinach.  Let this all heat through until the spinach wilts down a bit.

Pita pockets can be found in the bakery section of most grocery stores.  I heated one pocket in a toaster oven while my eggs were cooking.  When the pita came out of the oven I put a couple of pinches of soy cheese inside to let the heat of the pocket melt the cheese down.   Soy cheese is in the organic section, and tastes so close to cheese I don't notice a difference when added to dishes.  I hear it makes a great grilled cheese, but I haven't tried yet. Soy cheese has less calories and fat than regular cheese.  Very popular with the vegans, of course.

So to finish the pocket, stuff the egg, spinach, and caper mixture in the pocket.  At that point if I had marinara sauce to add in it would have been perfect.  But this is no perfect world and I had to improvise.  I added in salsa that I had in the fridge.  Salsa and capers are not a common match but it added in the perfect tomato zip I was looking for.

There are soooo many different combos of stuffing's that would make a great start to the day.  If you wanted to add in sausage or bacon it would be easy to do too.  Just brown the meat up in the skillet before adding in eggs.

I hope to pick up some feta cheese and marinara sauce to truly go Greek with this pita pocket this week.

The pita pocket did keep me feeling very full and satisfied until lunch time rolled around.  Feeling full going into lunch helps me be smarter about what I eat and if I'm not starving I eat less.  Bonus!

So what makes eggs so Eggcellent? 

They may reduce your risk of cancer

Whole eggs are one of the best sources of the nutrient choline (one large egg has about 30 percent of your RDA). A study published this year found that women with a high intake of choline were 24 percent less likely to get breast cancer. Note: Choline is found mostly in the yolk.

Eggs keep your peepers peeping
Egg yolks are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that have been shown to ward off macular degeneration--so you'll still be able to eyeball hotties from afar when you're 80.

An omelet a day can shrink your waist
Louisiana State University system researchers found that obese people who ate a two-egg breakfast at least five times a week lost 65 percent more weight and had more energy than women who breakfasted on bagels.

Your abs eat them up
These little orbs contain a certain sequence of amino acids that makes egg protein easy for your body to absorb. Which means a hard-boiled grade-A is an ideal muscle-repair food after a butt-busting workout.

Which eggs are best?
All eggs contain the same basic good stuff, and the large ones pack only 72 calories each, so you really can't go wrong. But depending on your eating habits, special eggs may be worth the extra cash.

(Info from WebMD and Women's Health Magazine)