Eating While on the Road - Breakfast (scrambled egg)

Dear Readers,

Thanks for continuing to follow me on this journey of microwave meals, nutritional eating, and budgeting while on the road. This 3rd brief post is intended to focus on what I've been doing for breakfast.

My hot breakfast meals this week included:

• Scrambled eggs (Butter, Salt, Pepper, Eggs)
• Egg "Over easy" (Butter, Salt, Pepper, Egg)

My cold breakfast foods include:

• Cucumbers and Celery (cherry tomato)
• Blue berries

(Coffee and tea are included in my stay)

First the goods:
If you remember my itemized grocery list from my last post you would have seen:
- A dozen organic cage free eggs (Eggland's best) at $3.99 (about $0.33 per egg).

• Many grocery stores in Germany, and some organic groceries/farm stands here in the States offer the option to purchase as few eggs or as many as you'd like. The price per egg also matters to our budget. 
• Brown eggs come from brown hens. The yellow part of the egg is called the yoke (we all know this) and gets its color from plant pigments in the hen's food; they are made primarily of fats, proteins, and essential nutrients. The whites are called albumen.

- Butter from grass-fed cow's milk [edit: Salted] (Finlandia) at $2.99 (about $0.37oz or $0.19/ tblspn).

- Salt and Pepper grinders from the dollar store cost $1 each., or you can find complimentary packets at hot food counters.

The tools:

• Microwave
• Microwave safe glass or ceramic bowl/plate (dollar store)
• Microwave safe glass or ceramic mug (dollar store)
• Utensils: Fork, Knife, Spoon [Spork if you can find one!

Simple Microwave Scramble 

The application:
(Important tip, don't put your container in the center of the microwave, off-set it for best results)

1. Cut a quarter tablespoon of butter into your microwave-safe glass or ceramic container*
2. Melt the butter in the Microwave 2 twenty second intervals until the solid has become a liquid
• Times may vary, I have access to a 900W Magic Chef machine 
3. Crack two eggs into your buttered bowl, add salt and pepper** to your preference and scramble/whip those eggs
4. Microwave them for 30 seconds, remove the bowl and scrambling/whip them again
5. Microwave them for 30 seconds, remove the bowl and scrambling/whip them again
6. Microwave them for 15 seconds, remove the bowl and scramble/whip again
7. Microwave them for 15 seconds, remove the bowl and scramble/whip again 

 At this point (or sooner) any further cooking is to your preference - I like mine soft, and wet.

** - You could add these at a later point in the process, but the way typed above is fast and simple.

Reminders:
Let the bowl/eggs cool before you eat! Remember that the eggs (and all microwaved food) will continue to cook a bit after you've taken them out of the microwave. With that in mind, thee eggs might look a little loose immediately after the 75 seconds of cooking, but will firm-up some after sitting to cool. Additionally, my bowl is never too hot to handle, but you may want a towel or t-shirt to remove the bowl to your eating surface. Lastly, I like to eat mine with a spork, when I can find one, because the dual function of the fork/spoon helps me get all the egg that sticks to the side of the container (mug or bowl).

Additions:
I don't put milk in my scrambled eggs, but you could. I would add this at step two with the eggs on the initial scramble.
I generally do not put cheese in/on my scramble, but you could add this to your preference on step 5 or 6 because the eggs will not be hot enough to melt your cheese after step 6.
Add your favorite toppings for your "south-western"scramble, avocado, or what-ever.

Microwaving your food does less damage to your food compared to stove top methods, and as a result less/fewer nutrients is/are lost in the process. Eggland's Best eggs raw are 60 calories per serving, 6 grams of protein, 1 gram of saturated fat, 3 grams of unsaturated fat (1 poly- 2 mono-), approximately 20 - 40% of your daily value of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12, Biotin, Pantothnic Acid (B5), Iodine, Selenium, Molybdenum, and Choline, and 57% of your daily value of cholesterol. They also contain 125 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids and 200 mcg of Lutein.

For a complete picture I am including my calculations of Finlandia's salted grass-fed cow's milk butter.  At 1 quarter tablespoon there are 25 calories, 2.75 grams of Fat (1.5 from saturated fats and no trans fats), 7.5 mg of cholesterol (only about 2 and quarter percent of your daily value), 20 mg of sodium, 0 carbohydrates, 0 sugars, 0 Protein, and no valuable vitamins/minerals [daily values based on 2000 calorie diet].

For a complete picture I am including my calculations of Finlandia's salted grass-fed cow's milk butter.  At 1 quarter tablespoon there are 25 calories, 2.75 grams of Fat (1.5 from saturated fats and no trans fats), 7.5 mg of cholesterol (only about 2 and quarter percent of your daily value), 20 mg of sodium, 0 carbohydrates, 0 sugars, 0 Protein, and no valuable vitamins/minerals [daily values based on 2000 calorie diet].

At $0.66 for two eggs, $0.05 for a quarter tablespoon of butter, negligible amount of salt/pepper, the cost of your bowl, and 75 seconds of cooking time you have a cheap delicious breakfast!

Thanks for reading,

Joe

*Try to avoid plastic as much as you can. Microwave-safe plastic doesn't mean that it's good for you, it means that it will not destroy your microwave, it might destroy you long term.

Links:
Here are some links of people who videoed themselves following a similar process
Simple Mug scramble
Simple glass bowl scramble (I cued the clip to 28 seconds in)
This guy is hard to watch, but the information is quite good
Just like Mom does (well, not my Mother)
14 Egg Hacks (@3:32 is the microwave scrambled egg. Disclaimer: I don't approve of his cracking technique, use a flat surface, not an edge!)
Bon Appetit and nearly every method for egg prep (@11:18 is the microwave scrambled egg)