Creating My Own Breakfast

I live in a Senior Community where they provide our meals. We do not have kitchens in our apartments and are not expected to cook. They do, on occasion, provide meals to take back to our apartments to reheat. Therefore, we are expected to have a microwave. If we don't have a microwave, there is one available in the Activity Room on the ground floor.

I live on the second floor, and I did not move in with a microwave. When I realized that the only way to reheat food was with a microwave downstairs, I investigated acquiring one. The community was having a garage sale and there were two microwaves available. I asked the Activities Director if the microwaves worked. She got a cup of water, put it in one of the microwaves and turned it on to heat the water. It worked. I said that I would take it. She sold it to me for $0.05.

I have been allergic to milk and specifically whey since birth. This allergy has been the cause of many digestive problems over the years, and I must be careful what I eat.  My doctor told me recently that I should read the ingredients list on every item that I eat. Since my meals are prepared by the kitchen, I do not have that luxury, but I have talked to the head chefs as they have changed over these past 10 years, and they keep me informed when ingredients might be harmful to my condition.

Occasionally the kitchen will set up a continental breakfast. We have specifically determined that I cannot eat scrambled eggs created with the premade mixture they use daily. These are the eggs they use on the buffet. Recently, a continental breakfast buffet was being offered. There was nothing to bring home to reheat. Therefore, I had to get creative. I ordered 4 hard-boiled eggs to take to my apartment for breakfast the next morning. I had packets of Mayo from the kitchen in the fridge. I had recently order Ritz crackers and sliced American cheese from Walmart. I am fortunate that they deliver, since I cannot travel to nearby stores due to a recent hospital stay.

I created a recipe that sounded good to me. Spreading the crackers on a plate, I added pieces of the American cheese on top. I combined the Mayo and Egg Yolks with a fork in a small dish. I spread the Mayo Mixture over the American cheese. I cut the Egg Whites into small pieces and put them on top of the Egg Mixture. No cooking was required.

The best part of the whole day was that I could sleep in.  I was able to dream about my upcoming breakfast while enjoying several hours more sleep. I woke up hungry and refreshed

I leisurely enjoyed this meal at 10:00 am. I found this breakfast to be delicious. I was complementing myself on having created my ingenious recipe until I figured out the calories I was consuming. These past years living here, I have lost over 100 lbs. I am normally very conscious of my caloric intake. I did not take them into consideration when planning this meal.

It turns out, one small package of crackers (12) is 210 calories. Two slices of American cheese are 100 calories. The Mayo is approximately 150 calories. Four Medium Eggs are 240 calories. The total for this breakfast was 700 calories. Maybe I should have used half the ingredients.

If calories are not your concern, enjoy this combination the next time you need breakfast, or a late-night snack. I can even recommend creating it as a dish to take to parties you may be attending.