Serves: 4-6

2 egg whites

7 whole eggs

7 Tbsp. nonfat milk

1 1/2 slices Morningstar Farm vegetarian bacon

6 slices center cut bacon

handful fresh chives (or about 2 Tbsp. dried), cut into small pieces

1/2 c. frozen spinach (defrosted and water squeezed out)

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Optional: 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, cooked bulk sausage, and any other ingredients you would put in an omelet.

Preheat oven to 450 deg.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

In large bowl, whish together egg whites, whole eggs, and nonfat milk.

Cut vegetarian bacon into small pieces. Cut center cut bacon in half. Line 6 of the muffin cups with the 2 halves of bacon.

Pour just under 1/4 c. egg mixture into each of the 12 muffin tins.

Add small amount of the vegetarian bacon to the other 6 muffin tins. Add small amount of the spinach.

Top with salt, pepper, and some chives. At this point, you could add the cheese, if using.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until egg is puffed up and cooked all the way through (shake the pan… if no eggs jiggle, they are done)

Run a butter knife around edge of each muffin tin…using 3-pronged meat fork, stab each breakfast cup in the center and put knife under cup to lift onto serving platter.

A simple yet wonderful dessert every guy should learn how to make. You can substitute for the cherry pie filling with apple or peach filling too.

As the years have progressed, I have become more adventurous on what I will try and have been quite pleased for the most part. Here are a few products that I like both for taste and nutritional content.

Lightlife Products are sold in your grocer’s produce section, as opposed to the freezer section where most pre-made veggie items are found. There are 2 products that I really like: Gimme Lean Sausage and Smart BBQ. The Gimme Lean Sausage is sold in a roll-shaped package, much like the pork-based sausage. The awesome thing…no fat! Absolutely 0 grams of fat…hard to believe, right?! Here’s the nutrition info (retrieved from the Lightlife.com website) for the Gimme Lean Sausage:

This is in a box rather than a tube, but the product is the same, the ground “sausage”.

Calories: 60/2 oz serving

Fat: 0 grams   Sodium: 380 mg  Potassium: 460 mg  Carbs: 6 grams  Protein: 7 grams  Soy protein: 7 grams

Can’t beat that with a stick! The texture of the uncooked product is a bit different…on the sticky side, actually. After you form it into patties, you do need to put a bit of oil in a frying pan and then simply brown them on both sides and enjoy!

The Smart BBQ is sold in a “Heat n’ Eat” packet…simply tear off the top and microwave for 1:30. I ate mine on a hamburger bun. It tasted just like a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, the sauce

was very tangy and nice. Here’s the nutrition info:

Calories: 70/ 1/4 cup serving

Fat: 0 grams  Sodium: 380 mg  Potassium: 80 mg  Carbs: 13 grams  Protein: 6 grams

Wow! Now you don’t have to subsist on a salad and whatever sides are offered at a conventional BBQ—simply take a package of Smart BBQ with you, nuke if for a little over a minute, and have your own delish feast! And, forget toast for breakfast…now you can have scrambled eggs and sausage…or a “sausage” egg and cheese biscuit for breakfast and take it on the go if you need to.

Hope these 2 tips add some variety and convenience to your wonderful, animal-friendly, lifestyle. And, if you are vegan, they will fit in nicely with your food choices as well.

So, being the 21st century gal that I am…I went online to see how to get rid of the little suckers since noone I knew had any luck at evicting them. Guess what? It was pretty simple. Here’s whatchya do.

Get a bowl, doesn’t matter what size, and fill it with balsamic vinegar (or fruit juice) just until the bottom of the bowl is covered. Then, place plastic wrap over the bowl and form a TIGHT seal…ensuring no wrinkles are on the surface or edges of the plastic wrap…needs to be tight as a drum! Then, take a toothpick and poke lots of tiny holes in the plastic wrap. Wah lah! A fruit fly trap. The fruit flies crawl into the holes to go after the sweet stuff inside, but can’t get back out (make sure your holes aren’t too big, but also not microscopic). I also found that, if you see some flies sitting on top of the plastic wrap “contemplating” going in, you can spray them with window cleaner, which renders them flightless, then I could wipe the plastic wrap with a paper towel and the flies come off on the paper towel.

To prevent a re-infestation, make sure all fruit and food on the counter is covered with plastic wrap or put away in the fridge. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink that have sweet things on them.

I hope this helps you rid your house of these unwelcome guests. Who would think that such tiny creatures can be SO annoying?

The bonus…you can use this on self-cleaning ovens (explanation beginning…). I was not aware that not all oven cleaners should be used in self-cleaning ovens. Why use a spray if you have a self-cleaning oven, you ask? Have you ever USED that function? As the cycle progressed (and it takes about FOUR hours), I could hardly breathe as the toxic vapors of incinerated grease filled my home. So, the spray was an option I was willing to try.

I do have a few tips for all you DIY’ers out there:
1. Allow about 2 hours for said endeavor

2. Wear OLD clothes (yeah, it’s messy)
3. Wear disposable latex or vinyl gloves (….yeah, it’s MESSY)

4. Be willing to sacrifice some sponges and old cleaning cloths

So, what does it look like? Behold…my unrecognizably clean oven!!!

Yes…this really IS my oven that is nearly 3 years old…and had only been cleaned once before {hanging my head in shame}. Notice how SHINY and SEE-THROUGH the glass door is. I had become used to having to open the door to actually see inside (yes, I’m pathetic).

  Another view of my awesome, beautiful oven and the superhero-in-a-can. {sigh}

So, broil and bake your hearts out…and Easy Off will come to your rescue every time with little elbow grease required. Simply spray on, shut the door (turn on exhaust fan, still a little bit of a smell, but I am sensitive to fumes), wait 2 hours, and wipe clean with wet sponges and a final passover with wet cleaning cloths. Done!