With egg prices sky-high at the moment—and projected to rise even more—your ol’ reliable breakfast scramble may no longer be financially feasible each and every morning. Unless, of course, there was a way to stretch out the eggs so you can still enjoy the recipes you love but maybe just not use up quite as many of them in the process.
Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can add to eggs to make them more filling without breaking the bank. Two things to keep in mind? Protein and fiber, both of which are key for boosting satisfaction and staving off prelunch hunger pangs. Eggs already pack a solid amount of the former (clocking in at about six grams apiece), but even if you eat two for breakfast, you’re still falling short of the often-recommended 20 grams at your morning meal—so anything you can add on the protein front can help deliver the sustained energy you need to seize the day. As for fiber, well, eggs are pretty much lacking in that nutrient, so your eggy add-ins will be particularly clutch there.
Using supplemental ingredients not only “adds more volume and nutritional value, but it also might allow us to maybe only need to use one to two eggs to feel full and satisfied,”Amber Young, MS, RDN, the founder of the North Carolina practice Redefined Nutrition, tells SELF. That way, you can still enjoy all the good things eggs have to offer—along with packing protein, they also include important micronutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, folate, and choline—without sucking up a good chunk of your grocery budget. Below, we’ve assembled a list of ingredients to add to eggs to keep you satisfied. Some, like the real deal themselves, will keep you full for longer by delivering a hefty dose of protein, while others are packed with fiber. Either way, they’ll all help you make your egg-based breakfast that much more robust—and lighten the burden on your wallet.
1. Milk
Some cooks scoff at the idea of adding milk to plain ol’ eggs, arguing that it makes them rubbery and flavorless, but we’re a fan of adding that to our scramble—and so is Janice Dada, MPH, RDN, a certified intuitive eating counselor based in California. “I’ve experimented both ways, and I find that it [offers] a little bit more fluff,” she tells SELF. Hey, it works for frittatas, quiches, and other fancy egg dishes, so why not your morning scramble? And there’s no need to break out the measuring cups for this tip, either; just “add a splash” (a.k.a. a few tablespoons), Dada says. A quarter cup, or four tablespoons, for instance, will give you an extra two grams of protein for your breakfast. For something that tastes a little richer, sub in heavy cream instead. Either way, you’ll also get a hit of the bone-building mineral calcium.
2. Greek yogurt
For a dairy product that’s thicker than milk, try whisking a dollop or two of plain Greek yogurt into your egg mixture. (You don’t want any vanilla flavoring or added fruit skewing the taste.) Protein contribution aside, Greek yogurt “adds so much to the dish in terms of flavor and texture, and just can make it more enjoyable” overall, Young says. Try adding a quarter cup of a whole-milk option to two eggs—that’ll add five grams of protein.
3. Cottage cheese
Even if you wouldn’t dig into a bowl of cottage cheese, hear us out about adding it to your omelet. “I wouldn’t write it off for mixing it into eggs because it won’t give you the same taste or texture,” Dada says. To eradicate any of those telltale chunks, try blending the eggs and cottage cheese together first. Giving the two a thorough mix will yield “a more smooth and fluffy consistency” in the final product, Young says. In fact, she likens it to Starbucks’s famous sous vide egg bites, a fave on-the-go protein option. A quarter cup of the 2% fat version contains about six grams of protein.
4. Regular cheese
Cheese is rich in protein, as SELF has previously reported, so slip a slice or slab into the skillet along with your eggs for an instant boost (not to mention a “melty, dewy” finish, Young adds.) What’s more, it’s also a quick and easy way to customize the taste: You can choose from a huge range of flavor profiles to select the one you like best—from mild (like provolone) to sharp (like cheddar) to spicy (like pepper jack). Ultimately, “I don’t think there’s any wrong cheese for eggs,” Dada says. “It just depends on what flavor you’re going for.” (For what it’s worth, she’s a feta fan.)
Besides the cheese flavor, you’ll also want to consider the packaging format. Shredded cheese, for example, comes ready to eat (no slicing required), but it has a coating that may hurt the overall texture of the dish. Namely, “it might feel like it’s not blending in as well,” Young says. On the other side of the spectrum, block cheese does require slicing, but it doesn’t have that same coating, meaning it’ll deliver more of that irresistible ooey-gooeyness. Add a slice of cheddar and you’ll be looking at four extra grams of protein for your breakfast.
5. Egg whites
Using packaged liquid egg whites to stretch out eggs “is a great option if we’re doing a basic scramble or even an omelet, just to get a bit more volume,” Young says—but you may find the result less creamy than normal. To avoid running into this issue, Young recommends whisking the raw eggs and the liquid whites together beforehand. That way, she says, the mixture is “going to be a lot more cohesive, and those texture differences won’t be as noticeable.” Add a quarter cup of whites to your eggs and you’ll get nearly seven more grams of protein. Besides, you can always add a slice of cheese to compensate for any reduced richness (see above).
6. Tofu
Yes, we said tofu. Specifically, Dada recommends silken tofu, the softest type. With its ability to meld almost seamlessly with other ingredients, this plant-based protein can be stirred into a whole bunch of things: dips, sauces, dressings, soups, mousses, smoothies, custards, and, yep, eggs. Whip it in a bowl before adding it to your eggs to ensure an extra-smooth blend, Dada says. Like dairy, she notes, tofu is an excellent source of calcium, along with other minerals like iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. If you add a quarter-cup of it, you’ll boost your protein by five grams.
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