In our house, breakfast is almost always on the run. I can't remember a time where we got to sit down to eat breakfast at the table....ever! The kiddos sometimes will get cereal out and eat once they are ready for school (and then eat again at daycare - they are bottomless pits, I swear!) but Mr. CrazyLife and I are always on the go.
This usually sometimes meant a stop at the Golden Arches for a breakfast sandwich. I have to admit that breakfast is one of the only meals I will eat there - the rest of their food leaves me feeling less than good when I eat it. However, even those little McMuffins were taking their toll....my "muffin" belly was starting to show that I was stopping there one too many mornings. Not to mention the pennies that were floating down the drain every time we stopped.
So I found a better way. I still get my protein via egg for the morning, but it's a lot healthier and a lot less costly. I simply decided to start making my own "mc"Muffins. Perhaps not an original idea, but it works for us!
These are so easy to make and you can do them ahead....just stick in the freezer and pop in the microwave or toaster oven in the morning.
I do about a week's worth of sandwiches at once. I take the english muffins and toast them, either under the broiler or in the toaster oven. Then I put a little butter on them (everything is better with butter, eh?).
For cheese, I will usually use a sliced cheese (American or Swiss or Cheddar). I know it's not the healthiest option, but it is the easiest! I've also used shredded cheddar.
The eggs are super easy. Take a muffin pan. Crack an egg into each well. Bake in the oven until done (usually about 10 minutes or so.) In the sandwich above, I actually did the egg on the stovetop, which is how I prefer it - it keeps it really thin, while eggs from the oven tend to "puff" up a bit.
Put all the pieces together and voila, a homemade "mc"muffin!
You could easily add ham or bacon or veggies into this as well, if you wished.
Do you know how many ingredients are in a McMuffin? Over 50! Can you imagine....an english muffin, an egg, and cheese (theirs also has ham - with 9 ingredients.....) And at 300 calories with 820 g of sodium. Yikes!
My english muffin has flour, yeast, water, oil and a bit of sugar. My egg came from the chickens....nothing else there. I did use processed cheese in the above picture, but even so......Much less ingredients and much less sodium and calories and fat.
And cheaper.
My local McD's sells McMuffins for about $3/each.
My sandwich cost breakdown: 99 cents/5 english muffins (about 20 cents each), egg - free, cheese- $2/16 slices (about 12.5 cents each slice). Total cost 32.5 cents. Huge difference!
Plus, they taste much yummier!
Try making your own breakfast sandwiches. Your wallet, your tummy and your taste buds will thank you!
*Edited to add: Nutritional Info from McDonald's Egg McMuffin
