I'm a creature of habit. Extreme habit. Some may say I don't enjoy change AT ALL, and that would be all too true. This includes more than just moving, changing stuff around the house, or something drastic along those lines. I get into grooves, and patterns and it's hard to get out of them.
One of those grooves includes my breakfast. For the past few months, I had the same thing every single day: Everything bagel with cream cheese. Sometimes, I'd add raw onions, and sometimes I'd add some egg whites.
Sometimes it was veggie cream cheese, sometimes it was plain. But I had some variety of bagels and cream cheese every single day, and it was getting old, but I didn't know what to replace it with. So I just pressed on.
Until one day, my sister-in-law posted a photo on her Snapchat of a "Norwegian Breakfast." It looked GOOD. It was some kind of toast with what looked like egg, cucumbers, cheese and meat, and I HAD TO KNOW. Lucky for me, she was prompt in response, and I was able to get all the needed ingredients for myself that same day at the store, with a few added and changed ingredients. I subbed bacon in for prosciutto, and got an onion and some arugula, ingredients not on Ashley's stack. Like I mentioned in my last pregnancy update, I can't get enough onion. It's a weird craving but it's a craving none-the-less. Seriously, onion has never tasted so good.
But before I put my twist on what a Norwegian Breakfast was, I needed to know what a Norwegian Breakfast was. I searched on The Google machine, and found several different answers, but they all centered around a couple of core key ingredients: good bread, brown cheese, egg and some form of meat, like bacon, smoked fish or cured meats. They weren't all stacks on toast like what was on Ashley's Snapchat, though some were.
All I knew is that I had to make my version, and I could NOT wait. I was hungry for it and it was really hard to wait for morning. But I did, I waited. And as soon as I woke up and took care of my morning duties around the house, (i.e. cat stuff and baby stuff and other stuff like that...), I got to assembling.
First I needed bread, and I knew EXACTLY what sort of bread would be perfect for this meal.
I lightly toasted some whole grain bread I picked up from the bakery department of my local Harris Teeter. It's a really delicious bread that I first discovered when my mom visited a while back and bought it for her own breakfasts while staying here. Apparently Fruit Loops or bagels aren't quite her cup of tea. But this bread is SO good... SO good... I'm glad she introduced it to me.
Next, I lightly buttered each slice. I'm talking SUPER lightly buttered. I'm not a butter fan, but it was part of the whole deal, and I wanted to follow instructions as closely as I could, especially for my first time making this.
I added some gouda cheese next, per Ashely's version. I personally am not a huge fan of Norwegian brown cheese, and frankly, I'm not even sure my store carries it.
Anyway, the cheese was followed by a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Then, I added sliced cucumbers, thin-sliced onion, 1 sliced hard-boiled egg, cut up crunchy bacon and topped with some fresh arugula.
The result? Perfection in a breakfast. Oh my gosh. It's hearty, healthy and seriously delicious. No, it's not low in calorie, but it packs a punch in health. Let me break it down for you.
The whole grain bread provides fiber, as well as vitamins, particularly B vitamins, including niacin, thiamin and folate. They also contain a good amount of minerals, such as zinc, iron, magnesium and manganese. The cheese adds protein and dairy, while the bacon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are the same nutrients found in fish. The healthy benefits of omega fatty acids are the reduced cholesterol and improved overall health in the heart. Despite the myth that bacon causes heart disease, it actually has a positive benefit on the heart and body. (BaconIsMagic.ca)
The veggies contain a punch too. Onions are known to help fight immunity with their Vitamin C, while cucumbers flush out toxins, aids in weight loss, has skin and hair nourishing vitamins, and helps to keep you hydrated. Arugula is high in Vitamin K for your heart, bones and skin. See? Healthy.
So I'm not sure exactly HOW authentic my take on a Norwegian Breakfast is, but I think I've found a new staple to start my morning, at least for the next couple of weeks at least.
Want to make your own twist on a Norwegian Breakfast? I don't blame you. Let me know what you decide to stack up below in the comments!