Can you even remember the last time you had an Egg McMuffin, if in fact you’ve ever tried one at all? I myself haven’t had one in probably 15 years but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about them! I’m a breakfast person and not just on Sundays. I love getting up early, doing my yoga practice, hitting the gym… only to return home to make a colorful, clean and healthy breakfast. I also cherish brunch. With champagne. In nice flutes! This weekend I wanted so badly to go out for brunch but we’re trying to save money and really streeeeeeeeeetch our budget this month since Andy just got laid off from work. So instead I batted my extremely long (real) eyelashes (I get asked if they’re extensions all the time) and asked Andy if he’d make us Eggs Benedict for brunch and he obliged! This fete in itself is pretty much huge since Andy is NOT a breakfast person and doesn’t like to be woken up ever! Unless it’s sometime after 11 a.m. That he finds more acceptable… no joke!

 

Did I mention I’m frugal? Not cheap… let’s get that straight…. I love to shop and I love nice things and I love to travel. But if there’s a way to cut back on everyday things around the house, I’ll find it! My friend Melissa was making fun of me because I told her I save money but using hair conditioner as shaving cream, therefore eliminating an extra product in my medicine cabinet! I think I’m being extremely ingeniuos here and she’s laughing her ass off at me! Need other ways to save around the house and in general? Here are my top favorite:

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1. Don’t order appetizers when you go out! Not only do they add to the tab, but they add to your waist making you too full to eat the entree that you ordered! If you aren’t ordering entrees, “tapas” is SO the way to go though!

2. Paint your own nails! Sure getting pampered feels ahhhhhmazing, but I spent over $700 at the nail salon in 2010…. thank god I wasn’t married yet or Andy would have had a cow.. literally…! Now I hold a tennis ball to give myself a manicure and I sit out in the sun when I paint my toes so I can see the edges better.

3. I wash all my clothes on cold and I only use HALF a cup of the recommended detergent amount when I do laundry. There’s been a ton of research done on this lately that says our clothes come out just as clean when we use less soap. Tide and Purex are scamming us people! Also, I read technically warm water isn’t any different from cold water when washing your clothes. Only when washing your hands… you should definitely use warm water to help kill bacteria!

4. I grow my own herbs and produce whenever possible and I keep replanting and replanting after. These huge wine barrels are great for growing tomatoes, and I’ve got some white beans sprouting now too! Down below is some spinach, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, and scallions.

   

5. Last but not least, I walk everywhere! And not for the exercise! It saves me money on gas, miles on the car/scooter and is just a much greener way to travel! I put on my backpack, NPR app or Jerry Seinfeld Pandora Radio and I’m good to go! Speaking of which, I just walked to the library yesterday and picked up the new novel by Liane Moriarty called Big Little Lies. I’m already 60 pages in and loving it!

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So back to food… on Sunday when I requested brunch we hit the store for eggs and English muffins and I picked up some portobello mushrooms too because I had the following ideas in my head…. an Egg “McMushroom” Open Faced Breakfast “Sandwich” and a spin-off of that for dinner in the form of an Egg “McMushroom” Burger. I think we spent about 10 bucks at the store and we got four meals out of it…. That’s what we call streeeeeeeeeetching the budget in the Nelson household my friend! I cannot wait to make these two beauties again since they take just minutes to prepare and seconds to eat! Bon Appetite!

Egg McMushroom Burgers-serves two 

Ingredients:

-2 English muffins

-2 portobello mushrooms (choose smaller ones)

-1 hard boiled egg, sliced

-handful of mixed greens

-olive oil

-balsamic vinegar

-salt and pepper

-2 corn on the cobs (optional side)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Take the mushrooms and cut off the stems and scoop out the middle. Drizzle some oil olive , balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper on top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the mushroom is soft.

 

3.  Toast an English muffin and add the mixed greens on top. Place the mushroom on top and then the sliced hard-boiled egg. I added mustard to my burger too!

4. Andy also quickly grilled up some corn on the cob for a healthy side-dish alternative. Easy peesy meal ready in just minutes! There’s no excuse for not eatin’ clean!

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Open Faced Egg McMushroom Breakfast “Sandwich” -serves one 

Ingredients:

-2 Sunny-side Up Eggs

-1 portobello mushroom (choose a small one)

-cherry tomatoes (from my garden!)

-scallions (from my garden!)

-basil (from my garden, yet again!)

-olive oil

-balsamic vinegar

-salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Take the mushrooms and cut off the stems and scoop out the middle. Drizzle some oil olive , balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper on top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the mushroom is soft.

  

3. While the mushroom is cooking, add two eggs to a frying pan and cook for 5 minutes. Do not flip them!

4. Place the eggs on a plate and put the finished mushroom on top. Add your herbs inside the mushroom and around the plate and enjoy!