On regular mornings, when work beckons all too quickly, I grab a yogurt after my shower and have a light, reasonably healthy breakfast. Well, the added can of Red Bull makes it less healthy, but still pretty light on calories. I later slip a cold-cut sandwich, secured in a Ziploc baggie, into my satchel and head out into the slightly chilly morning to make my morning drive to the high school, were I nosh hungrily during my short lunch break on said sandwich and a zero-calorie Coke Zero. Assuming I don’t indulge on an unhealthy after-school snack (teaching makes you surprisingly hungry!) after classes, my exercise routine keeps me trim.
Today I overindulged, and feel slightly guilty. I’m writing right now to avoid my kitchen, which tempts me.
While a normal winter morning for west Texas is slightly chilly, occasionally we get wintry blasts from the north, even bringing us the rare snowfall. Such was the case a few days ago, when a cold front dropped 2-3 inches of surprisingly decent snow on our fair city. Despite living in Midland, I know a bit more about snow than most Texans – I did live in Wyoming for six years!
On mornings when the mercury huddles below the freezing mark and snow and ice make their presence known, I indulge in my favorite winter hobby: The big breakfast.
Instead of a low-calorie yogurt I throw out all the stops and fire up the stove, prepping my skillet for culinary battle. I fry up eggs, sausage, ham, and toast my Texas Toast (go big or go home on the bread, I say!). I slice and dice a pepper, chop up mushrooms, and prepare an avocado.
Cheese, both sliced and shredded, is ready. I prefer sharp cheddar, though I augment its presence with some whipped cream cheese later on.
With sizzling and snapping coming from the skillet, I prepare my ultimate breakfast sandwich: Meat, egg, mushroom, cheese, avocado and cream cheese, and then peppers and potato chips for some crunch. I top it off with a regular Coke, letting the real sugar power me through the morning chill.
If it’s a snow day and school is cancelled, I will adjourn to the living room with my feastly sandwich to indulge in some morning television. No sense in note being mindlessly entertained while keeping my Arctic explorer self alive in times of inclement weather, right? I need these calories to survive the blizzard, dammit!
When the temperatures warm and I make it to the gym again, I hit the treadmill and train for a 5K, imagining myself as a Kenyan on a hot, sunny African plain.