Breakfast: The bane of my existence. Or so I thought. Until now.

For years breakfast was the bane of my existence. But then two things happened that changed everything. First we got chickens. Secondly, I discovered Pinterest. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.

Growing up my stay-at-home mother made us a hot breakfast every morning. She made me breakfast each morning during the years our family lived in Memphis and I went to the small private school where seminary kids got a hefty discount. She kept it up during the years when we lived in Florida and my dad would drop me and my brother off at the neighborhood public school on his way to work. And she even managed to pull it off during our years in Alaska when she homeschooled us kids (four of us by now) when the sun sometimes did not rise till well after 9 AM, and no one wanted to get out of bed all day.

These breakfast were not elaborate, they were not gourmet and they were not always wonderful (sorry Mom.)  Sometimes breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal, sometimes it was a soft boiled egg still warm with a pat of butter melting into it, served with a side of toast. Sometimes my dear mother - on the cutting edge of the health food movement - made bran-muffins as hard as a rock and about as tasty. But regardless of the menu, the fact remains that my mother made breakfast almost everyday that I lived at home.

In my 11 and 1/2 career as mother I cannot say I have lived up to this standard. In fact breakfast has been one of those little details of parenthood that has eluded me. Having to plan for and feed other humans before I am even fully awake just never seemed to click  no matter how many menus I made or groceries I bought.  During the years I was a stay-at-home mom,  a work-from-home mom, and a part-time outside the home working mother, I made many attempts at being the mother who got up early, cheerfully putting a large hot breakfast on the table each morning. But these were sporadic attempts at domestic bliss, and not realistic for daily repetition.  When I went to work outside the home full time I was shamefully convinced that the pursuit of healthy, mostly hot, yummy breakfast was a lost cause.

And so for a time we all gave in to dry cereal. Expensive, sugar filled, won't last in your belly, uses up all the not-cheap milk cereal. Every now and then I would try and interject cheese toast or hearty oatmeal into the mix. But picky kids and a still-sleepy momma who is rushing to get herself ready for work in addition to get kids up and dressed, bags packed and breakfast on the table do not blend well. All too often it was just easier (and quicker) to avoid the grumblings and throw a box of Puffed Sugar on the table, say EAT UP KIDS and rush away in horror at my lack of mothering prowess.

But then two things happened that changed everything. First we got those chickens, who are apparently very happy birds because they produce 5-6 eggs a day. Suddenly I had more eggs than I knew what to do with. Next I happened to notice on Pinterest (oh the things you can learn on Pinterest!)  that I could cook those very eggs in the oven with very little effort. A light bulb suddenly came on.  This  meant I could take a shower while the eggs cooked. I could dry my hair. Or put my make-up on. So I tried it. And guess what? The eggs were delicious. And there were no grumblings and no picky eaters. Only request for More! More! More! It was a miracle: A healthy, hot, easy breakfast everyone loved. I was so happy I almost cried.

Oven Baked Egg Sandwiches

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Spray cooking spray into a muffin tin or whoopie pie tin (as shown above)
Break eggs into pan ( I only cook the amount we need each day, but you can cook a whole pan full and reheat them during the week)
For runny eggs leave yolks whole, for a fully cooked egg break yolks using a fork
Cook for 12-15 minutes for Runny Eggs, Cook 10-12 minutes for fully cooked (think McDonalds Egg McMuffin)
Release from pan by using a spoon to scoop each egg out

We make our sandwiches with the following: 
English Muffin (lightly toasted)
Pre-Cooked Turkey Sausage (heated in the microwave)
A smidge of shredded cheese
Salt

To Assemble
Place the bottom half of the English muffin on the plate.
Add your sprinkle of cheese
Place Egg Patty on top of cheese
Lightly Salt
Add Turkey Patty on top of egg
Finish with top of English Muffin
Voila! A yummy sunny breakfast sandwich everyone will love.

Now I don't know if this was an actual miracles or not. Whether God ordained that these two things should come together in my life or not. But I don't really give a hoot. I love him for them all the same.  I believe that he loved me regardless of what kind of breakfast I made for my family. He was never the barer of shame to me for what I saw as my flaws and failings in that area. That was all me. All my junk, all my expectations, standards and should-do's.  I am pretty sure he would be just fine with me putting cereal on the table for the rest of eternity if that is what worked for our family.  But I can't help but think that he got a little kick watching that light bulb come on, watching me do the happy dance in my pajamas when everyone proclaimed the sandwiches a success.

Because it's not really about what I serve. It's really about how I come to the table. Do I come joyfully? With thanksgiving in my heart? Or do I come grumbling, only focused on how I or life or others has fallen short? I hope it is the first, though I am sure that too often it is the last. So today I will start again. Today I will say thank you Lord for happy chickens who give us lots of fresh eggs and thank you Lord for the people who made Pinterest.  And thank you that you love me as I am, where I am.

Amen and dig in!  
Now about those sack lunches....