Jason creates a Spicy Chicken Jerky Omelette and tells how to ditch the “bad eggs”

Local fitness enthusiast Jason Murphy remakes favorite meals of his youth into healthy dishes. See the full list of his recipes at www.mysaline.com/jason-murphy.

When I go to town early in the morning on weekends, I notice the parking lots of the breakfast restaurants like IHOP are packed. The same goes for the drive-thru at the fast food places. It always comes as a surprise for me, because if there’s one meal that even novice cooks can handle, it’s breakfast. Not only will it taste better, but at home, you will get actual eggs, and not some pre-mixed egg slurry full of unnecessary oils and preservatives.

An egg is one of nature’s perfect foods, and any man-made chemical alteration is just a travesty. I’ve always said if I land on a deserted island that has a fresh water supply, a chicken, and an avocado tree, do not come looking for me. I have all that I need. Any scrambled eggs or omelettes from IHOP are made from a “packaged bag egg substitute” and if you ask for real eggs, that can be an extra charge. They also add pancake batter to their egg slurry, so you are getting simple sugars and carbs that eggs neither need nor want. I’m sorry, but if you think IHOP pancakes are good, you must have gone through a lot of glue paste in Kindergarten, because that’s the taste and texture.

That, however, is another article. It’s the same issue for fast food joints. Unless it’s a “round egg” it’s coming out of a plastic bag. It’s not good for either your taste buds or your insides. Take control back and cook your own scrambled eggs and omelettes. You will never go back, and you can leave the sticky fake syrup booths and tables to some other sap not knowing or caring about what they eat.

That being said, not all eggs are equal. Color doesn’t matter, brown, white, whatever. That is just an indication of the breed of hen, or the company’s polishing procedure. Organic means nothing either. If the carton doesn’t say they are free range, you might as well be buying the cheap cartons. Healthy hens are outdoor, walking around scratching in the dirt birds, not imprisoned to sit in a 1000 degree metal building moving all of 6 inches their entire life. Healthy outdoor hens produce healthy eggs, with deep orange yolks that you can see with your own eyes. The extra dollar is worth it, trust me.

Same old rules apply for everything else, grass fed dairy and non-additive meats are required to keep this from morphing into a cousin of an IHOP breakfast. Keep to those rules, and your breakfast will leave you ready to face the day instead of pass out on the couch until lunch. The great thing about making your own omelette is not being restricted to a menu. Whatever you want to throw in there is fair game – as long as it’s not a processed item. I made this version using the ingredients pictured here, and it might be one of the best things I have made in a while. Take back your eggs, people. You will be glad you did.

Spicy Chicken Jerky Omelette:

Ingredients

2 large pasture raised chicken eggs
4 pieces of Epic Sriracha free range chicken jerky bites, diced
handful of torn baby spinach leaves
2 Applegate frozen turkey sausage links, sliced
2 oz shredded grass fed white cheddar or Mont. Jack cheese
Grass fed plain yogurt
Fresh homemade Pico
2 Beanitos Black bean chips, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Microwave the sausage links for 45 seconds, then slice up. Heat a non-stick pan with a hit of non-stick spray and saute the spinach leaves, chicken jerky, and sausage until the spinach is wilted and the sausage starts to crisp a bit. Hit with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Line up the spinach mix in the pan down the middle and pour the beaten eggs directly on top, then swirl the pan if needed to make sure the egg covers the entire pan. Once the egg is completely in place, top down the middle with the shredded cheese and crumbled chips.