Eggs, the shortage du jour. I feel like we’ve all learned to accept the plague of the month and whatever upheaval accompanies it. At the moment (at least in the USA), it’s the bird flu that’s left us with expensive eggs or sometimes, hard to find eggs.
Supplies may occasionally run low and they may be ridiculously expensive in some areas. But eggs are generally still available everywhere. Doing a bit of your own egg rationing might be useful and help you get out of the daily egg rut.
My old cookbooks offer no inspiration in this situation. There have been shortages and rationing of all kinds of food back in the day but not an egg shortage. Eggs happened to be one of the abundant foods throughout World War II, at least in the United States. One of my cookbooks of that era listed 350 ways to prepare eggs.
I actually do have chickens– 4 at the moment. We’ve been averaging about 2 eggs a day, which is up almost 100% from a month or so ago. Needless to say, even on their best days we’ve still had to buy eggs. None of my pep talks have given them any desire to contribute above and beyond to the cause.
Egg Shortage
We’re protein, hot breakfast kind of people and eggs are our usual protein of choice. A bowl of cereal or some toast would have us starving in a couple of hours. It can be hard to reduce or eliminate eggs–they’re so versatile and easy to prepare.
I could start pulling up charts and comparing the grams of protein in various foods. But let’s not allow facts and figures to get in the way of this perfectly nice little blog post. I’ll just say that a dozen eggs without shells weighs about 20 oz. I’ll also throw out the general statement that the protein content of one egg (7 grams) is roughly comparable to 1 oz. of meat.
Depending on your sources and preferences, check on prices and compare the cost of a dozen eggs to 20 oz. of meat. Maybe some meat at breakfast could give you more protein bang for your buck(s) and still help with the grocery budget? It’s something to consider.
Hearty Breakfast Options
Here are some of my favorite breakfasts where eggs aren’t the main ingredient.
Greek yogurt bowls– make them parfait style, with fruit, nuts, seeds, and granola.
Breakfast “Stir-Fry”– diced potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, meat (sausage/bacon/whatever), topped with cheese. Depending on the combination of ingredients, you could also add beans. Serve as-is or in tortillas, breakfast burrito style.
Scrapple– if you’ve never had scrapple, you’re missing out. It’s an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe– a simple mixture of cornmeal, meat (I use sausage), bone broth, and herbs. After it’s cooked and firms up in a loaf pan, it’s sliced and pan-fried. It makes a great, hearty breakfast side. I’ll be posting my scrapple recipe in the next few days.
Crepes– Yes, they use a couple of eggs, but they’re stretched far. I love the different ways you can fill them. Ham and cheese make a good savory breakfast. For a sweet option, use nut butters with jam or my favorite combination, cream cheese with fruit (or pie filling!). As a bonus for those who care, many traditional crepe recipes are naturally gluten-free.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches– maybe this doesn’t strike you as a typical breakfast option. It never would have occurred to me either. But when you marry a guy of Swiss heritage, born and raised in America’s Dairyland (WIsconsin), cheese makes a daily appearance. Pile that cheese high, maybe add some bacon, and it will stick with you all morning. (And no, not the “cheese” that comes in little plastic sleeves…)
There you have it. A few simple breakfast ideas that don’t include protein powders or expensive ingredients. An egg shortage doesn’t mean you have to settle for lower quality breakfasts. Do you have any that you’d like to add?
