None the Wiser Breakfast Burritos

I don't know about you but my husband isn't a big weekday breakfast eater. I always offer to make him something and I'm lucky if I can get some toast in him before he heads out the door.  More often than not I find the chocolate donut wrappers in the car later on.

I wanted to have a healthier option for him for breakfast.

It dawned on me one day that maybe something portable, but more up his spicy alley would appeal to him more.

We were chatting online over our lunch breaks one day and I asked,

"Would you eat breakfast burritos with eggs, sausage, cheese, and salsa for breakfast?"

He replied, "Of course, all my favorite things!"

Then it dawned on me I could use whole wheat tortillas, healthier eggs, and turkey sausage and he'd be none the wiser!

He's never complained about whole wheat tortillas when we have tacos so I figured I was safe there.  If you're not a fan of the darker, whole wheat tortillas, I've seen lots of other options ranging from low fat to carb free in the usual lighter color.

Whenever I make breakfast eggs, I take half the eggs I'm using and ditch the yolks.  So for this recipe, I added six whole eggs and then just the whites from the other six.  This keeps the familiar yellow color but cuts out some calories and cholesterol.

Finally, I knew I could get away with turkey breakfast sausage when he couldn't tell the difference between regular pork sausage and turkey Italian sausage when I made spaghetti.

According to my husband nothing is ever good enough straight out of the box.  Just ask our e-reader that was "hacked" and converted into a tablet.  I do feel the same way when it comes to certain ingredients and when you're trying to make something healthier by omitting some fat. Therefore, I added more breakfast sausage seasoning and red pepper flakes to the ground meat to give it a flavor and spice boost.

These burritos are on the spicy side to appease my Texan husband but you could always tone down the spice by omitting the red pepper flakes and hot sauce or going with mild salsa and regular shredded cheddar cheese.

The great thing about these burritos is you can make them whatever you'd like them to be.

Even if you take a classic breakfast item and "healthify" it just like I did, they'll be none the wiser.

None the Wiser Breakfast Burritos
Makes 8 burritos

Ingredients

• 1-8 ct. package whole grain tortillas, taco sized (I used Mission Multigrain Taco Tortillas)
• 3/4 lb. ground turkey breakfast sausage (I used Jenni-O)
• 2 tsp. breakfast sausage seasoning blend (or any all purpose seasoning you like)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 dozen eggs (6 egg whites + 6 whole eggs)
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 c. salsa (I used Pace Picante Medium)
• 1/2 c. reduced fat shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
• Hot sauce

1. Lay out the tortillas on a clean counter or work surface.
2. Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the breakfast sausage, seasoning blend, and red pepper flakes.  Cook the sausage until no longer pink.  Transfer to a shallow dish and let cool slightly. 
3. Reduce the heat down to medium.  In a bowl beat the 6 egg whites and 6 whole eggs and pour into the skillet.  Stir constantly until the eggs are scrambled and no longer runny.  Transfer to another shallow dish and let cool slightly.
4. Start assembling the burritos by dividing the eggs and sausage equally among the 8 tortillas.
5. Top the eggs and sausage with salsa and cheese.  Shake a few dashes of hot sauce onto each mound.
6. Carefully roll up the burritos by folding the sides in and rolling the tortilla.
7. Wrap each burrito tightly in plastic wrap to help them stay rolled shut.  Place in the freezer.

To serve a burrito, remove the plastic wrap from the burrito.  Wrap the frozen burrito in a paper towel and place the burrito on a microwave safe plate.  Microwave for 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds  or until heated through.  Enjoy!

Nutrition per burrito (using the products I listed above)

322 calories, 14 grams fat, 24 grams carbohydrates, 23 grams protein

Printable Recipe