Even kids who are the pickiest eaters will sometimes dig into a fluffy mound of scrambled eggs, especially if they get to help make them.
And while your kids are enjoying a few scrambled eggs at breakfast, you can have the satisfaction of knowing that they’re getting a good start on all the protein they need for the day.
Basics
Here’s how to make a basic batch of scrambled eggs:
1. Stir 1/3 cup milk into six beaten eggs.
2. Mix in a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a frying pan.
4. Pour in the eggs and cook them over medium heat, stirring gently until the eggs are done.
Additions
Experiment with adding some extras for additional taste and nutrition. For example, kids might like cubes of cheese, chunks of pineapple and ham, or chopped vegetables, such as carrots, mushrooms and zucchini.
Novelties
Some other ways your kids might like to eat scrambled eggs is to make them part of a meal they already like. A taco, using all the usual ingredients but replacing the meat with scrambled eggs makes a nutritious meal anytime; you can do the same thing by creating a breakfast burrito. Putting scrambled eggs inside a hamburger or hot dog bun, a dinner roll or a pita pocket might create a sandwich your child would like. Breakfast pita is another idea; simply add scrambled eggs and shredded cheese to the top of a plain pita crust.
Nutritional Benefits
Eggs, filled with vitamins and other nutrients, provide lots of healthy eating. One egg provides about 5 g protein and nearly 90 mg of calcium. Scrambled eggs are so easy to prepare that it can be one of the first dishes kids learn to fix themselves with, of course, help at the stove. Another advantage of scrambled eggs is that they can be prepared a little ahead of time as long as they are kept warm over a pan of hot water rather than over dry heat.
Cautions
Although babies and young children may get an allergic reaction from eggs, that problem, for most kids, is quickly outgrown — most often by the time they’re 5. It’s important to keep in mind that eggs have 200 mg cholesterol so limiting the amount of eggs kids eat in one week is a good idea. You should avoid cooking eggs in cast iron pans as the greenish cast eggs might take on, while harmless, is sure to turn kids off. It’s important to wash hands thoroughly in warm water before handling raw eggs because of the small possibility of salmonella food poisoning.
