Sponsored Post: This post is a paid collaboration with Nellie’s Free Range Eggs. As always, opinions are my own.

Is this healthy for you? A question that we hear frequently in our house these days. Ever since my kids started to go to school, they come home saying things like, “John’s mom gives him Doritos every day at lunch, how come we can’t have them?” My answer, “Go live at John’s house…” I’d like to think that we are a middle of the road kind of family – my kids eat veggies and fruits with every meal and yet, sometimes I let them have ice-cream before lunch….

We have been talking a bit about proteins and carbohydrates, and how if we don’t eat a good breakfast, we will be hungry later in the day. Protein gives you fuel to get through your day. I have one really good eater, and one that is just recently becoming a bit more adventurous. A staple in my house has always been eggs. They are quick and easy to make, and my dad lets the kids help make them, so that instantly makes them awesome in our house. Everybody can agree on scrambled eggs, but we are slowly trying other styles.

For breakfast, we tried baseball eggs on a bagel sliver (basically a quarter of a bagel). The adults had it with Sriracha and the kids had it with ketchup. We made them with yolks and without. The kids thought that having a “baseball” for breakfast was pretty cool.

(Top right) I made some egg salad and put it in a cute baseball helmet – the kids could decide if they wanted it as a lettuce wrap or if they wanted it on bread. Super easy to make ahead for lunch at home.

(Middle right) We tried “toad in a hole” with my best (read: sad) attempt at making a baseball glove out of brown bread. We added a little fruit on the side and yes, my children won’t eat a thing if it is touching another thing on the plate. Are your kids like that too?

(Bottom right) Egg salad sandwiches with baseball cheese. I bought slices of cheddar cheese and used a baseball bat cookie cutter to make them into cool shapes. You could use any shape that makes your kid happy. I also used those mini babybel cheeses and made them into baseballs. I get in a rut at school because lunches are already hard for me, and then add on no peanuts, tree nuts or coconut in their meals. I’ll admit, there were many days in a row where I just sent my kids to school with cold pizza.

(Middle bottom) We rarely have bagels in the house, but when we do, I buy them from Stop and Shop pre sliced. Each bagel is sliced into four pieces, you’re still getting the delicious bagel, but cutting those calories (and carbohydrates) down significantly. I am not a huge fan of cream cheese, but I have these great memories as a kid of visiting my grandparents in New York and my grandma would always have Temp Tee cream cheese (and pink grapefruits). So I put a little schmear on a bagel for the kids with some peppers to make it look like a baseball. Super easy, super cute.

So what’s with all the baseball themed eggs you ask? The Red Sox just named Nellie’s Free Range Eggs the official egg of the Red Sox. Nellie’s eggs are certified humane. What does that mean? The hens have room to run in fields, have a more diverse diet and are in general healthier. How can you tell they are healthier? Their deep gold color of the yolks of their eggs. And let me tell you, it’s instantly noticeable when you crack open that first Nellie’s egg.

For more information about Nellie’s Free Range Eggs, click here.

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Sometimes I find our options for restaurants in suburbia limited, we do like The Local every once in a while, even if it is a little on the pricier side. I am a fan of the bowls on their menu, my latest craving is the spicy Hong Kong noodles, but without the spice (yup, spice whimp here). Mixed Asian vegetables, crushed peanuts and for an extra $8 you can add on some grilled shrimp. The crispy sesame chicken is a close second with grilled avocado and crunchy veggies. My husband loves the crispy chicken sandwich that comes with buttermilk battered chicken, house bread and butter pickles, Vermont cheddar, and smoked chili mayo on a brioche roll.

My kiddos love the option of snacks for $3, you can get veggies with ranch, apples and peanut butter, warm potato chips, or a cup of tomato soup. I love that these are out of the box options. For $8 you can have your choice of cheese flatbread, chicken fingers, grilled chicken, fish sticks, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, pasta and pomodoro or Mac and cheese. All the mains come with a side of fries or veggies.

I think I always forget that they are open for brunch both days on the weekend from 10am – 2pm. They are also open for brunch on Monday holidays. And here is the kicker, all brunch mains come with your choice of a mimosa or Bloody Mary.

The Local

400 Boston Post Road, Wayland, MA

www.liveeatlocal.com

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Located on Guest Street, Kōhi Coffee Co. seems so spacious due to the floor to ceiling windows and the high ceilings. It has a standing bar as well as a place to sit if you want to catch up on some emails. While it was quiet on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I can see it being packed on the week days. After all, it is close to the Bruins, the Celtics, WGBH and New Balance.

I’m not a big coffee drinker – so I don’t know about the subtle differences, but they offer batch brew and pour over coffee as well as Siphon, Chemex and Aeropress from their brew bar. I picked up a single origin cold brew and they also offer NOLA, which is brewed with chicory root.

Pair a cup of coffee wth a savory scone, house made granola, homemade biscuits with jam and butter, seasonal muffins or a chocolate chip cookie. They have a light breakfast and lunch menu featuring a vegan sandie, a morning salad, a season fruit bowl, toad in a hole and a breakfast sandwich, to name a few.

Kōhi Coffee Co.

130 Guest Street, Brighton, MA

http://www.kohicoffee.com/

Hours:
mon-fri: 7a – 7p
sat-sun: 8a – 5p

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I’m always on the hunt for a good breakfast spot. Big Apple is located just over the Marlborough line and the prices can’t be beat. I have to admit that it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the packed parking lot every weekend should be a hint that they’re serving up some good food. I recommend going early – as it can fill up pretty quickly.

The egg sandwiches were the way we decided to go – $2.95 for an egg and cheese and $4.45 for an egg and cheese with either sausage or bacon. Pretty tasty! What else is on their menu? Omelets, eggs benedict, pancakes, mini potato cakes and waffles to name just a few things. Kids can get 2 pieces of French toast, 2 pancakes or 1 egg and their choice of meat for $5.95 (drink included).

Lunch items include sandwiches (pastrami, egg salad, ham, tuna, etc.), burgers, salads and wraps. Kids can order chicken fingers, grilled cheese, hot dogs, mozzarella sticks or a flatbread pizza for $5.95. Big Apple is open 7 days a week from 6am – 2pm.

Big Apple

890 Boston Post Road E, Marlborough, MA

www.bigapplerestaurant.net

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My friend, and fellow blogger, Niri told me about this place Nzuko a while back and I had been meaning to get there for some time. You would probably drive right past it if you didn’t know about it, it’s in a strip mall, sandwiched between a pizza place and a bagel shop. Nzuko brings influences from the Mediterranean and Carribean and uses super fresh ingredients.

They offer a bunch of vegan options (that my friend Nancy’s daughter would be a fan of) as well as a nice selection of kebab options, fresh salads and wraps. Many choices are organic or gluten free. I was debating about the chicken options (see below), but ultimately went with the vegetable stir fry option (topped with an egg of course). How super healthy of me – who dis?

Nzuko

341 Cochituate Road, Framingham, MA

www.nzukorestaurant.com

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We recently headed out to Worcester to check out a few shops and grab some breakfast at the Birch Tree Bread Co. See my previous post here. In the winter, the Canal District Farmers’ Market heads indoors to a room off of the Crompton Collective. Birch Tree Bread Co. is located right upstairs, so it was packed. We waited in a long line to order our breakfast sandwiches and then I went on the hunt for a seat. Seats are a on a first come basis, with many people sharing tables and grabbing any free corner they can find. I managed to score a corner of a large table in the back and we all waited for them to bring out our breakfast.

I had been before and tried their breads and desserts, but this time I went with something savory – the egg sandwich. The $6.50 sandwich is worth the price: North Country ham and Cabot extra sharp cheddar topped with a fried farm fresh egg on a bacon fat brioche bread. Birch Tree Bread Co’s menu includes other delicious breakfast items such as a rotating selection of toasts (Brittany’s toast is champagne and orange cream cheese with strawberry coulis on toasted challah!!), bread puddings (sweet and savory), quiches, and a nice selection of gourmet sandwiches. Make sure to add a specialty drink to your order, like a gin rickey or a bourbon hot apple cinnamon cider!

Birch Tree Bread Co.

138 Green Street, Worcester, MA

www.birchtreebreadco.com

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J&M Diner, a popular breakfast spot that burned down in a fire last year in March, re-opened in November last year in a new location, right behind Legal Sea Foods in Framingham. We tried, and failed, to go a few times, only to be met with a long wait. We continued to try, at different times, to get in, because surely a place with that long of a wait time had great food.

We finally lucked out on day, going for more brunch than breakfast, on a weekday, and only had to wait about 30 minutes. The diner that is open daily from 6am – 2pm, is only closed on Christmas. Their menu includes classic favorites – eggs, omelets, pancakes and hash. I went with something a little different – the “wicked sinful French Toast” ($9) which is a cinnamon danish, cut in half, battered and dipped French Toast style.  It’s grilled and served in cinnamon and butter and topped with their homemade icing (see top right photo). Not as super sweet as I had expected, although I certainly couldn’t finish it in one sitting.

Try their sweet potato hash with grass fed beef, onions, bacon, craisins and sweet potatoes or their loaded home fries with bacon, onions, scallions, melted cheese and your choice of ranch, bbq or sour cream on top (or all three).

The diner is family friendly, all kids under 12 can get a meal for $7: French Toast, pancake, omelet, eggs or cereal. Let me just tell you that one pancake from the kids menu is as big as a dinner plate!!

Have you been to J&M Diner before? What’s your favorite breakfast spot?

J&M Diner

50 Worcester Street, Framingham (Route 9 East)

www.jmdiner.com

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I hadn’t been to Coppa in a long, long time – so when Leah invited me out to Coppa for lunch with a Gilt City voucher, I gladly accepted. Sometimes you can really hit it right with these vouchers, but you have to look at what the menu has to offer before you should decide if it’s a good deal or not. In my opinion, this was a great deal – we had a fantastic lunch.

Ordering a sandwich at lunch? This was a fancy Italian grinder, I assure you. Made with thinly sliced salami, prosciutto, mortadella, provolone, and picked cherry peppers. Makes me rethink all the other Italian subs I eat, that’s for sure. What were some of the other choices for antipasti on the menu? An Insalata di Casa and an Insalata di Caesar.

There were 5 choices for stuzzichini (Italian small bar snacks): Mortadella Pimento Formaggio, Olive Marinate, Funghi in Salamoia, Arancini and Boquerones (anchovies). We went with the arancini, fried risotto with pea and fontal cheese in a spicy tomato sauce. These were perfect in every way….

In the Forno a Legna e Piatti (wood over roasted and plates) category there were:polpette, yucca, pomodoro verde and bistecca to choose from. We went with the bistecca, which is a hanger steak that was served with cauliflower, giadiniera and finished with a charred scallion salsa verde. The meat was delicious – a great crunch to the outside and perfectly tender on the inside.

For pizzas, the choices were: margherita, nostrano, parma, salsiccia and fiore di zucchine. The fiore di zucchine sounded the most interesting – it was a white, thin crust pizza with squash blossoms, charred corn, chili oil and marjoram. Very light and fresh.

My favorite course, the pasta course, offered a choice of cavatelli con pollo, spaghetti carbonara con riccio di mare, rigatoni con sumo or a gamely con mais. Of course my pick was the carbonara that was topped with pancetta, sea urchin, pepper and parmesan. So rich and decadent.

The restaurant is cozy and there is on street parking available – but make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to find a spot if you are driving. The best way to go is via public transportation.

Coppa

253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA

www.coppaboston.com

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This freezing cold weather has me counting down the days until spring. It reminded me of this visit to Menton for their industry lunch with Leah, when (clearly) the weather was much nicer. Industry lunches took place on the last Monday of every month, and they offered $3 High Life’s and Fernet, as well as a la carte specials and the express lunch menu.

Lunch is a great way to try out new restaurants if you don’t want to pay dinner prices. We started off our afternoon out with a Miller High Life shandy. It was a perfectly relaxing afternoon and we were lucky to grab a seat by the window – because what’s better than lunch with a (people watching) view?

Leah went with the grilled gem caesar with brioche croutons ($6).

She followed that with the cacio e pepe con uovo, served with parmigiana and pea greens ($10). $19 for lunch at Menton? I think I’d call that a great deal!

I went with the express lunch – linguini and clams is such a classic dish. The portions at first sight seem to be on the smaller side, but you realize that there is just the right amount – it’ doesn’t have to be Cheesecake Factory sized portions if the food is high quality.

The steak was absolute perfection – it had a nice sear to it and was perfectly salted.

We didn’t have room for dessert after our meal, but Menton brought out a nice selection of mini macarons. It was the perfect little bit of sweetness after our delicious meal.

Lunch is served Monday – Friday, 11:30am – 2:00pm.

Menton

354 Congress Street, Boston, MA

www.mentonboston.com

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I almost don’t want to tell you about Villatoro, it’s just that good. This cute little diner is located in Marlborough and has about 4 booths and maybe a dozen counter seats. You might miss it if you were just driving along the main road, but it is not to be missed.

We arrived before 8:30 on a Sunday morning and sat in a booth – they have a great coloring placemat for kids and it kept mine occupied until our food came. While space is tight, they do have high chairs and are very family friendly.

My husband decided to go with the egg and cheese sandwich which he really liked – one of the best he has had he said.

The kids split a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries with toast. Portions were generous and we even had some to take home for later.

It was hard for me to decide if I should go with a sweet or savory breakfast – I was going back and forth between the huevos rancheros and the tres leches pancakes, but ultimately went for the pancakes. I figured that I would be back soon enough and could try the huevos rancheros then. The pancakes were delicious – and not as sweet as I had expected them to be – a pleasant surprise.

Villatoro is open 7 days a week, Monday 7-3, Tuesday – Saturday 7-9 and Sunday 7-5. For lunch and dinner they have something for everyone – make sure to check out their Facebook page and their Instagram to follow the daily specials. One of these days I am going to make it in for Taco Tuesday and the brisket on Thursdays – people are RAVING about the brisket.

Have you been to Villatoro? What’s your favorite dish?

Villatoro

353 Lincoln Street, Marlborough

Check out their Facebook page here.

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