Eggs Benedict is my all time favorite breakfast, but it can be a bit heavy. Here’s a traditional recipe with a few healthy twists.

An order of Eggs Benedict at IHOP has 1020 calories and almost 60 grams of fat – and those aren’t even the most outrageous numbers I've seen. Large portions of meat and gobs of buttery sauces are mostly to blame.

There are some healthy elements to this dish. Since the eggs are poached they are cooked without fat and Canadian bacon is a much leaner choice than regular bacon. To make things even more nutritious, use whole grain English muffins and add some fresh veggies to the mix. Depending on what’s in season choose from baby spinach, sauteed mushrooms or a thick slice of fresh heirloom tomato.

Eggs Benedict wouldn’t be the same without a creamy hollandaise sauce. Keeping portions to 1 tablespoon per person only adds 59 calories and 6 grams of fat.

Use our tips for poaching eggs perfectly. While eggs are cooking, toast English muffins, heat Canadian bacon in a nonstick skillet, and prepare hollandaise sauce.

To assemble, top each English muffin with a slice of Canadian bacon, a few leaves of baby spinach and then the poached egg. Top each piece with ½ tablespoon hollandaise and a sprinkle of black pepper.