Friday, November 20, 2009

Let's talk about eggs!

Lets talk about eggs or What are you going to do with all those eggs?

My family eats a lot of eggs. We could easily go through 1 ½ or 2 dozen a day. We have eggs in some form for breakfast almost every morning. And eggs make a great take along snack when they are hard boiled.

It's not unusual for me to go to Braum's on my shopping day and get a case of eggs or more.

I love the reactions I get when I walk in and get that many eggs at once. The question I get the most is “What are you going to do with all those eggs?” DUH!!!! We're going to eat them. But sometimes I feel almost onery enough to say “We're having an egging spree tonight. We need a few new targets, can I have your address?” I haven't done it yet, but it's more tempting each time! :)

I also get the response in the statement that “Eggs are so expensive”. I had one lady tell me that, just as she was paying over $5.00 for one ice cream sundae with all the trimmings.

For that same $5.00 I got my family 4 dozen eggs. For the same price that she purchased a small boat of fat and sugar, I was able to get protein for the next 2-3 days for my family.

It's all a matter of perspective, and all a matter of priorities.

Eggs are cheap protein. When you compare 1 egg to the price of 1 oz of cheaper ground beef, the cost is usually the same or less. Then you have to take into consideration, that when you cook the ground beef, you loose some of the volume as the fat is cooked and drained off. 1 full oz of raw meat is not going to remain 1 full oz cooked. You're going to need to eat a little molre 1 oz of cooked ground beef to get the same protein as in one cooked egg.

Eggs are nutrient dense, and considered a high quality complete protein. They contain all the essential amino acids required for the human body. They are calorically low, and one egg can have as few as 3% of the daily calories needed by a adult man. Eggs contain most of the vitamins and many minerals the human body needs. They are high in the B vitamins, especially B12.

And yes they contain fat. But fat has gotten a really bad rap. Fat is essential for the cells to properly develop, and the brain required a fair amount of fat to function to it's full potential. The right kinds of fat taken in moderation are not as harmful as most of the nutritional communitiy would like you to think.

I could go on, about the nutritional contributions that eggs make to the human diet. But there are already countless websites and journal writings that say way more that I could. Just do a google search on eggs and nutrition.

So here's just a few ways we make our eggs, and eat them too!

Perfect breakfast:

2 egg as an omalette or scrambled with ¼ cup whole milk with small dash sea salt

2 cups raw spinach leaves tossed in just before eggs are completely cooked

4 Tablespoons fresh salsa


Snack

1 hardboiled egg, 3-6 almonds/cashews, 1 medium apple or orange.

You can take the hb egg and make a single deviled egg by splitting it in half, mushing the yolk, with a tiny bit of mayo and mustard. If you do this, don't eat as many almonds if you're worried about zone blocks.

Dinner:

Eggs Florentine

½ stick of butter or coconut oil

¼ cup flour – more if needed

2 cups whole milk

Nutmeg to taste

8-12 eggs

Variety of fresh veggies; such as red peppers, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, onion, green onion, broccoli, asparagus, peas, corn, ect, chopped/diced/sliced.

½ lb grated cheese

Start by making the white sauce. Melt butter or coconut oil in skillet or saucepan. Add flour and blend well. Add milk a little at a time to avoid lumping of the flour. Heat until sauce starts to thicken and bubble. Add Nutmeg and remove. Stir more to help it thicken evenly.

Whisk eggs till well beaten. Add white sauce to the eggs. Whisk well to mix.

Prepare veggies and place in bottom of a square or rectangular baking dish. Pour sauce/egg mixture on top. Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. About 40 minutes start doing the toothpic test. Stick a toothpick in the center of the dish and pull out. When it comes out clean and dry, the dish is done. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Place back in oven for about 5 minutes to let the cheese melt a bit.

Let cool 15 minutes before cutting into. Serve along side a big salad of romaine and red leaf lettuce.







2 comments:

Angela - Not SuperWoman said...

Please be kind. We're heading out the door for a field trip. Will correct the typos later.

mamabear023 said...

I've chopped up some carrot, onion and celery to throw in Corban's eggs in the morning.

What about the omega 3 eggs. Our nutritionist mentioned them I think...flax seed fed to the chickens. I bought some, but I see they used soy protein feed...so I guess I need to search a little deeper next time.