The Incredible Edible Egg

You can fry them, boil them, bake them… we’re talking about the incredible edible egg of course! However you like your eggs, these inexpensive, versatile, protein-packed staple, cooks up into a perfect meal any time of the day!

Unfortunately they also have gotten a bad rap in the past because of their cholesterol content. One large egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol, accounting for two-thirds of the recommended daily limit of 300 mg per day. But over the last 25 years of study, scientists have found that cholesterol in food is not the problem, but instead, saturated fat, which has a much bigger effect on blood cholesterol. Full-fat dairy products and fatty meats are examples of foods that are loaded with saturated fat and which trigger the body to produce cholesterol.

Eggs are jam-packed with health benefits and along with milk, contain the highest biological value for protein. Just one egg contains 75 calories, 7 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids. According to numerous studies, this combination of protein and fat will you leave you feeling satisfied and can help ward off unhealthy snacking later in the day.

Try out this recipe for egg salad that was recently inspired by a trip to the store where I found a dozen eggs for 0.99 and large avocados for a $1 each! Whether you have reason to be concerned about your cholesterol levels or not, this recipe replaces some, but certainly not all of the fat found in the yolk, with cholesterol lowering - heart healthy avocados! Try it out and let us know what you think! 

Ingredients:

•     4 large hard boiled eggs - chopped

•     4 large hard boiled egg whites– chopped

•     1 large avocado – diced

•     3 tbsp non-fat Greek yogurt

•     2 tbsp chopped red onion

•     ½ tsp black pepper

•     ½ tsp salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the hard boiled eggs and egg whites, avocado, Greek yogurt, and red onion. Mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serving suggestions: Spread between two slices of bread for an Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich. Eat with crackers, cut up veggies, on toast, or in a wrap. This salad is best eaten the day it's made.

- Michelle and Leslie 

2014 Health Food Trends - Cauliflower

As promised, I'm going to do a couple of posts on some upcoming trends that have been named as the next up and coming things for 2014. You'll totally be able to impress your friends with your nerdy nutrition knowledge when they bring up things like teff and freekah. I don't really know who decides these things are going to be cool every year… but they're pretty spot on. Last year it was quinoa and kale, which have become a staple in a lot of households, but honestly before last year how many people really cooked with quinoa on a regular basis or had even heard of it for that matter?! Anyways, now you'll be ahead of the game, you're welcome.

They're saying cauliflower is going to be the hot new "it" item in the veggie world. Sure, cauliflower isn't new to most, but I think people honestly have no idea just how good this little guy is for you. I remember having to eat it at the dinner table when I was little. It was one of those veggies that I had to choke down or else I wouldn't get dessert. Now, I love the stuff. Hopefully by the end of this post you will too.

It's kind of an ugly looking vegetable, isn't it?! Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable…. that always makes me think of crucifix which then makes me think of the word horcrux for some weird reason (shout out to my HP nerds!). Anyways, it's the same family as broccoli and cabbage, it's a great source of vitamin C and full of lots of other antioxidants, another little tid-bit you might not have known. These things are all great, but one of the coolest parts (yes, i realize that even using cauliflower and cool in the same sentence makes me a total nerd) I think about cauliflower are it's anti-inflammatory properties. This little veggie has high amounts of vitamin K and Omega 3s - these aid in decreasing inflammation. That's good news for those of you that suffer from things like arthritis and diabetes. Regular consumption of this bad boy just might aid in relieving some of your symptoms. Pretty neat, huh?!

Cauliflower also is a great source of your B vitamins, manganese, and phosphorous. B vitamins are essential for growth, development and a ton of other bodily functions. Manganese is another antioxidant and phosphorous is important in the creation of RNA, DNA, and ATP (ATP is the energy your body uses to do anything). Last but not least, cauliflower is a good source of fiber… which means it cleans our your digestive system and gets rid of unnecessary substances (aka it will make you poop).

So… now you know why should eat it, but what about how? I mean, you could go the boring route and just steam it and eat it, but I can almost guarantee that means you won't be eating much of it. The good news is people have gotten really creative with their cauliflower game. I've seen it roasted, curried, made into soup, added to pasta dishes, and a personal favorite… mashed and used in place of mashed potatoes. If you google cauliflower recipes right now I guarantee you'll find a whole bunch that you'll want to try. Cauliflower is no longer boring. So, get ahead of the trend and impress your friends with your cauliflower skills at your next dinner party.

Next post we'll talk about teff... I wish I could track how many of you are going to google what that is now haha.

Thanks for reading!

Leslie

The Most Important Meal of the Day

The first thing that came to mind when I decided to talk about breakfast was Arrested Development where Michael asks George Michael "what do we always say is the most important thing?" and George Michael answers "breakfast". If you haven't seen an episode of Arrested Development then I'm not really sure what you're doing with your life. It's true though, I think we have all heard at some point in our life that breakfast is the most important meal (maybe not thing).

I have always been a breakfast eater. It's my favorite. I would be so cranky if I didn't shove my face with food and coffee in the morning, so if you know me, you should be glad that I take the time to eat it. I never realized that people really don't eat breakfast until I was in school. When we were learning counseling techniques we were taught to ask questions about eating patterns, things like "how many times a week do you eat breakfast?"…. uhhhh what? It was so weird to me that the answer wouldn't be seven times a week. So I would ask friends, and I found that I was the breakfast eating minority. The number one most common excuse? I DON'T HAVE TIME. Well friends, I'm here to tell you 1) yes, you do have time and 2) why you should make the time.

Lets address this issue of time. Okay, so I know that I'm a self employed person with oodles of time on her hands so I decided to survey some friends and see how far fetched the idea of having time for breakfast is. One friend is a nurse who works at the butt crack of dawn. You know what she said? She eats breakfast every single day. Even when she has to be at work at 7am, which includes a not so convenient commute. Another friend I asked is a mom of three kids, all different ages. You know what she said? She also eats breakfast every single day. So here's my thoughts, If someone who gets up at ungodly hour and someone who has three other mouths to feed besides her own can make and eat breakfast every day, why can't the rest of us?! Just a thought.

So, I decided to time myself making breakfast today. I made eggs, which consisted of one whole egg and 1/4 cup of egg whites, goat cheese, toast with earth balance and fruit spread, and of course… coffee. I usually add an avocado… but I need to make a trip to the grocery store (something I loathe and always manage to put off until I have absolutely no food in my house). Here's how long that meal took me:

Yep, that's right. 4 minutes and 35 seconds. That includes making my coffee and bringing everything to the table. If I had cut up an avocado I suppose you could add another 15 seconds or so… but still, a hot breakfast in under five minutes. I think we all have time for that. 

This brings me to my next point. Why is breakfast so important?! Well, for starters… you just went a good 8 hours or so without eating anything. Eating breakfast jump starts your metabolism for the day. You know what that means….. weight loss, or weight management! Say what?! Yep, eating breakfast is one of the easiest things you can do to aid in your battle/journey with your weight. Second of all, did you know eating breakfast affects your brain function? Studies show that kids that eat breakfast result in better academic performance, achievement test scores, and attendance (Rampersaud et al., 2005). So if it does that for kids, I'm pretty sure we can assume that the same benefits apply for us adults. Better performance at work, more focus, better attendance…. all from eating breakfast, I'm thinking I even see a raise in your future. 

So, now you know that you DO have time and why you should be eating breakfast. Lets work out the logistics. Planning is the key. If your mornings are a whirlwind the best thing you can do is plan the night before. Decide what you are going to make and set your alarm 10 minutes earlier than normal. Here are some ideas for quick breakfasts:

Smoothies

Overnight Oats

Fritatas

Homemade Yogurt Parfait

Lets talk about these. Smoothies, overnight oats, and yogurt parfaits are a super easy breakfast you can take to go. For smoothies, measure out your fruit the night before and put it in a baggy… all you have to do is dump that baby with the other ingredients in your blender (see my previous post about smoothies here, for tips and tricks). Overnight oats have become really popular. They are SO easy! If you want to take them to go use a mason jar, just put your oats and milk in and whatever you want to use to flavor them and let them sit in your fridge overnight. In the morning grab them and go. There are tons of recipes online you can search. Yogurt parfaits, another thing you can make the night before in a mason jar. Some greek yogurt, dried fruit, nuts, granola, oats, whatever you want… and you have a yummy, complete breakfast. Fritatas are something you can make while you're getting ready. Wake up start your breakfast, throw it in the oven and finish getting presentable while it cooks. Easy Peasy. 

Of course, there's lots of other things you can make for breakfast, I'm just tossing out some ideas. I like mixing carbs and protein and trying to add something green, hence the avocados with my eggs. If you're vegetarian and don't do eggs, go for a tofu scramble, add some salsa, spices and veggies and you have yourself a tasty meal! Bottom line: eat something. Even if you eat a granola bar and piece of fruit… it's better than nothing. You will be surprised how much better you feel throughout the day. Your energy level will be higher, you'll probably even see some pep in your step. 

I'm going to end this post on a serious note. Please don't be offended by what I'm about to say… if it does make you angry, or you find yourself offended think about WHY you're mad before you start yelling at me. I think mostly what it comes down to is us not making time for ourselves. Being healthy isn't that hard, making breakfast isn't that hard. I think we are just a society of people that are really good at putting ourselves last and making tons of excuses. Being healthy is a choice. It's not always convenient or easy… but it's important. Sometimes we just have to decide to stop making excuses and just do what's best for ourselves. I can't really think of anyone that is really, truly too busy to eat or too busy to take care of themselves. If you think that's you, maaaaaaybe it's time to reprioritize a few things. 

Til next time y'all!

Leslie