Which did come first? The chicken or the egg? Pretty deep thinking right? …. Either way, I’m glad we have eggs to eat and the fact that they are so inexpensive is awesome! I don’t know if you like them or not, but I LOVE eggs! They really are one of the most perfect foods out there. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a snack! You can eat them raw, hardboiled, sunny side up, scrambled, or fried. You can eat them here or there, you can eat them anywhere! (ha ha good ol’ Dr. Seuss. I’m sorry I guess that’s the first grade teacher coming out in me!) Eggs are full of protein. Each egg has between 5 -6 grams of protein and only about 70 calories!
Eggs get a bad rap these days. So many people I know only eat the egg whites and they skip the most delicious part because they say they are watching their cholesterol. It is true that the white contains most of the protein but the yolk contains some great nutritional benefits too. Studies are finding now that eating 2 eggs a day (not just the whites) can actually be very beneficial to your health. Eating the whole egg doesn’t bring raise your lipid profile (an assessment for cardiac risk), and it actually might improve it! It’s a package deal if you ask me! You really need to read this article on cholesterol and see what the new studies are saying.
I highly recommend that you find a local farmer’s market to purchase your eggs. There’s a lot of disturbing information out there on ways people are fooling the system. If you think you are buying free range, organic eggs at the grocery store, think again. It’s really all semantics. Read this article if you want to know the real deal. It might really make you give up eating eggs from the store and you might ponder becoming a vegetarian all together.
If you live in the Gainesville area, check out Green Acres Farmers Market off of Hwy 53. There are many folks out there with free range chickens laying a much better egg than the store bought ones. You might just need to investigate in your area to find someone. There are many farmer’s markets around town now, so someone there can certainly supply you some authentic, organic, free-range eggs too!
There are a few differences that are noticeable with store bought vs. free range. It doesn’t matter which color the shell is; they are all the same inside and have the same nutritional value. The shell is actually thicker on free range eggs. The vitamin D the chickens are soaking up while they are “free ranging” affects the shell. The yolk on the free range egg will be a much deeper, golden color. It is creamier and won’t break as easily as the store bought ones. I challenge you to try the comparison of the two. You will taste and see the difference. It is unmistakable!!
I typically buy 3 dozen eggs at a time. I pay $5.50/per dozen. They can stay right out on your counter for up to 6 weeks. If you shop at the grocery store and buy free range, organic eggs, you will pay about $5.00/per dozen. After reading the article above I hope you realize that they really aren’t really free range, organic.) I would much rather support a local farmer and get a far superior egg! Look at the difference between the eggs I made for breakfast one morning. One is store bought and the other ones are free range. Can you see the difference? I told you it is unreal.
One way I love to eat eggs is with homemade salsa. I actually make this simple chunky salsa and put it on my eggs. It’s awesome and you can of course enjoy it with chips too! It is really fast and easy. All you need is 1 can Rotel (I like original), 1 can yellow corn, 1 can black beans, cilantro, onion, and lime juice. I chop the cilantro and onion, drain the beans, corn, and Rotel. I add the juice of 1/2 to a 1 whole lime. If I don’t have fresh lime, I use lime oil. It only takes a drop or two at the most. Mix, refrigerate a few hours, and get ready to chow down! You will love this dip! It is a staple in my house. You know exactly what is in it and it’s low cal and high in protein!
You can actually diffuse lime oil too! Lime is known for it’s benefits to uplift, balance, and energize. It helps to support a healthy immune system, it affects your mood in a positive way, and promotes emotional balance. Now remember the oil comes from the lime peel and is not from the juice! It is super concentrated! A little goes a long way!
Lime oil is also good for removing grease spots and sticker residue. I hate it when you buy something like a picture frame and they stick the price tag right in the middle of the glass and you end up with a sticky spot. Just get a cloth, put some lime oil on it and rub. You will be amazed at how quickly the sticky spot is erased!
Here’s a great recipe for Key Lime Parfait:
Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cup organic granola (we like to use organic French vanilla granola)
Zest and juice of 2 key limes
2 drops Lime essential oil
Optional: 1 tablespoon honey
Note: Key limes are naturally a lot smaller than regular limes. If you can’t find key limes than replace with 1/2 of a regular lime.
Directions:
- In a small bowl, add yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, Lime essential oil, and honey for added sweetness.
- In a tall cup or bowl, add 1/3 of the yogurt mixture to the bottom of cup and top with 1/2 of granola. Repeat layers until ingredients are gone
Now on a totally different note: For you Atlanta folks, please consider cleaning out your closets and donating your items to a program called “A Million Meals.” Your items will need to be put in a garbage bag and taken to a local church near you. You can click here to find a church in your area that’s participating in the program. I’m sure there is one close to you and more are being added daily. For every garbage bag full of adult and kids clothes that you donate, you will be providing meals for 55 people in Africa. The goal is to reach 1 million meals, or “1 mealion.” So get cleaning out your old shoes, purses, belts, T-shirts, bathing suits, etc. Get them in by May 31st!!
Until next week, clean out those closets, be safe, and be kind to someone out there!
Naturally, Lisa
