Top It With An Egg

photo by matthew hurst via flickr creative commons

We enjoyed a lovely and leisurely New Year’s Day breakfast of fresh fruit and quiche with good friends this morning.  I love eating quiche for breakfast 1) because it feels special (after all, it’s served in a glass pie dish), 2) because you can make it the day before and then just heat it up (stress-free morning), and 3) because it makes me feel satisfied and nourished (like I could go work in the fields all day).  I guess there is something to that “incredible edible egg” thing…

I haven’t always thought eggs were this incredible though, particularly when I only ate the whites.  I remember the day my mindset shifted: It was 10 years ago, and I was eating breakfast at the gym before work, as I often did as a 20-something living in New York City.  I plunked down a plate of spinach and egg whites and took a seat across from an ultramarathon runner/nutritionist I casually knew from the gym, and she raised her eyebrows at me.  “Why aren’t you eating the whole egg?” she asked, and before I could even tell her my lame reasons why, she started listing off all the reasons why I was crazy not to be opting for the yolk too:

• Super important: Whole eggs contain lots of nutrients we need to function well (choline, vitamins B6, B12, A, D, E and K, folic acid, thiamin, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc, antioxidants, etc).  Whites won’t hurt you, but they don’t have the same nutritional punch
• Also important: In the grand scheme of things, the calorie difference isn’t very big (70 calories for a medium whole egg versus 20 for the white)
• Nice to have: Whole eggs flat out taste better than just the whites (to most people)

And from that day forward, I opted for the whole egg, yolk and all.  Eggs are now a staple in my “real food” diet, and I eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not all on the same day though).   Here are a few of my favorite ways to get eggs into my diet:

• Start or end the day with quiche (although it’s not low-fat, it’s definitely real food).  Here’s the recipe we used this morning
• Freshen up Asian leftovers (any rice/noodle and vegetable dish) by topping them with a salty fried egg
• Spread a thin layer of Boursin cheese on toast and top it with a fried or scrambled egg.  Great lunch or dinner accompanied by a side salad!
• Scramble with avocado and salsa for a salty post-workout (or anytime) meal

Next time you’re in a jam for an easy meal, think about whether there’s something in the fridge you can liven up by topping it with an egg.  Your body and your brain will thank you!  Have a healthy egg dish you’d like to share?  I’d love to try it!