Whole Life Challenge: Eggs
Eggs are basically going to be your best friend during the Whole Life Challenge. If you don’t like eggs… well, you’re just going to have to figure out how to like them. And if you’re not participating in the Challenge, stick with me anyway because eggs are a great addition to anyone’s diet.
Eggs are an almost-perfect meal in a tiny little package. They are easy to cook and are a great source of protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins E, A and B12 and folic acid.
Egg Basics
Choose the healthiest eggs you can, especially if you’re going to be eating them raw. Check out this post on deciphering egg carton labeling.
The healthiest way to eat an egg is fried, sunny side up. This allows for a cooked white (which you wouldn’t want to eat raw) and a raw yolk. Make sure it’s fried in a healthy fat like butter, ghee or coconut oil and you have a super yummy and satiating breakfast. (Or lunch or dinner.)
Of course, you can also scramble your eggs (leave out the milk during the WLC) or make all manner of omelets. Adding in leftover meat, salsa (no added sugar or artificial ingredients) and avocado (my favorite way to eat eggs), veggies and greens or fresh herbs should keep you from getting too bored.
If you’ve never tried soft-boiled eggs, this is a great time to try something different. See the basic method here.
Hard Boiled Eggs
Having pre-cooked hard boiled eggs can be a lifesaver when you need a quick snack, even on the go. I always try to keep these on hand. (See below for how to make them.) Delicious with just sea salt and pepper, you can also serve them alongside smoked salmon (the only WLC-legal brand I’ve found is Vital Choice) squeezed with fresh lemon, or make egg salad/ traditional deviled eggs. (To make WLC-legal mayonnaise, follow this recipe but leave out the coconut sugar. You could also try this bacon mayo if you have bacon and mustard that have no added sugar or other restricted ingredients. I’ll be adding a new Paleo mayo recipe soon.)
Here are some other ideas.
Sundried Tomato Deviled Eggs
Thanks to Eve for this recipe!
*12 hard-boiled eggs
*2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
*6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
*1 tsp. garlic powder
*1/2 cup fresh basilSlice your hard-boiled eggs lengthwise and scoop the yolk into your food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Fill the egg halves with the mixture.
Cilantro Lime Deviled Eggs
*12 hard-boiled eggs
*1/2 cup chopped cilantro
*2 green onions, sliced
*3 Tbsp. lime juice
*1/2-1 avocado (depending on desired consistency)
*Sea saltto taste
*Optional: 1/2 jalapeno pepper or a few shakes hot sauceSlice your hard-boiled eggs lengthwise and scoop the yolk into your food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Fill the egg halves with the mixture.
Salad Nicoise
Throw together your favorites of the following:
*Hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges
*Canned tuna (Vital Choice is my recommended source)
*Blanched green beans
*Chopped tomatoes or thinly sliced sundried tomatoes
*Olives
*Sliced green onions
*AvocadoSprinkle with salt and top with any homemade vinaigrette. An easy one is equal parts vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice with salt and garlic. Adjust to taste. (Read about my easiest nicoise salad at this post.)
How to Hard-Boil OR Hard-Bake Eggs
Check out this post for a no-fail way to boil and peel hard-boiled eggs. But if you want an even easier way to cook them, try this:
Preheat your oven to 325.
Place your eggs in a muffin tin (or really any kind of oven-safe dish).
Bake the eggs for 30 minutes. When done, place into a large bowl of ice water. When cooled, begin to peel (or drain and place in fridge to store).
To peel: Roll the egg on the side of the bowl to crack the shell, and then peel under the water. Easy-peasy.
(Note: Hard-boiled eggs can be stored peeled in the fridge for a few days, but longer if left in the shell.)
What Else Can You Do With Eggs?
Try this frittata recipe, which also freezes well and makes delicious leftovers.
Drop whisked eggs into homemade chicken stock with sea salt, pepper and sliced green onions for a super quick egg drop soup. (Continue whisking or stirring with a fork after dropping into hot broth. Faster whisking breaks up the egg into smaller pieces.)
Add egg yolks to your smoothies for added protein.
Share your ideas below!
« previous post
Whole Life Challenge: Smoothie...
As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm going to be writing some short posts to provid...
next post »
WLC (& for Everyone Else,....
My best friend, who lives all the way on the other side of the world in Ethiopia, is doing...
Leave a Reply
No trackbacks yet.
Hopefully you've seen my posts on Facebook about the Healthy Life Summit. This collection of presentations by 35 different speakers was streaming live FOR FREE for seven days. I hope some of you were able to take advantage of that amazing learning opportunity!
If not, I am begging you to consider purchasing the download package to...
I meant to get this delicious recipe out during the heart of winter squash season, but I missed it. Luckily, you can still find some delicious winter squashes, including one of my favorite: butternut squash. Rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, butternuts also provide potassium, vitamin B6 and folate. And they're sooooo yummy.
This meal pairs butternut...
This is a delicious dish, so full of flavor that you won't mind at all that it doesn't contain wheat pasta. It is grain- and gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, Primal and compliant for Whole Life Challenge. (Should I add any more labels? It's egg-free, soy-free, sugar-free... :))
I based this on a recipe I found inside a...
First things first: This post is for everyone! It sounds like this will be specific just to those doing the Whole Life Challenge, but really, getting better acquainted with the ingredients that restaurants - even "healthy" restaurants - put in your food is always a good idea. Long after I finish the Challenge, these will...
I cannot express how thrilled I am to be reviewing these products. Tessamae's All Natural has got it all: an awesome back-story (started by a mom and her three boys), clean ingredients (check 'em out - not a stinker among them), super cool wax-sealed bottles and most importantly, 100% delicious flavor. Here's why I love...
You may have noticed that I'm back to adding that recipes are "Whole Life Challenge" or "WLC" compliant. You also might remember me doing this Challenge last fall. I meant to write about this earlier, but yes, I am doing another round with my CrossFit box. Below I am belatedly sharing the success stories of...
OK. I'm not going to win any food photography awards. I've accepted this, and now you need to.
In fact, I'm probably never going to remember to take pictures when something has finished baking, or is plated nicely, or otherwise looks perfect. I'm going to always be hopping up in the middle of dinner shouting mild...
Confession #1: I am writing this post solely so I can pin it to my lunch ideas and remember to make this again because it was soooo good. (I'm putting this confession first to compel you to keep reading despite the less-than-tempting picture {It was so pretty in real life!} and despite confessions #2 and...
Yes, I really meant it when I said I'm craving comfort food! It doesn't get any more comforting than chicken pot pie, does it? Here is a delicious grain-free version. It could use a little prettying up - Perhaps you're a better crust flipper than I am? - but don't judge its yumminess by its...
This post has to start with a confession. I am eating this dish for breakfast as I type this. It is so good, I woke up thinking about the leftovers in the fridge.
I don't know about you, but I love traditional Shepherd's Pie. And with these cold, rainy fall days, I've been craving some comfort...
One of the best ways to ensure success with your grain-free meal planning is to learn a few key substitutions. This is especially important for those of you doing the Whole Life Challenge. You may find you like these replacements even better than the originals!
Replace Rice with Cauli-Rice
This is probably my daughter's favorite side. We...
This dinner came out so delicious last night, it cut in line in front of the next few posts I had planned. It came together so quickly and easily, too!
Army SOS is a creamy ground beef dish that supposedly got its name from being a military chow staple. I took my version and made it...
I've been fielding a lot of questions related to the Whole Life Challenge over the past few days. (A LOT.) But by far, the most common question is: Where can I find WLC-legal bacon?
Well, no worries. I've got lots of answers for sourcing healthy bacon for WLChallengers and non-Challengers alike.
US Wellness Meats
US Wellness Meats is...
[Update: I wrote this post for the Fall 2012 Whole Life Challenge. Read some success stories from that Challenge and some details of the 2013 WLC here.] Happy back-to-school day (for most of you)! I hope everyone is settling back in to real life after summer break. I sure am trying to do so.
One of...
It took a couple of attempts, but I think I've nailed the bacon mayonnaise. And boy, is it worth the effort. The emulsification is a bit more temperamental than with this easy mayo, but just be patient and you'll get it - and I have some tips below if, at first, you don't.
The first important...
I got some good feedback on the previous recipe-share, so I thought I'd do another, particularly to help out my CrossFit Woodbridge Paleo Challenge peeps. Here are some great recipes to try, presented for free with my comments... You're welcome.
Curried Shrimps and Spinach
Ms. Anita brought this one to my attention, and I will be forever...
This is one of my absolute favorite spring and summer meals. It is based on a recipe found here at Divine Health.
Now, why can't I just leave well enough alone? Well, one, that's not how I roll. But reason number two is a goodie: You may remember us talking about how certain vegetables should not...
Aren't you always looking for great meal ideas? Here are some completely delicious recipes I've played around with lately. With the modifications below (if necessary) they are healthy, grain-free, dairy-free and Paleo. What more could you want?
Hungarian Chicken
Find the original recipe here. I simply omitted the milk, subbed homemade almond flour for the wheat flour,...
This week has NOT gone as planned. I mean, they never do, but this week is really off. It's Thursday, and I haven't done a meal plan at all this week (usually done on Sunday nights), AND I haven't been to the grocery store this week (good thing we don't get much there anymore). So,...
...Whatcha got cookin'?
I thought I'd share a couple of things that have been cookin' over at our house lately. Of course, it takes more time to write out my own recipes, so today I'll just share some things I've borrowed from others, with comments, of course. :) Enjoy!
Dee-li-cious Breakfast
Apple Omelets from Mr. Breakfast are sooooo...
This is an update to this post in the Kid-Friendly Changes series.
[Yes, this post is an update, but it also HAS an update. If you're Paleo, or just want to try something different, check out this post on making Bacon Mayonnaise! It also contains some good tips on fixing a broken mayo.]
Most people love the...
Here are my final thoughts on eggs (for a bit, anyway), particularly regulation and it's effects on egg safety. I'd like to share three real-life stories with you.
The Infamous Egg Recall
On December 11, 2010, The Washington Post reported on the oversights that led to the recent Salmonella outbreak which sickened 1900 and led to largest...
I'm sorry about the lateness of this post. Technology and I have been at each others' throats lately, but it’s getting better every day.
Let’s take a look at what you’re getting when you purchase eggs by looking at what the label might say, and what it means (or, in most cases, doesn’t mean).
Free-range
Stephen Colbert once...
Let's jump right back into things with a Reader Question.
I was asked how to perfectly boil and peel an egg. Of course, this is a long answer.
I'll start with the time tested method used by most cooks. The goal is to gently cook your egg, so as to avoid cracked shells, tough whites or stinky,...
There really isn't anything quite as comforting as a hot, creamy porridge for breakfast. In our house, making this with real oats is a rare treat. Most often, we'll make grain-free versions. Here, I'll cover the healthiest and yummiest ways to make both.
Oatmeal
Although Dr. Price studied traditional peoples such as the Scots-Highlanders whose diets contained...
See what I did there? With the title? Because stevia is sweet like sugar... which you scoop...? (The best jokes are the ones you have to explain.) Anyway...
I had been planning to wait and do a huge post on various sweeteners, but I get so many questions about stevia, and it really is its own...
Frittata is a real-food version of a pantry-meal. It takes no planning if you have a well stocked freezer and a dozen eggs. It's delicious, nutritious, and you can really put in whatever you have handy. It works for dinner (nice paired with an easy green salad), or is a great lunch, brunch or breakfast....
When making mayo, ice cream, smoothies - and lots of other yummy treats - we often use egg yolks for texture and a creamy protein boost. But what to do with the leftover whites?
Should You Eat Egg Whites Raw?
While egg yolks (from healthy eggs) are just fine - and actually very nutritious - when eaten...
I still remember the first time I had hummus. I was sitting at an outdoor Mediterranean restaurant on a beautiful evening in Old Town Alexandria, and a friend said I just had to try it. I've been in love ever since.
Hummus is made from garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), among the most nutritious of all...
Ginger is full of wonderful health benefits. Long used for gastrointestinal distress and motion sickness, ginger is also a powerful anti-inflammatory, and has been shown to ease the pain of osteoarthritis. The volatile oils in ginger have been found to have analgesic and antibacterial properties. More recently, ginger has been found to kill cancer cells...
Who doesn't love stir-fry? No, really, who? Because that would be insane. Thinly sliced pieces of meat, lots of veggies, yummy sauce... Stir-fry can be a fancy romantic meal for two, a great last-minute weeknight dinner, or just a way to use up random things in the your fridge.
The secret to making great stir-fry out...
About a year ago, a friend said something very eye-opening to me. We were discussing a situation that had come up on my family vacation; one of those other-people-are-so-annoying conversations. After I vented and comically told her how I had wanted to respond to the situation, she said, "Yeah... you do NOT like people telling...
The last day of summer seemed like an appropriate time to wrap up the Summer Bounty series, although those of us here in Virginia can expect delicious local corn well into the fall.
Don’t you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer’s Market and can’t resist...
I have a confession. I love baba ganouj (or ganoush) from the Wegmans Mediterranean bar. But I know it's full of crap (including GMO canola oil and calcium disodium EDTA). So I set out to make it myself... and, if I may say so, this is pretty dang good. The texture is a bit different...
Don’t you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer’s Market and can’t resist a good deal, your kitchen may be overflowing with some of summer’s most prolific producers. Here are some new ways to prepare them.
Is there anything more delicious than a garden-fresh tomato? No,...
Don’t you love summer veggies? If you garden or belong to a CSA, or even shop at a Farmer’s Market and can’t resist a good deal, your kitchen may be overflowing with some of summer’s most prolific producers. Here are some new ways to prepare them.
Joel Salatin once said something to the effect of, "The...
OK, I know what you're thinking: This post would have been helpful about a week and a half ago when I was trying to plan my Real Food Easter meal. At this point, I really don't care what you had for dinner two days ago!
Well, I understand you thinking that. But consider this a very...
In the last post, we talked about choosing safe cookware, and decided that stainless steel and cast iron pans should make up our cookware collections. Today we'll talk about how to successfully use these pans! It's easier than you think, and in no time you won't even miss your toxic non-stick pans.
We're primarily going to...









Jenn, you have a great site here. It’s full of so much useful information. I really admire your knowledge and creativity. Love you!!!
Holy crap – who knew that fried eggs, avocados, and sardines in tomatoes, all thrown together with a bit of garlic salt and parsley could taste so freaking awesome?? (maybe I’m just hungry…lol)
The WLC has been totally doable so far, and even pleasantly surprising with all the foods I’m trying that I’d never even considered before.