Egg Goodness – It’s World Egg Day

Happy World Egg Day! It’s time to bring out the balloons and streamers because today is the day to celebrate  and be reminded that the humble egg is an amazing source of energy and vitality.  These little goodies contain just 300 kilojoules each and quality protein plus 11 different vitamins and minerals including iron, selenium, iodine, Vitamins A, D, E, folate and Vitamin B12. 

This nutrition all rounder has suffered from an undeserved bad boy reputation over the years, mostly in the area of cholesterol. Egg yolks do contain a mixture of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fat. However, research conducted over the past 50 years shows that egg consumption has only a negligible effect on raising total blood cholesterol levels in healthy people.

For most people, eating an egg every day is a healthy addition to a diet that includes wholegrain cereals, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Of course, it is a different story if you are frying eggs every day and eating them with lots of bacon! 

An egg can be a great snack or meal full of protein and is the richest source of choline, which is essential for the manufacture of neurotransmitters in your brain. They are recommended daily as part of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

I grew up with chooks around my feet and I loved finding an egg hidden in my cubby house amongst my dolls and blankets.  Our chooks were very much free to range wherever they felt like it. Cubby, chook pen, prams – you name it. To be honest, these feathered birds (and all others for that matter but that is another story for another day) completely freak me out BUT I do so appreciate their produce!

You can check out some interesting and fun facts about the little egg plus some fabulous recipes at World Egg Day.

Eggs would have to be one of the easiest foods to prepare but for some weekend eggpsiration, you might like to try my Noodle Omelette.  This recipe is in my recipe e-book, ‘eat, energise, repeat’ which can be downloaded for free right here.

Noodle Omelette (Serves 2)

Ingredients

2 cups (already) cooked noodles or spaghetti (any small shaped/sized pasta that is leftover)

4 free range eggs, lightly beaten

80g grated reduced fat cheese

1/4 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 large zucchini, thinly sliced

1 whole tomato, thinly sliced

Method

Spray a large non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and arrange onion, zucchini and tomato in layers in the pan. Top with noodles, distributed evenly over the vegetables and pour over egg. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Cook over low heat until egg starts to set at the side of the pan and then place fry pan under grill to finish the top of the omelette and brown the cheese.  Cut into quarters and serve with your favourite salad.

Serves 2 adults or 4 kids under 12              Cost = $1.90