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Tomato Baked Eggs

Carrying on from the egg post below I thought it would only be natural to post an egg recipe!

I tried this in Costa Rica and I absolutely LOVED it...so tasty and a completely new way to make eggs.

Ingredients

900g ripe vine tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
4 large free range eggs
2 tbsp chopped parsley and/or chives

1.Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Cut the tomatoes into quarters or thick wedges, depending on their size, then spread them over a fairly shallow 1.5 litre ovenproof dish. Peel the garlic, slice thinly and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and stir everything together until the tomatoes are glistening.

2.Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and are tinged with brown.

3.Make four gaps among the tomatoes, break an egg into each gap and cover the dish with a sheet of foil. Return it to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the eggs are set to your liking. Scatter over the herbs and serve piping hot with thick slices of toast or warm ciabatta and a green salad on the side.

Per serving

204 kcalories, protein 9g, carbohydrate 7g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 3g, fibre 3g, salt 0.27 g

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Eggs

Eggs have been getting a bad rap lately. Although it is true that egg whites contain less fat (1 serving of egg whites..which is 2 egg whites contains 1g of fat and 75 calories, 1 egg with yolk and egg white cntains 75 calories and 5g fat) egg’s with the yolk contain more nutrients

Eating egg whites only may be beneficial to those who are watching there weight and cholesterol but most of the nutrient content comes from the egg yolk.

According to American Council on Science and Health, most of the vitamins and minerals in eggs---such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, iron and zinc---are found in the yolk, as well as part of the protein.


The table below shows you how many nutrients you get from eating a whole egg instead of just egg whites.

 

Nutrient (unit)	Whole Egg	Egg White	Egg Yolk
Calories (kcal)	72	17	55
Protein (g)	6.3	3.6	2.7
Carbohydrate (g)	0.36	0.24	0.61
Total fat (g)	4.8	0.06	4.5
Monounsaturated fat (g)	1.8	0	2
Polyunsaturated fat (g)	1	0	0.72
Saturated fat (g)	1.6	0	1.6
Trans fat (g)	0.02	0	0.02
Cholesterol (mg)	186	0	184
Choline (mg)	126	0.4	116
Riboflavin (mg)	0.2	0.15	0.09
Vitamin B12 (mcg)	0.45	0.03	0.33
Folate (mcg)	24	1	25
Vitamin D (IU)	41	0	37
Vitamin A (IU)	270	0	245
Vitamin B 6 (mg)	0.09	0	0.06
Thiamin (mg)	0.02	0	0.03
Vitamin E (mg)	0.5	0	0.44
Selenium (mcg)	15.4	6.6	9.5
Phosphorous (mg)	99	5	66
Iron (mg)	0.88	0.03	0.46
Zinc (mg)	0.65	0.01	0.39
Calcium (mg)	28	2	22
Sodium (mg)	71	55	8
Potassium (mg)	69	54	19
Magnesium (mg)	6	4	1

 

Nutrient-rich, all-natural eggs are a welcome addition to any diet. 

The nutrient package of eggs aids in the following - 

• Weight management: The high-quality protein in eggs helps you to feel fuller longer and stay energised,which contributes to maintaining a healthy weight. 
• Muscle strength and muscle-loss prevention: Research indicates that high-quality protein may help active adults build muscle strength and help prevent muscle loss in middle-aged and aging adults. 
• Healthy pregnancy: Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects. Two eggs provide about 250 milligrams of choline, or roughly half of the recommended daily intake for pregnant and breastfeeding women. 
• Brain function: Choline also aids the brain function of adults by maintaining the structure of brain cell membranes, and is a key component of the neuro-transmitter that helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles. 
• Eye health: Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants found in egg yolks, help prevent macular degeneration, a leading cause of age-related blindness. Though eggs contain a small amount of these two nutrients, research shows that the lutein from eggs may be more bioavailable than lutein from other food sources.

Cracking the Cholesterol Myth

More than 40 Years of Research Supports the Role of Eggs in a Healthy Diet

Many Americans have shied away from eggs – despite their taste, value, convenience and nutrition – for fear of dietary cholesterol. However, more than 40 years of research have shown that healthy adults can eat eggs without significantly impacting their risk of heart disease.

And now, according to new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition data1 , eggs are lower in cholesterol than previously recorded. The USDA recently reviewed the nutrient composition of standard large eggs and results show the average amount of cholesterol in one large egg is 185 mg, a 14 percent decrease. The analysis also revealed that large eggs now contain 41 IU of Vitamin D, an increase of 64 percent.

Studies demonstrate that healthy adults can enjoy an egg a day without increasing their risk for heart disease, particularly if individuals opt for low cholesterol foods throughout the day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association recommend that individuals consume, on average, less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. A single large egg contains 185 mg cholesterol.

Several international health promotion organizations – including Health Canada, the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Australian Heart Foundation and the Irish Heart Foundation – promote eggs as part of a heart-healthy diet, recognizing that they make important nutritional contributions.



Recommendations

Exactly how many eggs you can safely eat a day will depend on your age, weight, sex, activity level, daily caloric intake, dietary habits and health. Your doctor can make a recommendation based on all these factors. However, moderation and variety are important to a well-rounded diet. The Harvard Medical School recommends an average of one egg a day for healthy cholesterol levels and a strong heart. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that healthy adults should aim to get 46 and 56 g of protein a day from a variety of foods, and suggests eggs as a nutrient-dense protein source.

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HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!! Even though the weather isn't promising this weekend you can make these yummy treats to brighten up your day and still feel healthy......

Woo hoo it’s Friday! Which can have it’s pros and cons...mainly PROS! However the main con being your diet goes out the window on the weekends. You have probably worked hard all week trying to eat a healthy balanced diet but if you are like most people you allow yourself “cheat days” on the weekend. Some people really just throw all their healthy ways in the garbage come Friday night, then wake up Monday morning vowing to eat healthy again. Want to end this cycle now...then you need to allow yourself treats throughout the week so you never feel deprived. I have just the treat to offer you....Blondies! The best part about these blondies is that they are made from...chickpeas! Thats right you heard me, chickpeas! Which are incredibly healthy for you. So make up a batch of these tonight and allow yourself to indulge in some this weekend, but try to still stick to a healthy balanced diet the rest of the weekend, so you can end the vicious cycle of the “Monday morning blues”, where you promise yourself to start eating clean again.

Here they are...delicious healthy blondies!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chickpeas (if canned, drain and rinse them well)
3 tablespoons any nut butter, coconut oil, or dairy butter
1/3 of a banana
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup powdered stevia
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend, or cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
OPTIONAL: Chocolate chips (I highly recommend you add chocolate chips!)

Directions Add all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend or process until the batter is very smooth. If you're using chocolate chips, stir them in now. Either enjoy as an unbaked dip, or spread batter into a parchment lined or greased 8" x 8" pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes — do not overbake. When cooled, cut into 18 squares...And get this each blondie is only 60 calories! So indulge, its mainly chickpeas!

If you allow yourself treats every once and awhile throughout the week and continue this into the weekends you should never have a day where you eat crap all day long. The effect this has on your body is a lot worse than you can imagine. It takes approximately three days for your body to get back to normal after having a day where you eat mindlessly all day long (which a lot of girls do on Sundays!) So end this cycle now, just continue your healthy eating plan into the weekend and allow yourself treats all throughout the week so you never feel deprived!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and treat your body well this weekend allowing yourself some special treats but still sticking to your balanced eating plan :)