heidi

Today’s guest post is by my friend and fellow member of Arkansas Women Bloggers, Heidi Clark.  I hope you will take a moment to go check out her personal blog, The Busy Nothings, and her professional web site at Great Day Farms.  And while you’re out an about perusing all things eggs, you might just go check out one of my “eggcentric” favorites and a Southern-belle staple, Traditional Egg Custard Pie.

Hi, I’m Heidi, the director of social media marketing for Great Day Farms, based in Rogers, AR. Our brand is at Wal Mart nationwide and Sam’s Club’s in several markets. Before that I was a blogger, freelance writer and social media consultant. I loved blogging about my life, my kids and recipes and now I get to do some of my favorite things for Great Day Farms.

Before I worked with Great Day Farms I honestly didn’t really eat a whole lot of eggs. I mean, it’s not that I didn’t like them, I guess I just thought they weren’t that healthy or something. I’m not really sure why I didn’t eat them that often. After going to Egg School (yes, that actually IS a thing) I eat more eggs than ever and have noticed that the majority of the protein I now consume is actually… from eggs.  It’s the cheapest, quickest and longest lasting fresh protein source with eggs being fresh up to 45 days after being laid, contrary to a lot of misconceptions out there (Yep!).

A quick way to check the freshness of your eggs is to look for a 3 digit code on the side of your eggs- those 3 digits tell you when they were packed (i.e.- 001 is January 1st and so on.) Eggs also have every vitamin except C and every mineral except cobalt. With only about 70 calories each and 6 grams of protein- they are rapidly getting more and more popular as consumers become more informed. Since then, I’ve put eggs on more of my favorite foods. From macaroni and cheese to pizza, to waffles to turkey and cheese wraps- I put fried, poached, soft boiled, scrambled… all of them on my everyday favorites, coining my new favorite phrase: If you like it. put an egg on it. 🙂 I love eggs!

 OH- and for people like my mom who are worried about cholesterol- “Eggs in moderation can be part of a heart-healthy diet, “says David Katz, MD, MPH, director and founder of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in Derby, Conn.

To sum it up, eggs are kinda awesome!

Below are my top 3 favorite meals from Great Day Farms to … well, put an egg on it.  These recipes are  from myself and a couple of our bloggers; check great ideas over at GreatDayFarms. What is your favorite way to eat an egg?

From The Busy Nothings:

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Asian Lettuce Wraps with Poached Egg
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound lean ground hamburger
  2. 1/4 chopped onion
  3. 3 carrots, shredded
  4. 1/2 chopped cabbage
  5. 4 cloves minced garlic
  6. 1/4 bunch, parsley
  7. 4 Great Day Farms eggs
Optional Sauce
  1. 1/2 cup peanut butter
  2. 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  3. 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
  4. 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
  1. Cook the hamburger with the chopped purple onion, breaking apart the hamburger into small pieces.
  2. Add the shredded carrots, chopped cabbage, minced garlic,ginger and cook until vegetables are softened.
  3. Add parsley and set aside.
  4. Add 2 Tablespoons vinegar to a simmering pan of water.*
  5. Break 2 eggs carefully into water and simmer for about 45 seconds before covering and placing aside.
  6. Scoop a spoonful of hamburger mix onto a lettuce wrap and place a poached egg on top.
  7. For the optional sauce:. Mix ingredients well and drizzle on top of the poached egg
  8. Serve.
Notes
  1. *You can prepare up to four eggs at a time in a larger pan of water with additional vinegar added.
Dining With Debbie https://diningwithdebbie.net/
 From Heather’s Dish

heidi b

Rustic Beans and Egg
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound dry Navy beans (or other white bean)
  2. 8 cups water
  3. 4 bouillon cubes (chicken or vegetable)
  4. 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  5. 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  6. 2 crushed cloves garlic
  7. 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying the eggs
  8. 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  9. 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  10. 6 whole large eggs
Instructions
  1. Soak the beans overnight according to package directions.
  2. In the morning, or when ready to serve, drain and rinse the beans.
  3. Add them to a large pot and cover with the 8 cups of water.
  4. Add the bouillon cubes, whole peppercorns, fresh thyme and crushed garlic to the pot.
  5. Bring the beans to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and cover, cooking for about 60-90 minutes until the beans are done.
  6. Drain the beans and remove the now-empty thyme stems and peppercorns, if desired.
  7. Heat a large pan over medium heat.
  8. Add the oil and shallots and cook for about 5 minutes until the shallots are tender.
  9. Add the drained beans and toss to coat in the shallots and olive oil.
  10. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
  11. Once the beans have cooked for about 5 minutes, add the red wine vinegar and remove from the heat.
  12. Cover to keep warm while the eggs are cooking.
  13. Add a little olive oil to another pan and heat over medium-high heat until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.
  14. Carefully break 2 eggs into the skillet, then reduce the heat to medium low.
  15. Cook until the egg whites are set and the yolks begin to thicken slightly.
  16. Repeat with the remaining 4 eggs.
  17. Serve the eggs atop the cooked beans.
Notes
  1. You can certainly use other types of white beans in this recipe; just be aware that the different size beans will require shorter or longer cooking times to get tender. Make sure to read the packaging for the correct cooking time.
Dining With Debbie https://diningwithdebbie.net/
From Mom Hates Cooking

 heidi c

Mango, Chicken and Egg Topped Tacos
As we head into the new year, it's that time again to put all that holiday food behind us and start eating healthy. I am in full swing getting back to my regular diet and first on my list is eating more fresh and clean plus adding eggs into my meals. Since my family loves tacos, we decided to try a lighter version of tacos using a slow cooker chicken then adding a crumbled, organic hard-boiled egg to the top of the taco. It gave us a boost of protein and nutrition plus the dinner was easy and tasty! I also decided to give it another boost of flavor by adding a mix of mango and tomato as topping. Then, just use your favorite salsa or taco sauce and you are all set!
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Chicken
  1. 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  2. 1 cup verde taco sauce
Tacos
  1. 4 Organic Great Day Farm Eggs, hardboiled and sliced crosswise or crumbled
  2. 8 hard corn taco shells
  3. 1 mango, diced
  4. 1 tomato, diced
  5. Green leafy lettuce, chopped
  6. Shredded Mexican cheese
  7. Taco sauce or salsa
Instructions
  1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, spray the bottom of the slow cooker with
  2. nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and evenly pour the taco sauce on top of the chicken.
  4. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
  5. The chicken will shred easily when done.
Next build your taco
  1. Place some of the shredded chicken into each taco shell.
  2. Top with lettuce, mango, tomato, and cheese.
  3. Garnish with the egg.
  4. Add salsa or taco sauce if preferred before serving.
Dining With Debbie https://diningwithdebbie.net/
Photo Source: Great Day Farms

Links to egg and health articles-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/egss-and-health_b_3499583.html
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/eggs/
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20110207/less-cholesterol-in-eggs-usda-says