Egg Week!

I really love foods that are not only low glycemic, but also versatile. Part of staying on track is keeping your meals interesting so that you don't get bored, so when you have great choices that can be made so many different ways, you have many more options!

I've already written recently about mushrooms, and there are lots of vegetables that work in that way, but today's post is devoted to the humble egg. Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse, with only 70 calories and 5g of protein in one large egg. If you buy medium eggs, you can have two and count them as one Powerfuel! I always keep eggs in my fridge staples because they're so useful.

So this week at Stomach Rumblings, we're going to focus on easy and delicious recipes involving eggs. What are some of your favourites?

Today's recipe is perfect for your morning snack. It's light and cool in this hot summer weather, and has plenty of protein to kick those hunger pangs!

Layered Egg Salad (Powerfuel, Flex Meals):

1 cup shredded lettuce mix
1/3 cup sweet bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/3 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
2 tbsp. fat free mayonnaise (up to 35 calories' total)
1 large hard boiled egg, peeled and chopped, sprinkled with black pepper
1/4 cup fat free shredded cheese
1 tbsp. bacon bits (optional)
1 tsp Ranch seasoning (optional)

If you like the look of layered salads, grab yourself a clean mason jar. Otherwise, a glass bowl will work just fine. Place half the lettuce in the bottom of the jar or bowl, and add a layer each of half of the bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, and celery. Spread 1 tbsp. mayonnaise over the vegetables. If desired, sprinkle 1/2 tsp Ranch seasoning over the mayonnaise. Add half of the egg, cheese, and bacon bits if you're using them, then repeat the vegetables, mayonnaise, and the rest of the egg and cheese. For best results, chill for 24 hours.

A traditionalist will choose iceberg lettuce for this recipe, but I admit to being partial to spring mix myself. I also prefer cremini mushrooms, but you can use just about any kind you like. While it's still cold vegetables, I find this to be a more interesting take on the basic salad and of course we've got lots of protein.

Count this as 1 Powerfuel (70 calorie egg, 45 calories shredded cheese), 2 servings of vegetables, and 1 Extra (the mayonnaise). If you use bacon bits, that's an additional extra. The Ranch dry seasoning is a free food.