I consume anywhere between a dozen to two dozen cage free eggs a week, and in that time, I’ve found that I really enjoy my eggs with a cooked white, and a runny yolk (that I usually sop up with a baked sweet potato for breakfast).

So here’s a recipe that I’ve been using for a while now, and if you like your eggs prepared like I do, this one will do wonders to start your morning.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cage Free Eggs
• 2 Cage Free Eggwhites
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, for seasoning
• Water

Directions:

1. Preheat a nonstick frying pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. While the pan is heating, crack open your eggs in a measuring cup or bowl, taking care not to break open the yolk.  Set aside.
3. You can test the heat by dropping a tiny bit of water on the pan.  If it sizzles and quickly evaporates, you’re ready to go!
4. Coat the frying pan evenly with about 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil.
5. Gently add the eggs to the pan, which should cook, with the whites immediately losing their transparency.
6. Add 1/2 teaspoon of water to the pan, turn the heat off, and cover immediately.
7. Allow the eggs to continue cooking in the pan for three and a half minutes without heat, using the evaporated water to steam them.
8. Remove lid from the pan.  The eggs should be perfectly set, still soft, but not have a raw look.  If your eggs still look a bit too raw, recover the frying pan, turn on the stove to medium-high, and allow to cook for 45 more seconds or until set to satisfaction.
9. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste.

The time spent covered and cooking is entirely up to you, depending on how runny you like your yolks.  I’d recommend at least two and a half minutes so that the whites have enough time to cook properly.  I’d say you could cook these eggs up to five minutes, but by then, you should prepare for your yolks to be pretty firmly set.  The other nice thing about preparing your eggs this way is that the whites tend not to have that rubbery texture to them.

Zone Blocks:

Protein: 3

Carbs: 0

Fat: 0 (Technically, there are two 2 grams of fat per egg when you include the yolk, but it isn’t necessary to count this towards your daily fat allocation.)

Typically, I’m pretty allergic to raw, unprocessed apples. I’m not sure what it is about raw apples that sets me off, but I get a nasty, constricting feeling in my throat, and all hell breaks loose. I’ve never been able to enjoy the bite into a crisp Granny Smith or Fuji without wanting to completely claw my throat out.

Despite that, I’m totally fine with non-raw apples. Dehydrated apple slices, apple sauce, apple juice, apple butter, anything that’s not just a regular raw apple. So while fooling around a bit in the kitchen, I came up with this nice little recipe that’s a sweet variation on your typical scrambled eggs. This recipe hits the trifecta: it’s Paleo friendly, Zone friendly, and Vegetarian (ovo) friendly as well. Nice. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 organic apple
• 1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil (extra virgin olive oil [EVOO] works too, but coconut oil has a better flavor!)
• 6 medium cage-free egg whites (or 3 whole medium cage-free eggs, or 3/4 cup eggbeaters)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup of filtered water

Directions:

1. Dice apple into 1/4″ to 1/2″ chunks. They don’t have to be perfect cubes, but try to get the chunks to about that size.
2. Place diced apple chunks into a bowl, and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon over them. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized non-stick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of virgin coconut oil over medium heat for approximately two minutes, or until the oil is starting to get hot. Try to get the oil evenly coated on the skillet as best as you can.
4. Add cinnamon apples to the skillet, and sautee the apples for three minutes, constantly turning the apples in the pan.
5. Add half the water to the apples, and let the apples continue to cook, continually turning the apples. The water will boil and reduce, and you’ll notice that the mixture will start to get a slightly syrupy consistency.
6. Add the remaining water, continuing to turn the apples. Let the water reduce again to a syrupy consistency, and should be almost completely evaporated.
7. Add the eggs to the skillet, evenly coating the apples. Push in the sides of the eggs towards the middle and try to get the apples and eggs to mix as evenly as possible.
8. Once the eggs have cooked evenly, transfer the mixture to a plate. Sprinkle 1/4 cinnamon over the scramble.

And that’s it! Tuck in.

While this isn’t really the prettiest of recipes, it tastes great, and is a recipe that I can make for Jen to enjoy. If you’re looking to make this a perfect 3 block meal, you can top the Apple Scramble with the fresh fruit of your choice, or 1/3 cup of organic unsweetened apple sauce (1 block of carbs).

Stay away from the maple syrup though. Heathens.

Zone Blocks:
Protein: 3
Carbs: 2
Fat: 3

As a final note, allow me to give you a little disclaimer. Not everything in your recipe has to be organic, free range, etc. You can substitute in regular ingredients instead, but I always feel that the higher quality your food sources, the better your recipes will taste. That being said, you should do some research into when you should buy organic, and when it’s just a rip-off at the organic market. A good rule of thumb is that if there’s not a skin to whatever fruit or vegetable you’re planning on consuming that you can discard, it’s probably a safe bet to say you should go organic. Organic apples? Yes. Organic grapes? Yes. Organic cantaloupe? No. Organic dish sponges? Get outta here with that.