There are lots of variations to this egg dish, depending upon what you have in your refrigerator, and takes only 5-10 minutes to prepare. If you are in the habit of keeping some of these nutritious foods as staple items in your kitchen, this is a no-brainer for taste and nutrition and convenience!

Eggs are a breakfast favorite for many people, in many countries. As long as they come from chickens (or other poultry) that have been raised and fed properly, the nutrient content and overall health benefits are very high. Eggs that come from chickens who are able to roam free in a pasture and forage for their natural diet of grasses, seeds, insects and worms are referred to as “pastured”. The term “free range” isn’t good enough, as the US defines that as simply having access to the outdoors – as in a few small openings in a large containment facility that holds thousands of chickens. Pastured chickens generally come from smaller farms that don’t use routine antibiotics or other drugs. If the supplemental food that they are given by the farmers is organic, they may use the term “organic” on the carton. Buying fresh eggs from a small local farmer, whose farming practices you can inquire about, will produce the highest quality and most nutrient-dense eggs. The yolks will be firm and more orange than yellow (as you see with eggs from the large containment facilities where they are not eating their normal diet).

Raw egg yolks are great to add to smoothies. As with many foods, the more cooking you do, the more loss of nutrients. Soft-boiled, poached and sunny side up eggs should be able to result in cooked egg white (in this case, cooked until the clear turns white is desirable for highest nutrient value) but a runny yolk – this is what I usually strive for with my morning eggs.

I cook my sunny side up eggs over low-medium heat with some coconut oil, ghee, or grass-fed butter and a lid. As soon as the whites are cooked, I slide them onto my plate which already contains a pile of greens – raw arugula, lightly steamed spinach or kale or dandelion greens – whatever I have in my fridge. Then I pile on chopped fresh veggies. In this photo, I have lightly steamed spinach with slivers of garlic on the bottom, then 2 eggs, then chopped tomatoes, avocado, and some broccoli sprouts. (If you look closely, you can see the lovely firm orange yolks of the eggs peaking out from amongst the veggies piled on top.) Sprinkle with unrefined salt and some black pepper (sometimes I add cayenne), and you have all the components of a truly nourishing breakfast with which to start your day!