Why eggs love polers + 3 easy egg recipes

As you can see from this growing egg-box mountain that towers next to my fire place, I eat a crap-tonne of eggs.

That isn’t just because they are super versatile, quick and easy to cook, not to mention affordable and delicious, but eggs really are a nutrient-dense superhero of a food, too.

Eggs come with a multitude of health benefits: A single egg contains 6 grams of high quality protein as well as 13 essential vitamins and minerals[i], including Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B2, choline and selenium.

I describe the protein in eggs as ‘quality’ because it contains all nine essential amino acids >>read more about protein and why it’s important here<< and eggs are particularly rich in leucine (a large egg contains about 600 milligrams) which plays a big part in driving muscle protein synthesis.

Basically, if you are looking to build and maintain muscle mass and build strength *hello awesome pole moves*, eggs are your friend.

…and all for around 70 calories an egg!

So now you know why eggs are so eggcellent, here is some eggspiration (that still works as a pun, right?) for your next eggsperiments in the kitchen. Okay, I’ll stop that now.

1. Kinda Quiche Muffins

These little muffins are so easy to make. Whip up a batch on a Monday and use them for ready-made breakfasts or snacks throughout the week. I call them ‘Kinda Quiche Muffins’ because, well, they kinda taste a bit like quiche. You can throw pretty much any veg and/or meat into this recipe and it will usually work! Here’s my suggestion:

Ingredients

Makes: 6 portions

• 6 x eggs
• ¼ red pepper, diced
• 2 x cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 x spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 – 2 slices of ham, chopped/torn into pieces
• 40g blue cheese (feta or goat’s cheese works well too)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to about 190.
2. Whisk the eggs in a bowl.
3. Chuck everything else in the bowl with the eggs and mix it together.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Divide the mixture evenly between a 6-hole muffin tray (I use silicone cup cases too so it doesn’t stick. If you don’t have those, you’ll have to grease the muffin tray first).
6. Bake in the oven for about 20 mins or until the muffins are starting to brown on top.

2. Perfect poached eggs with avocado and lime on sour dough

This is one of my go-to lunches for a training day. I don’t know why avocado and eggs are such good friends, but when they combine their superpowers, it’s always a taste sensation!

The inclusion of avocado in this recipe adds even more nutrients and vitamins as well as an appetite-quenching portion of healthy fats that will help keep you feeling full until your next meal.

I also include one small slice of toasted sour dough – feel free to use wholegrain if you prefer.

Ingredients

Serves: 1

• 2 x eggs
• ½ an avocado
• Juice of ½ a lime
• Few fresh coriander leaves
• Small slice of sour dough bread
• Splash of white wine vinegar

Method

Poached eggs can be tricky and I know this might sound faffy but I use this method and it works every single time!

1. I always get the avocado ready first. Lightly mash the avocado in a bowl with a fork and add lime juice and a pinch of pepper.
2. Put some water in a pan to boil (you don’t need loads of water, just a few inches deep will be fine). When it is simmering, add a splash of white wine vinegar to the water (this helps the egg to coagulate).
3. Crack the eggs into two small cups (I use little plastic tumblers) – one egg in each cup. Don’t break the yolk!
4. Carefully tip out of the cup the watery bit of the egg white.
5. Stir the water in the pan so it is swirling gently.
6. Getting the edge of the cup as close to the water as you can, gently tip one egg in, followed by the other.
7. Set a timer for 4mins as soon as you’ve put the eggs in.
8. Whilst they are poaching, I toast the bread, spread the avocado over the toast and then remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and put them on top. I always break the yolk at this point as it stops it from cooking further. Plus, the yolk should then drip down the sides… Mmmmm #yolkporn.
9. Sprinkle with a pinch of pepper and a few torn coriander leaves and enjoy!

3. Flour-less banana pancakes with Skyr, blueberries and hazelnuts

These fluffy little pancakes make a mega tasty and speedy breakfast, lunch or pudding. I use Skyr yogurt for the extra protein and added noms but they go well with plain Greek yogurt too.

Ingredients

Serves: 1

• 1 x ripe banana
• 1 x large egg
• Small drop of vanilla extract
• Coconut oil (for frying)
• Handful blueberries
• Skyr (or plain Greek yogurt)
• Chopped hazelnuts to sprinkle over
• Drizzle of honey

Method

1. Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork.
2. Whisk the egg.
3. Combine the banana with the egg and mix in the vanilla extract.
4. Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add the mixture in two dollops. It’s never perfect but don’t panic – round pancakes are overrated anyway. 😉
5. After 30 seconds to 1 min, you should be able to slide a scraper under the pancakes and flip them over.
6. After another 30 – 60 seconds, stick the pancakes on a plate with a dollop of yogurt, scatter the blueberries, sprinkle the hazelnuts and drizzle a little honey over the top.

That’s it for now! I have soooo many more egg recipes! If you want my favourite omelette recipe and a tasty new breakfast burrito dish I just discovered, let me know! I LOVE finding new egg recipes, so if you’ve got any good ones, please share them with me below!

If you’re confused about how you should be eating to fuel your pole training, or you want more details on how to programme your training for pole, check out my book – Strength and Conditioning for Pole –  available now in hard copy or as a downloadable ebook.Be the best poler you can be!

[i] To read more about the awesome health benefits of eggs: http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/egg-101/ ; https://www.healthambition.com/health-benefits-eggs/