My friend Carrie is a pretty good egg.

In fact, if she was an egg, she’d be a Grade A, incredible, edible kind of egg. But enough about Carrie, let’s talk about eggs.

I go through phases with eggs. I sometimes overdose on the suckers and have to break up with them for a spell, but I’m happy to report I got back together with one of my favorite forms of portable protein yesterday.

Why yesterday you ask?

Because Carrie (the-good-egg) gave me the secret to making the perfect hard boiled egg. The best part? They peel perfectly! Her secret? Salt the water. That’s it! That’s the secret.

Let me break it down for you step by step…

• 1. Fill a pot about 3/4 full with cold water and toss in about 2 teaspoons of salt.  Allow the salt to dissolve in the water by giving the water a quick stir.
• 2. Add 1 dozen XL eggs to the cold salt water and bring to a boil. (I love Egglands Best, by the way)
• 3. Once the water comes to a boil remove the pot from the heat and cover for 15 minutes.
• 5. Go do some push ups.
• 6. Rinse the eggs in cold water until the eggs are cool.
• 7. Peel and eat!

I love this method of hard boiling eggs because not only are they easy to peel, but the yolk stays yellow and it doesn’t get all gray and icky. Try it. I bet you’ll get eggsellent results, too…no yolk!

Now I really must go shopping for Carrie’s birthday present…I’m sure I’ll find something that will crack my little Spring chicken right up!

If you’ve watched the news lately you might RECALL seeing something about some bad eggs–and I’m not talking about guys like Mel Gibson.

Indeed there are some fowl eggs out there, but there are still some good ones to be found at places like Turtle Creek Farm, right Vita?

But, in case you are in the mood to bake and you find yourself eggs-free you must not panic. We can take a lesson from The Vegans and play around with nearly a half dozen (also know as four) ways to replace eggs:

• 1/2 banana blended = 1 egg
• 1 T ground flax seed + 3 T water, whisked = 1 egg
• 1/4 cup silken tofu mixed well = 1 egg
• 1/4 cup apple sauce = 1 egg

I haven’t tried all of these options out just yet, but I have used the banana substitution successfully in pancakes and muffin recipes calling for eggs. And the slightly nutty flavor of the ground flax seed worked wonderfully in place of the egg in the protein bars I made last week.

Do you have any other suggestions for egg substitutes or should we just go ask Oprah?

Now I really must go grab another cup of coffee and some breakfast…no yolk!

How do you track your fitness progress?

• By the scale? Measurements? Body fat?
• By how much weight you can lift? Your flexibility? Your speed? Your heart rate? Your recovery?
• By how your clothes fit? Or how you look in the mirror?
• By your energy level? Or level of self confidence?

My answer would depend on my goals. But, trust me, I’ve used all of the above at one point or another.

What do you do when you reach a plateau? What happens when you can’t see or feel progress? My advice? Do not panic. If you are honestly working a healthy plan your body will still be working on changes behind the scenes.

My Precision Nutrition coaches recently shared a story from Dave Tate about body transformations that really hit home with me. Think about this:

If you look at a fertile egg and watch it over time you will not see anything happen. This goes on day in and day out. You expect to see something, anything, but nothing changes. Then one day the egg begins to shake and a chick pops out. While the egg sat idle things were changing under the surface.

We all spend too much time looking at the outside of the egg when we should stop and think about what is going on inside.

I know what works for me. If I consistently drink a lot of water, eat plenty of protein and vegetables, progress and change my training program every 4-6 weeks, and get plenty of rest, I know I will not only feel good, I will see changes in my measurements and in the mirror. And if I don’t? I only have one person to beat up!

Speaking of eggs and vegetables, here’s what I’m whipping up today (with a tall drink of water)…

Egg-stra Veggie Quiche

• 8 eggs (or 2 cups Egg Beaters)
• 6 oz of Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt (NuVal score – 94!)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs in a large bowl and stir in Chobani Greek Yogurt. Mix in vegetables and seasoning. Pour into an 8×8 inch pan sprayed with Pam Olive Oil and top with shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Now I really must go grab some more water and hit the gym because I have a plateau to crack!