A good meal for hard times and easy way to make it
The writing’s on the wall. When you shop for groceries, you wonder what you’ll find (or *not* find) on the shelves. You cringe at the weekly price hikes. You know it’s time to reduce reliance on the system because the system can no longer be relied upon. Let’s talk about a delicious, nutritious meal for hard times: Eggs with Greens and Sprouts. It’s a good recipe for hard times because it’s affordable and very nutritious.
Why eggs with greens and sprouts?
Because these are foods that are so easy to grow in your own yard.
Eggs
Eggs are affordable, versatile and highly nutritious. When food is scarce, it’s important to get nutrients where you can. Eggs are a perfect solution to nutritional needs.
Chickens are a wonderful backyard food source because most cities and towns allow at least a few backyard hens, even in urban areas. Check your local ordinances and you might be surprised that you can provide more food than you thought possible.
If you hear of impending food shortages, increase your flock size so you can provide enough eggs for your household as well as the community. This can grow into a source of income for you, especially when times are tough and people are looking for local food. Ideally, you’ll want enough eggs for mealtime, enough for all your baking needs, and extra to sell, trade or share.
If you’re unable to raise your own chickens, start looking now for a local source of eggs in your area. Check places like OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Your local farmers markets and health food stores can also point you to local providers. Purchase from them now so you can develop a relationship that can see you through hard times.
Greens
I could go on for days about the deliciousness and health benefits of greens. First, let’s talk about what greens are. Greens are leafy plants that are absolutely packed with a huge variety of important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other critical phytonutrients that strengthen the body.
The most common, easy-to-buy greens include kale, spinach, all the varieties of cabbage, arugula, parsley and other fresh herbs, collard greens, Swiss chard, romaine and other types of lettuce. Some less-common ones, but growing in popularity, are watercress, sorrel, endive, escarole, mustard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, broccoli raab, dandelion greens and microgreens. Maybe you’ve never thought about radish greens, carrot tops and kohlrabi greens, but they’re edible, delicious and healthy.
When buying greens, choose from a variety of kale, spinach, arugula, beet tops, carrot tops, mustard greens, chard and more.
When fresh greens aren’t an option, you can usually find frozen kale and spinach with the other frozen vegetables. You can also get canned turnip greens with the canned vegetables (consider stocking up on canned greens).
Grow greens in a garden, in containers on the patio, or in pots on a sunny windowsill. If you don’t have a sunny windowsill, use a grow light. Greens are oh-so-simple to grow and provide a critical source of nutrients if food supplies are low.
Don’t forget about foraging! As long as there are green leaves outdoors, you should be able to find something tasty and healthy to add to your meals. Get a good book that explains how to forage wild edibles in your local area. The main safety issue is to know which local plants are poisonous and which edible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Also, avoid plants that grow along roadsides or have been sprayed with poisons. Otherwise, enjoy the abundance of dandelions, nettles and lambs quarters out there!
Sprouts
It’s the ultimate fast fresh vegetable to add to your current diet or rely on in hard times. Whether it’s personal hardship, the produce department is lacking, or you simply want to add a nutrient boost to your diet, sprouts are the answer.
Maybe you’ve eaten alfalfa sprouts on a deli sandwich or mung bean sprouts in Chinese food. You can find them in most produce departments, too.
Sprouts are grown in a jar on your kitchen counter. They’re super-easy to grow and a great source of critical nutrients. You can visit any health food store or natural market and buy seeds to sprout at home.
The advantage to growing your own sprouts is that it provides a source of fresh veg within a few days of starting the seeds. Every prepper should have a supply of sprouting seeds and supplies to augment their food storage. After a few days eating from your food storage, you’ll understand the need for fresh food!
As soon as you realize you’re running out of fresh vegetables, start a jar of sprouts. It takes about 3 days before you can eat them. Each day, start another jar so you’ll have an ongoing rotation of fresh sprouts to eat every day.
Of course, you don’t have to wait for a crisis to eat sprouts! With all their health properties and ease of growing, there’s no reason to wait. Enjoy them now 🙂
Before you start assembling this recipe
Take a quick inventory of what’s in the pantry and fridge. You may have some fresh produce available that can be chopped and added, like onion or carrot. Maybe you keep seasonings on hand — salt, garlic powder or an herb blend. Hopefully you have oil, butter or bacon fat on standby.
If you don’t have any of these things, you can still make this recipe using just the eggs, greens and sprouts. These are the core of the recipe and are nutritious and tasty on their own.
RECIPE
There are no exact measurements for this recipe because availability of supplies may be different on any given day. If you read through the instructions and grasp the general method, you’ll always be able to make a great meal. Give it a try and build your skills 🙂
Greens
Pour a tablespoon or more of oil or fat (per person) into a skillet. Don’t be afraid to eat generous amounts of healthy fat, in hard times or any time.
If you don’t have fat available, add a couple tablespoons of water to help prevent sticking.
Wash one generous handful of greens from the garden or edible “weeds” (per person). Chop them into 1” pieces. Place them in the skillet.
Saute the greens over medium heat until slightly wilted; do not overcook.
Sprinkle with sea salt or pink Himalayan salt.
Divide onto plates and set aside.
Eggs
Note: If you don’t have fat available for cooking the eggs, make them in a non-stick skillet or boil them instead.
If using a non-stick skillet, add a tablespoon of water to help them not stick as much.
If you don’t have a non-stick skillet, boil the eggs instead. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with 1” of water. Bring to a hard rolling boil. Turn off the heat, put a lid on the pan and set aside for 20 minutes. Immerse the eggs in cold water to stop the cooking process. When cool to the touch, they’re ready to peel and eat.
Otherwise…
Add fat to the skillet — about 1 teaspoon of fat per egg used. You can use more if you have it.
Plan on two scrambled or fried eggs per person. Depending on availability and your dietary needs, feel free to have more than two eggs per person.
Don’t overcook the eggs — as soon as they’re set, they’re ready to serve.
Serve them on top of or next to the greens.
Sprouts
Lay some fresh sprouts on top, about 1/4 cup per person or whatever amount is desired.
Options
This is a basic meal that is tasty and super nutritious on its own. But if you have extra ingredients to jazz it up and add even more flavor and nutrition, go for it!
- If you have fresh parsley or cilantro, sprinkle about half to one teaspoon on each plate. This also adds important nutrients, as well as dynamic flavor.
- Add chopped onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc. while sauteing the greens. If using dehydrated or freeze-dried foods, rehydrate them first.
- Drizzle with salsa or hot sauce.
- Dip the eggs in ketchup or mustard.
- Add chopped ham or bacon bits to the eggs before cooking.
- Mix up the veggies! If you’re not a fan of greens or don’t have access at the moment, try broccoli or any other vegetable. Eggs are versatile and taste great with a variety of veg. Sprinkle a little cheese on the eggs.
- Make a simplified version of Egg Fu Yung — add mung bean sprouts while sauteing the greens, pour the eggs on top, add soy sauce to the egg mixture, and fry it up as a patty.
- For variety, cook the greens and when they’re tender, pour the scrambled egg mixture on top and cook it all up together. This is especially tasty with a little cheese sprinkled on top.
If you like these ideas, add these to your long-term food storage so you’ll always have what you need
- Dried onion flakes
- Garlic granules or powder
- Dehydrated or freeze-dried mushrooms and bell peppers
- Dehydrated or freeze-dried cheese pieces or powder
- Canisters of parmesan cheese
- Bottled salsa and hot sauce
- Bacon bits
- A variety of mustards from the condiment aisle of your grocer
Where’s the toast?
This meal is considered low-carb, which helps keep weight under control in our standard western lifestyle. However, feel free to serve toast, rice, crackers, oatmeal or any other grain-based dish with this meal.
I eat grain-free most of the time to keep my weight and blood sugar normal. But if hard times require heavy physical work, I’ll eat grains as available.
See also…
Thrive in food shortage and rising food prices
How to cook with whatever you have on hand
Is this a meal you would consider making? What would you add to make it yours?
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