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Quail Eggs

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Quail eggs are small and bite sized when hard boiled making them our favorite travel snack.

They have a similar nutritional profile to chicken eggs in a smaller package. By weight, they have higher protein, fat, iron, riboflavin and B12 than chicken eggs. The taste is very similar to our fresh chicken eggs.

To hard boil: my best solution is to bake them. I bake them on a pyrex dish whenever I’m already heating the oven for something else. Usually 350F for 20min. This seems to make the eggs shrink slightly making the eggshell peeling much easier. Start by cracking them on the round end of the shell (the air pocket) and that gives a great starting point to peel the rest of the egg.

Egg peeling demonstration

The other option is to boil them for 4 to 4.5 (four and a half) minutes with a splash of vinegar in the water to soften the shell. Submerge them in an ice bath immediately and this can help make shelling them easier.

As a hard boiled egg they are fun:

  • as is (with a little salt and pepper)
  • pickled: can be as easy as leaving them to marinate in your left over pickle juice
  • marinated: multiple asian inspired marinate recipes (usually soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds & chili crisp)

Quick snack: Cherry Tomatoes, Pickled Persian Cucumbers, Pickled Quail Eggs, salt / pepper & Balsamic drizzle.

We have also tried them as Turkish or Shakshuka eggs, which are super cute and a delightful surprise when served.

Another option would be trying a Scotch Egg, but I haven’t been brave enough to try that one yet.

Eggs in General

Eggs in general are high in choline and in so are fabulous for brain health1. Interestingly one study went so far to say that children’s IQ improved with a daily protein breakfast (eggs)2. Choline is also important in liver and heart health.

Many of us have been taught to limit our egg use based on the reasoning that it will increase our cholesterol levels. I’ve never had an issue with it and then this guy came across on my social media: Nick Norwitz. He is a medical student who experimented and ate 720 eggs in 30 days and his LDL cholesterol actually went down. Looking into it, Harvard agrees: eggs do not increase your cholesterol or compromise your heart health; they actually do the opposite3.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002231662400289X?via%3Dihub ↩︎
  2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8234310/pdf/nutrients-13-02080.pdf ↩︎
  3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/are-eggs-risky-for-heart-health ↩︎

Honey Crunch Slaw

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Fresh, sweet, savory and filling: Tropical citrus with filling avocado. Just enough sweet and pinch of salt to stand on its own or pair with almost any main dish.

2 handfulls sliced green onion
2 Tbsp EVOO
0.5 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients:

  • Cabbage – 2 cups, diced
  • Cucumber (Persian preferred) – 1.5-2 cups, diced
  • Green Onions – 2 bunches, cut finely (user preference)
  • DocMayberry Honey – 2-3 Tbs (user preference)
  • Mango – 1 large, diced
  • Avocado – 1-2 large, diced
  • Salt & Pepper – to taste
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – 2 Tbsp
  • Olive Oil – 3 Tbsp
  • Juice from one Lime (or 1/2 Lemon)
  • Balsamic Glaze – as desired to top after serving

Combine in a bowl & Enjoy!

Stores well, helps flavors marinate and combine well.

6 things that changed my Health Game

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1 (ONE): I STOPPED THINKING IN BLACK AND WHITE AND GAVE MYSELF SOME GRACE. Understanding that a lot of little moves add up to make a striking difference was a light bulb moment for me. It reminds me every time of that quip: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!”

The day is not lost if I “forgot” to exercise or stopped by for fast food. It is all about making the day just a little better than the day before — and being CONSISTENT.

For nutrition I try to remember: Home made / Farm sourced is better than from the Factory (eat as close to the source as possible). So: if I am really craving ice cream – make some from simple ingredients! Use the full butter and real sugar. This environment we live in today is full of plastics and estrogen like chemicals to which we need to minimize our exposure. Eating closer to the source with real foods will help tremendously (Check out COUNTDOWN).

For exercise I try to remember: Its not the time I exercise that matters, but the distance. And any exercise will help every system in your body (brain, heart, muscles, blood sugar, digestion, etc). Did you know you burn the same calories whether you walk that mile or run it? Yes, putting a little stress on your cardiovascular system helps your overall exercise reserve and cardiac functioning, but giving yourself grace that you are going to complete that mile, whether its sprinting or walking is step one.

2 (TWO): STOP THINKING IN TERMS OF WEEKS TO MONTHS WHEN GETTING GROCERIES. I think living through COVID-19 has put many of us in the habit of stocking up on shelf stable items to minimize trips to the store. Vegetables and fruits (living food) is not meant to last a month, let alone 2 weeks off the vine or out of the ground sometimes. Buy one week at a time and anytime you make a meal, see what veggies you can sneak in from the fridge so they don’t go bad.

This is one way that my chickens have really helped me feel better about my purchases. If I forget that leek or boston lettuce in the fridge drawer my girls eat it up with lightning speed and enjoy it so much. And I have so much fun watching them!

3 (THREE): MEAL PREP IS A MUST FOR ME. Washing, cutting and portioning +/- seasoning was game changing. It takes more effort than you know when you are already exhausted and don’t feel like cooking. It saves time and makes it easy to freeze.

  • Chicken breast into 1″ cubes, portioned for nuggets, pasta & chicken, chicken & dumplings, chicken pot pie, etc.
  • Chopped onion or bellpepper
  • Ground beef portioned for chilli or taco night

4 (FOUR): START THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN GROW ON YOUR OWN. Do you love herbs? Tomatoes? Eggs? Honey? Eggs and honey are a little more in depth, but herbs are a relatively low work for high yield option. In residency I had a jungle of basil & tomatoes growing on my apartment porch– all grown from seeds. I ate caprese salads till I was red, white and green!

And hey! If you want to get into running your own backyard egg and honey show– I am here for it and will help you as much as I can. My family has found it immensely rewarding. Also, of course, you can visit our store and purchase your own eggs and honey from our harvest.

5 (FIVE): IF YOU CANT GROW, HOW DO YOU GET CLOSER TO THE “SOURCE” WITH YOUR NUTRITION? Read the label: get as few ingredients as you can in an item. Think WHOLE FOODS as ingredients. Is there a local farmer or local business that has food staples you can purchase? Some farmers allow purchase of a cow to then have cuts of meat straight from the farm, not filled with saline or other preservatives.

6 (SIX): HAVE FUN! FIND THE BEAUTY IN THE MOMENT. If there is anything that practising as a physician has taught me– its (1) that stress 100% deteriorates your health, and (2) no one knows when the Good Lord will call you Home. Stress is (mostly) optional. There are several good books about this and a long list of studies showing how having a embracing attitude toward stress can improve your health on a cellular level, not to mention your head space. Have fun with spending effort on yourself and showing yourself some love.

2023 Recipes: Emphasis on Highly Efficient Cooking

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This stove and I are about to really get to know each other.

The goal of “2023 Recipe Tuesday” is to come out with some sort of culinary attempt every week since we know that health starts with what we put in our bodies.

American culture is one of convenience feeding and now our country has an overwhelming number of citizens with end stage heart disease, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases and cancer. It is not a direct cause and effect, but it all adds up. We need to start a culture of understanding what our bodies are processing in order to move and grow every day. Our children need to see this is an indelible part of our lifestyle and that dinner is a ritual that includes setting the table, a healthy meal and family conversations (and then of course cleaning up).

Mari Beth and I know very little about cooking. We are both completely self taught. We have busy lives (bringing you the most wonderful high quality horse manure compost fertilizer! So you can grow your own backyard farmers market 😁) and so our main requirements are: delicious, nutrient dense, easy and quick meals.

Some recipes may be reviews of other recipes.

Forewarning: I don’t like measuring and I like using food already in my kitchen. I will get better at this.

The other thing we will try to do is keep up with a general “grocery list” of items that are pretty good for giving you the bones of most of your recipes. Like say — onions, garlic, eggs, milk… so when you make your grocery run you will have a good start.

We will also be mindful of leftovers and using those into the next recipe.

Our YouTube channel should also include some coverage if you want to check us out there (@DocMayberryFarms).

Thank you for joining us and I hope you are able to find some information here to improve your health (and hopefully your family’s health) in a meaningful way ❤️