P90X: Planning, Preparation, Acheivement

For some time now I've been promising to drop a few lines concerning the immaculate guide contained within the P90X Nutrition Plan. As I earlier mentioned, we decided to prepare one given egg dish multiple times for each week, then change to another. For our first week we prepared the mushroom omelet recipe.

Now first off, I have made a lot of omelets in my day, and they weren't half-bad. However, working with egg whites was a new experience, and I've got to tell you... I miss the yellow stuff. Now you needn't yolks to make a fluffy omelet, but they do help to hold an omelet together. Here's the real scoop though: eggs yolks have some of the highest/best nutrition you can get. In fact, almost all of the nutritional value of an egg (aside from the protein) is in that blasted yolk! Of course, the problem with the egg yolk is that when you want all of that extra protein (i.e. six ounces), eating that many yolks is clearly ill-advised. You know what though... eggs keep. Buy yourself a dozen, and mix one whole egg into your omelet per fixing.

If you've looked at the nutritional guide, you see that for a "level-I" egg dish you should have six egg whites. This can mean different things, depending on the size of your eggs, so let us be more specific: 1 egg in P90X is equivalent to 1 oz. We need to be honest about the nature of the P90X exercise program. This is not about becoming Gaston (you know, the muscled/boorish stud from Beauty and the Beast), but the lean and ripped Brad Pitt from Fight Club (ideally). With this in mind, one must imbibe the idea that P90X is about working with less calories to produce a lean frame. I propose a compromise: take one egg from that dozen you've purchased each day, and mix it with enough egg white to match your level of caloric consumption (6, 8, or 10 ounces). For me, I purchase the Papetti egg product from Trader Joe's. At $2.19 for eight ounces, it is nearly 1/3 more expensive than a dozen eggs, but it makes the preparation of an omelet a lot easier.

Yet, there perhaps is an even more-important concept to be discussed: maintaining the aesthetic nature of your omelet. Two things need be mentioned: a good skillet, and, dare we say it, butter. I am not suggesting you go crazy with the butter, but consider that some homeopaths have made mention of butter and it's nutritional qualities. From a chemical perspective, butter browns. This allows for both a nice exterior to your omelet and keeps it from sticking to your plan. True, you can use a non-stick cooking spray, but this is a SYNTHETICALLY HYDROGENATED PRODUCT! Get yourself some old fashioned, organic unsalted butter and use it with love, sparingly.

Ah yes, one also should consider their cooking surface. I have needed to purchase a new cast iron skillet for ages. Truth be told, this would be best. Using Teflon coated products is becoming increasingly worrisome, and I've decided that I'm discarding my pans in favor of safer means. Consider this new FDA warning.

Recipe Tips: When making your omelet, slightly melt and warm your butter (no more than a quarter teaspoon) then add your beaten eggs. Ideally, you've been able to warn your eggs for at least a half-hour. If not though, the whisking should help. Now you've added your eggs, THEN add in your other ingredients and tuck them into your cooking eggs (not as the guide suggests). This allows the egg to maintain it's loose contact with the pan...allowing you to fold it when the time presents. To assist cooking the upper surface of the egg, cover with a pan cover or pie tin, the surrounding heat will finish the job quickly. Happy cooking, but don't forget to hit that play button!