It would more than over-easy to peg the egg as a breakfast fixture, but that’s not all it’s good for.

The egg is an extremely useful item outside of the kitchen, for both the household and your beauty care regimen. Whether you want to give yourself a protein facial or spruce up your coffee, consider these 20 unusual uses for eggs when you’re looking to keep homemade solutions quick, easy, and cheap.

1. Shampoo

Eggs are packed with protein and thus a welcome treatment for the hair. Whisk an egg and then run it through your hair with your fingers and massage it into your scalp. The egg yolk will treat distressed and damaged hair as well as moisturize it, while the egg white will clean the hair by sticking to dirt and pulling it away. Once fully applied to the hair, wash the egg out with lukewarm water.

2. Egg-White Facial 

Separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Whisk the egg white until frothy and using your hands, apply a layer to your face and neck. The egg white tightens your skin and reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Let the mixture stay on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing with warm water.

3. Egg-Yolk Facial

Separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Whisk the egg yolk until it is no longer clumped together. Use your hands to apply an even layer to the face and neck. The fat in the egg yolk moisturizes dry skin. Wait 20 minutes before rinsing with warm water.

4. Compost

Eggshells are packed with calcium, which helps plants to grow. Crush eggshells and add them to your compost.

5. Arts and Crafts

Prick a hole with a pin in one end of the egg and let the egg white and yolk slowly drain out. You are essentially left with an empty egg. Decorate the eggshell to your liking and admire your creative ornament! This is also a creative arts and crafts experience for kids, as it is both challenging to keep the eggshell in one piece and fun to do.

6. Ice-Cube Solution

Throwing a party and run out of ice cube trays? Save yourself a trip to the store by using an egg carton instead. The size is similar and the result the same.

7. Edible Paint

Isolate the egg white from the egg and whisk it with 1 tablespoon of water and food coloring of choice. Paint pastries and cakes, or any appropriate food item, for a decorative, edible, and easy way to bring color to your creations.

8. Unclogged Sink

Leave crushed eggshells in the strainer of your sink and it will help to break up anything that passes through to prevent clogging.

9. Makeshift Band-Aid

Apply a thin layer of whisked egg whites to a minor cut. The egg whites will dry, creating a thin film that protects your cut as well as provides nutrients to the skin that will help it to heal easier, sans a scar.

10. Jewelry Enhancer

Eggs contain sulfur, which oxidizes commercially-sold jewelry with sterling .925 or lower, helping to enhance jewelry’s design. Hard boil 1-2 eggs, crumble the egg yolk, and place the the egg yolk at the bottom of a container. Top the crumbled egg yolk with 1-2 paper towels, and then place the jewelry atop the paper towels. Seal the container and let it sit at room temperature for a few days. Remove the jewelry, rinsing it enough with soap and water to get rid of the unpleasant smell.

11. Plant Fertilizer

The calcium in eggshells promotes plant growth. Crush eggshells and mix them into fertilizer.

12. Coffee Taste Enhancer

By adding crushed eggshells to ground coffee before brewing, you can bring the coffee’s taste to a newer, and better, level. The eggshells cut coffee’s bitter taste, providing you with a smoother morning joe.

13. Small Ornaments 

Place small Christmas ornaments in the holes of empty egg cartons to prevent them from breaking in storage.

14. Leather Cleaner

Whisk egg whites and apply a thin layer on the affected area of leather. Lightly scrub the egg white away. It will leave the leather both clean and shiny, as egg whites cling to residue and help to pull it away from leather.

15. Seed Pots

Planting seeds in a big garden could be a bit overwhelming for a new plant. This is where an empty egg carton comes in handy. Fill the carton holes with fertilizer and plant seedlings in each one. After the plants grow beyond the capacity of the carton, transfer them to a larger garden, where they are now prepared to flourish without being overpowered.

16. Pest Deterrent

Spread crushed eggshells around the edges of your garden and the jagged edges will ward off all incoming slugs, snails, and cutworms. Their soft bodies will be harmed by the eggshells, so the hungry pests will steer clear of your plants.

17. Cat Deterrent

Wherever you want to prevent your cat from going, spread crushed eggshells around that area. After a few tries, the cat will stay away from the area, as the shells will bother its feet.

18. Plant Water

Don’t get rid of the water you used to boil eggs. Instead, after it has cooled, water your plants with it, which is packed with nutrients.

19. Glue

Egg whites are a great substitute to glue. If you run out of regular glue, whisk egg whites and brush a thin layer between paper or light cardboard to help them adhere together.

20. Usual Preparation

And if you are hungry after all that, why not at least cook eggs in an unusual and unique way? Try these suggestions, which include coddling, grilling, and roasting. Bon Appetit!

Photo Credits: Telepathicparanoia, Justj0000lie, Ashley Mayes, Adie Reed, Paparutzi, Tomi Tapio

The post 20 Unusual Uses for Eggs, Egg Shells, and Egg Cartons appeared first on EcoSalon.

Slice the calories, fat, and sodium with a cauliflower-based alternative

Pizza very well may be the world’s favorite food, but it can really bust your diet. The more mainstream it has become, the further it has diverged from the use of authentic, high-quality ingredients as well as the larger the serving sizes have become – the bread is thicker, the number of toppings defy the point of the dish, and the amount of cheese is greater.

But one thing that has never changed is its difficulty to digest. The pairing of protein and starch, from the cheese and bread respectively, is a classic train-wreck in the stomach. Protein requires an acidic environment for stomach enzymes to digest it and the addition of starch weakens the mix, making it exhausting for your body to process a slice. This is why you may experience extra bloat on pizza night and feel tired quickly. Not to say you shouldn’t enjoy the traditional combination when you crave it, but whenever you’re looking to tighten those abs or avoid the sluggish feeling, keep this knowledge in mind!

This is even before we get to pizza’s nutritional stats. Using Pizza Hut as an example, in a 12-inch medium size pizza, one slice bears 240 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 530 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and only 1 milligram of dietary fiber. And, let’s get real, who ever stops at just one slice? Double, triple, or quadruple those numbers and you’ll realize just how much saturated fat, sodium, and empty carbohydrates you are consuming in just one sitting. Regular consumption of pizza can lead to raised blood pressure, weight gain, an increase in blood-sugar levels, and cardiovascular diseases.

To avoid the hard-to-digest starch and protein combination and reduce the sodium, fat, and empty carbohydrate levels, I created a recipe that uses cauliflower as the base. Cauliflower has a natural cheesy aroma when cooked, so you can omit cheese altogether without missing out of the flavor. Full-fat yogurt holds together the cauliflower crust, and the “icing” on these mini pizza cupcakes is made up of a simple cooked cherry tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Mini Cauliflower Pizzas

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 head cauliflower, grated in food processor
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup full-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Marinara

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the crust, pulse the florets of one head of cauliflower in the food processor until rice like. Cook in a saucepan over medium heat with 1/2 cup water. Cover saucepan with a lid and let steam for 5 minutes, mixing every minute or so to make sure the cauliflower does not brown. This step softens the cauliflower. Once softened, remove from heat and let cool in a large bowl before adding the wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg whites, basil, oregano, salt and garlic powder together. Pour the wet mixture into the cooled cauliflower mixture. Fold until thoroughly combined.

Scoop the cauliflower crust mixture into muffin cups that have been greased with coconut oil. Pack them in firmly until they reach the top of the tin. Flatten the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops have browned lightly and the edges begin to pull away from the tin.

While the pizzas bake, prepare the cherry tomato marinara sauce. Stem and slice in half 1 cup of tomatoes. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the tomatoes in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil with 1 diced garlic glove, 1 teaspoon oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down.

One cooled, line the edges of the cauliflower crusts with a knife and remove each carefully.

Top each cauliflower crust pizza with a spoonful of the cherry tomato marina.

Photo Credit: Kohtzy, GlowKitchen

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Pizza’s Healthier Half Takes Center Stage appeared first on EcoSalon.