Few animal products fit my style, but eggs are cheap, versatile, and keep well. They also cook well in a microwave.

Here’s the stats for one large egg:

serving	cost	calories	net carbs	fat	fiber	protein	sugar
1 large	~$0.141	70	0	5	0	6	0

There’s a huge amount of varieties available, distinguished in a few ways (in the US):

• grade
  • determined by USDA interior/exterior appearance guidelines ²
  • does not relate to taste, nutrition, or safety
  • higher grades are more expensive
• size
  • determined mostly by the age of the hen ³
  • large or medium tend to be most cost effective
  • smaller eggs are thought to have more flavor
• color
  • determined by the breed of the hen ⁴
  • not believed to significantly impact nutrition or taste
  • white tends to be cheapest

Most other labels - organic, pasture-raised, cage-free, etc - can be ignored outside of a hen treatment standpoint. I tend to buy cheap grade A large eggs; just be sure to open the container to check for cracks before buying.

There are a huge number of ways to cook eggs. Typically, I’ll crack one on a dish just before it finishes cooking. The result is similar to topping with a fried egg, but minimizes cleaning of cookware. I also commonly scramble eggs in the microwave, or stir them into soups.

Cook them however you prefer, just take care when heating them quickly without breaking the yolk: this can cause an explosion.