Power Up Breakfast With Egg Cups

power up breakfast egg cups Beth Rosen, RD

Most mornings, we race the clock to get out of the house to meet the bus or to get to work.  To save time, a hot, sit-down breakfast is sacrificed for extra sleep or a longer steamy shower on a cold morning.  In lieu of a nutrient dense meal, granola bars and the like have taken the place of eggs and whole grains like oatmeal at breakfast time.  But nutrition doesn’t need to be neglected if we plan ahead; power up breakfast with an easy recipe for egg cups and sacrifice nothing!

Having a teen athlete in the house led me to create easy-to-grab foods (like the oatmeal energy bites recipe I shared last month) that provide protein, fat, and help him get in some fruit and vegetable intake at each meal.  Together, we made egg cups; eggs, mixed with chicken sausage, spinach, cheeses, tomatoes, or whatever we liked and baked in cupcake tins.  These egg cups can be hand-held and eaten on their own, or put on a toasted, whole-grain English muffin and eaten as a sandwich.  The best part is that we made 24 in one sitting – which took about 30 minutes from start to finish – and my son had enough breakfast egg cups for over three weeks…technically.  Once these delicious power breakfast items were in the freezer, everyone in the house was defrosting them for their morning meal (and sometimes an after-school snack).

Eggs make a great base for a meal because of the nutrient punch they pack.  Eggs contain the most bioavailable protein of any food, while also supplying a healthy dose of vitamins A, D, and B12.  These nutrients are essential for producing hormones, generating red blood cells, bone growth, and maintaining immune health.  The protein and fat contained in eggs keep you satiated longer than any refined grain breakfast bar will, allowing you to feel fueled up for a morning of thinking and moving.  Adding vegetables like red peppers, zucchini, kale, or any of your favorites, boosts the nutrient content and helps you to reach the recommendation of 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day in an easy and delicious meal.

Power Breakfast Egg Cups

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 12 eggs
  • 2 chicken sausages fully cooked
  • 1/2  cup grape tomatoes roughly chopped or quartered (0r your veggie of choice)
  • 1 cup baby spinach torn or chopped (or your veggie of choice)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease two 6-cup muffin tins.  

  2. Scramble the eggs in a bowl. Chop the sausages and vegetables.

  3. Fill the muffin tins 1/2 - 3/4 full with the eggs. Add in the sausage and vegetables to each cup. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

  4. Mix lightly with a fork to blend ingredients in each cup. 
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is no longer loose. Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before removing the egg cups from the muffin tins. 

Recipe Notes

Serve hot or freeze for future use.  Defrost in the microwave or thaw in your lunch bag to eat later in the day.

These egg cups can be enjoyed immediately, or saved for a later date in the refrigerator or freezer.  If freezing, separate each with waxed paper.  This recipe is a sample of what can be made; the combinations of flavors are endless!  Try adding feta cheese, spinach, and sauteéd onion for a Mediterranean flavor.  Experiment by adding herbs and spices like cayenne pepper or rosemary.

 

 

BethR_1c-Home-Blog

Beth Rosen

Eating Attitudes™ & Gut Expert

Beth Rosen, MS, RD, CDN is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Beth Rosen Nutrition. She practices a non-diet philosophy and is a Health at Every Size" practitioner. Her goal is to end the pain of diet culture, one person at a time. Beth's techniques and programs empower chronic dieters, and those who consider themselves emotional and /or stress eaters, to ditch the vicious cycle of dieting, eat fearlessly by removing Food and diet rules, and mend their relationship with food and their bodies. Beth's works face-to-face with clients in Southbury, CT, and virtually with clients, worldwide.

Recent