Savory Egg White Muffins

Savory Egg White Muffins

Recently, the issue of "no time for a good breakfast" has been a recurring theme with my clients. I realize that not everyone has ample time in the morning to get ready for work and school, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Your body has been resting all night and a good and wholesome breakfast is your body's equivalent to your psychological need for a cup of joe after rolling out of bed. Let's be honest, we don't need caffeine, (don't get me wrong, I still love my hot cup of coffee after a night of sweet slumber) but we DO need a protein rich something-or-other that will jump start our metabolism and keep us feeling full until mid-morning (when you will be eating your healthy protein rich snack, of course!).

Unfortunately, it's not only adults who are missing this vital meal, but kids too! I am currently training a 13 year old and convincing her to wake up 10 min earlier to eat breakfast before school is proving a challenge. Granola bars are great in a pinch (ones that are 10g+ of protein AND 6g- of sugar of course and should be limited to 1 a day), but what ever happened to eggs for breakfast? Well, life happened. Our time is valuable, and taking 15 min to make and clean up a full breakfast is often the last thing we want to do at 5, 6, or 7am. We've got exercise, spouses, kids, work, and pets to take care of, so here is a recipe that will help your mornings run a little smoother, all while providing much needed protein to start your day with a bang, not a whimper. 

I adapted this recipe from the one I found here. I mainly simplified it, because I am all about making things easy and creating as little cleanup in the kitchen as possible.

These muffins are pretty much a simple ready to eat omelette in the shape of a muffin. 

To make enough to fill 1 regular muffin/cupcake tin (12 muffins) you will need:

• 1 large carton of egg white or egg substitute (I prefer better n' egg brand. It's texture is more like real eggs in my opinion and it is cheaper than egg beaters)
• 1-2 cups fresh baby spinach
• Any other vegetable you desire - peppers, olives, squash/zucchini, tomatoes, etc. anything will probably work and taste just delightful! 
• Your choice of lean protein - I made 2 different kinds just to try it out and I used Banquet Turkey Sausage links (3 links diced and added to 6 of the muffins) and 3 slices of mesquite turkey breast from the deli for the other 6 muffins (any lean deli meat you have in the fridge would work)
• 1/2 cup of cheese - I used shredded Colby jack, but you could use cheddar, parmasean, etc. 

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350F
• Spray your muffin tin with a nonstick spray (Pam)
• Fill the bottom of each muffin tin with spinach (I ripped mine a bit to make smaller pieces)
• Add your meat and vegetables 
• Fill each muffin tin evenly with egg substitute (mine were almost full, but not completely overflowing)
• Bake for 15-20 min (check at 15 min, mine took around 23 min)
• Take out and let cool in muffin pan for 5 min before removing

Here's how mine looked fresh out of the oven

Cuong enjoyed his with Van's Whole Grain Waffles

I opted for a Van's Whole Grain English Muffin with pb&j!

They really turned out great! Afterwards, we brainstormed other yummy combinations like a Denver omelette one with onions, peppers, ham, and salsa and advocado on top, or a turkey and cherry tomatoe with parmasean and fresh dill. You can play around with it and use whatever you have available in the fridge. It is also nice that if you have a picky eater, you can make some without that stuff they hate! :)

My plan is to make these every Sunday and keep them in the fridge so I can pop one or two in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and BAM! Breakfast is served!

Nutritional info:

 Each muffin had between 58-66 calories, 8g protein, 1-3g fat, 1-2g carb.