Egg Muffins (a Paleo-friendly breakfast)

It’s week 3 of Paleo-eating and we’ve had some bumps in the road.

First of all, my son has given it up.  Or rather, I am letting him eat non-Paleo outside of the house.  It was just such a battle with him and frankly, not worth the aggravation.  The dinnertime combative discussions against Paelo were exhausting.   I am disappointed because he would have benefited the most from a Paleo diet, but I do have control over what he eats in the house as long as I am buying the groceries and cooking the meals.   He won’t reap the most benefits, eating pizza on the weekends and Paleo at home, but at least it’s something.

I have more control over my daughter’s diet and she’s hanging in there.  We went to an event with cupcakes present and I let her eat one, but she didn’t eat the pretzels that were there; she had to make a choice between the two.   I’ve had a talk with her about making wise choices and I hope that she is listening.  I do want to make this a (mostly) lifestyle change for her.

I confess that I had a cupcake too.  They just looked so good and I love cupcakes!  But it was not a wise decision; to my surprise I was sick later on that day.  Note to self Funkidivagirl: you can no longer eat a whole cupcake.  Maybe a few bites, every once in awhile.  Maybe.

But all in all, despite a defecting teen-ager and forbidden cupcake, Paleo continues to be a positive experience.  For instance, my kids are now eating a more substantial breakfast.  Before Paleo,  my kids ate carbs for breakfast: cereal, french toast sticks, bagels or toast.  These were things that they can make themselves and didn’t take up too much time.   Now they eat bacon and eggs, but I make them in advance in the form of Egg Muffins.  I friend turned me on to them and then I goggled a few recipes.  This is what I came up with:

EGG MUFFINS

Ingredients:

Eggs (quantity depends on how many you want to make; 1 egg per Egg Muffin)

Cooked Meat (bacon, sausage, ham, ground beef, whatever)

Chopped Veggies (whatever you like)

Coconut Milk (optional)

 

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook your meat.  I use bacon for my kids, about a 1/2 slice per Egg Muffin, but you can use sausage, ham or ground beef instead.  Crumble the meat.

Beat the eggs.  I use 1 egg per Egg Muffin.  For instance, if I want to make 10 Egg Muffins, I use 10 eggs.  The big kid eats 2 Egg Muffins for breakfast, so 10 Egg Muffins will be enough for 5 days.    *I use half egg whites when I make them for myself, but they do not cook the same and my kids don’t like it.

A friend suggested adding a little coconut milk to make the Egg Muffins a bit fluffy and I thought it was a nice addition (when I remember to do it).

I use silicone muffin cups because I find that the Egg Muffins slip right out.  I place these on a cookie sheet.  You can use muffin pans instead, but I would imagine you would need to spray them with oil.

Put a little meat in each cup.  Put some veggies in there as well, if you like.  My kids like spinach, but you can use bell peppers or whatever you have on hand.

Pour the eggs in the cups.  I leave a little room because the eggs do rise a bit when they cook.

Cook the Egg Muffins for 15-20 minutes.  The first time or two you make these, watch them.  Set the timer for 12 minutes and if they are not done, check again every 2 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the middle.  My Egg Muffins take 22 minutes.

Let them cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to the refrigerator.  I try to make the Egg Muffins on Sunday or Monday night for the school week.  I put them in a air-tight container in the fridge and in the mornings the kids just pop them in the microwave for about 40 seconds.

Egg Muffins are great anytime of the day for a quick protein meal or snack, even if you don’t eat Paleo.  Try them and let me know what you think!

© 2012 – 2013, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.