{recipe of the week} Egg Muffins: Breakfast on-the-Go

This ingenious idea made it's way into my recipe box a while ago, and I just (finally) got around to fixing it!  I'm kicking myself for not doing this sooner... Egg Muffins are an absolutely brilliant time-saver!

Make these babies ahead in massive quantities when eggs are cheap (ahem, $.59 a dozen at Fry's this week), and then keep them in the fridge or freeze them for a super-quick, delicious and nutritious breakfast, snack, lunch or even dinner!

The best part (other than the fact that they are very easy to make - notice my toddler doing the dirty work) is that you can add whatever veggies, meats, cheeses that tickle your taste buds!  This double-batch we made has turkey bacon (in half), red peppers, onions, green onions, ground flax, cottage cheese and a little shredded cheddar.

I highly recommend doubling (or even tripling) this recipe if you have enough eggs on hand.  These are a snap to reheat -- just keep in a baggie in the fridge and pop one in the toaster oven or microwave for about 30 sec.  If they are frozen, thaw them in the fridge first then reheat.

Like I said, they are the ultimate "Grab-and-Go" breakfast...or snack, lunch, etc.  These will surely come in handy on the early morning school days!

The following recipe made about 30 Egg Muffins - most made it into the freezer.  You can easily adapt this recipe to only make a dozen or so (just use one doz. eggs instead).

Ingredients:

• 2 dozen eggs
• Loads of diced veggies -- I keep these raw to maximize nutritional value and crunch
• Sausage, Bacon, Ham, etc. -- Cooked/Browned First
• Approx. 1/2 c. cottage cheese
• Approx. 1/3 c. shredded cheese
• Salt/Pepper 
• Butter, Oil, or Non-Stick Cooking Spray -- I use real butter.
• Muffin Pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
2. Crack eggs into large bowl and whip in cheeses.
3. Stir in raw veggies and cooked meat.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.  (I used approx. 1 tsp. of pepper and several sprinkles of salt.)
5. Butter, oil or spray your muffin tin generously.  NOTE:  You can use liners - just spray them inside as well.
6. Fill each muffin tin 1/2 full with the beaten egg mixture.
7. Bake (12 egg muffins) at 350-degrees F for approx. 15-20 min.  Look for a golden top and solid edges (no runny eggs).  I prefer to bake them so they are "just done" to keep them moist and avoid overbaking them when you reheat them.
8. Keep egg muffins in a resealable plastic bag or covered container in the fridge for up to a week.  To reheat muffins from the fridge, microwave for 30 sec. or place in toaster oven on "Toast" Setting for several minutes.  If frozen, allow to defrost in fridge then follow reheating instructions.

These are great with a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream on top!!

Enjoy!