Even if we all have just one commitment, if they all fall on one night, that makes for a tough schedule to keep and we don’t want our nutrition to suffer.
Lately on Facebook, I’ve seen a lot of people asking for ideas for healthy and nutritious “dinners to go,” not as in take-out or fast food, but more as in, “What can I feed my kids on a night where we have to run from school to soccer to CCD,” type of a thing. Although we do try not to over-schedule our kids, I find that if you have more than one child, along with adult commitments too, it’s nearly impossible not to have a jam-packed schedule after school even if each child chooses just one activity. You multiply that times a large family and some nights you have no choice but to have a quick meal or to eat on the run.
The good thing about these Egg Muffins is that you can put anything you want in them, and people can tailor them to the likes and dislikes of the members of their family.
Recently I tried a new breakfast idea that I saw on Pinterest, originally from the Kalyn’s Kitchen blog for Egg Muffins, and as we were eating them, I thought it’d be a perfect idea for dinner on the run, even though it was breakfast at the moment. It even said that you could use the leftovers from breakfast during the week if you refrigerated them. Another thing to think of when you have a large family: there aren’t often leftovers anymore! But, if I were doing this ahead of time, we would not eat them for our Sunday breakfast.
A couple of other things I liked about this meal were: 1) I thought they’d be great for a brunch item and 2) When you have several different sets of taste buds living under one roof, the ability to make one meal in a variety of ways is great. You can fill these with whatever you’d like.
When I made ours, I started out slow, just using two different fillers: spinach/cheese and ham/cheese. The ham/cheese filled muffins were the more popular of the two, although I liked them both.
With five of us, everyone had two and there were two left over which I put in a sandwich sized ziploc bag and later in the week I reheated them for my lunch after work one day. It was perfect.
If you’re looking for something healthy and different for those on-the-run nights, give this recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen a try!
See her recipe below.
Filling goes into the cups first, then the eggs on top.
Egg Muffins
(Makes 12 muffins, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from The South Beach Diet book.
15 eggs (for silicone muffin pans, use 12 eggs for metal muffin tins. You can use less egg yolks and more egg white if you prefer.)
1-2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, if you have food allergies or don’t have Spike, use any type of seasoning blend that’s good with eggs.)
1-2 cups grated low fat cheese (I like sharp cheddar or a blend of cheddar/Jack cheese, use less cheese if using meat)
Optional, but highly recommended, 3 green onions diced small.
Optional: chopped veggies such as blanched broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. (Using veggies will reduce the fat content)
Optional: diced Canadian bacon, lean ham, or crumbled cooked turkey sausage
Yum!
Preheat oven to 375 F. Use regular or silicone muffin pan, 12 muffin size. If using silicone pan, spray with nonstick spray. If using regular muffin pan, put two paper liners into each slot, then spray liner with nonstick spray.
In the bottom of the muffin cups layer diced meat, if using, vegetables, if using, cheese and green onions. You want the muffin cups to be about 2/3 full, with just enough room to pour a little egg around the other ingredients. Break eggs into large measuring bowl with pour spout, add Spike, and beat well. (I used to add a bit of half and half or milk, but lately I like the way they turn out without it.) Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is 3/4 full. I like to stir slightly with a fork. Bake 25-35 minutes until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set.
Muffins will keep more than a week in the refrigerator without freezing. Egg muffins can be frozen and reheated, but I like them best when they’re just refrigerated. For best results, thaw in refrigerator before reheating. Microwave on high about 2 minutes to reheat.
Tags: eating on a budget, eating on the run, Egg Muffin Cups, Healthy eating, Jennifer L. Cowart, Kalyn's Kitchen Blog, picky eaters, recipes, shopping on a budget
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