I’m always on the look-out for protein packed breakfast options.
It’s what keeps me full and satiated, so I don’t gnaw my arm off before lunchtime rolls around 
Greek or European yogurt is a good option, as well as nut butters and cottage cheese.
But my favorite option (in terms of taste, nutrition stats, and fullness factor) is always eggs.
Unfortunately, eggs are not always the most portable option.
Have you ever tried eating a fried egg on the way to class or work?
.. Yeah. You don’t want to.
But that’s where mini egg muffins come in.
Or to put it in more appealing terms: The Chic Life’s Savory Breakfast Cups.
These are hearty and tasty, and make for a perfectly balanced breakfast or snack when paired with a piece of fruit.
But they do make your kitchen smell delicious. And best of all, they’re adaptable to what you have on hand!
I have made these several times, and they never fail to satisfy.
The cups include bread, vegetables, optional meat (deli or leftover), and cheese. It’s the best way to use up leftovers in this household!
I adapted Diana’s recipe based on what I had on hand, which actually resulted in 6 cups instead of her original 4!
I loaded mine with vegetables, and although they still held together well, Diana’s are much more appealing to the eye!
Here’s the combination I used. However, these can be adjusted to be vegetarian by omitting the meat, or you can use a different combination of vegetables, more/less cheese, other spices.. really, it’s up to your taste!
Savory Breakfast Cups
Adapted from The Chic Life’s recipe
makes 6.
- 2 slices of bread (I used whole wheat)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
- 2 thin slices deli ham
- 2 thin slices deli turkey
- 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
- 1 green onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- a dash of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease 6 muffin tins (I use Pam)
- In a small pan over medium heat, cook the green onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and mix until wilted. Turn off the heat and allow the vegetables to cool.
- Whisk together the egg, milk, and spices in a bowl.
- Add the bread cubes, and mix until the bread has soaked up most of the egg mixture.
- Fold in cooled veggies,meat if using, and cheese and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
- Spoon into 6 muffin cups, and gently press on the top of each cup.
- Bake for 24-27 minutes, until egg is cooked through.
- Let rest 5 minutes before removing from pan.
**Leftovers keep well in the fridge, and can be heated up!
You can also double or triple the batch and freeze the leftovers, then thaw in the fridge overnight and heat in the oven or microwave prior to serving.
Questions of the Day:
What’s your favorite breakfast protein?
Do you ever get your veggies in the morning?
I always have some sort of veg with my eggs in the morning, and this way both my vegetables and protein are portable. The best part of all, the veggies are barely noticeable, even when I increased the amount!
**Edited to add:
Head over to Janetha’s Blog (Meals and Moves) to enter her “Better Breakfast Challenge”!
Those look yummy! My favorite breakfast protein is nut butters! I love putting nut butters in my oatmeal!
One can never go wrong with nut butters :)
Yum! I am glad someone is egg crazy like me! Haha I love eggs or nuts in the morning, at least one veg at breakie to ;)
Hahah we’re allllllways all about the eggs!
Those are so cute and such a good idea!
Carrot cake oats are the extent of my morning veggies and I don’t do that very often if I’m honest! I tend to just go for nuts or nut butter for my protein in the morning!
Thanks! I’ve never had carrot cake oats, but as much as I love carrot cake I’m sure they’d be fantastic!
I used to be an oatmeal/cereal girl every single day. Now, at least 2 or 3 times, I switch it up with an omelet of some sort. Makes me feel like I’m being more balanced… :)
Haha I’m an eggs girl! Though college is definitely bringing out my inner cereal love :)
Obviously I like this… I could eat this kind of meal pretty much every day! It keeps me full and so good for ya!
Amennn sister
What a neat idea for breakfast! I’ll have to give this recipe a whirl.
I’m glad we’re on the same page when it comes to needing protein..otherwise I’m ravenous in an hour. Typically I eat peanut butter on a bagel or I cook a huge pile of spinach in a pan until it wilts and then I add eggs and tomatoes..yummy omelet!
I hope you do :D This is definitely protein packed with the eggs.. and even more so with the cheese + meat add ins if you choose to do so :)
My favorite breakfast is pancakes but I only have them on weekends.
Work days are all about the oatmeal with peanut butter and banana :)
I’ve been living off the pb banana combination as of late too! hooray for easy college breakfasts haha
Creative idea!
One of my fave breakfast is oatmeal with vanilla creme protein powder!
I need to get some protein powder! I’m so pulled between all of the brands though
Clever! My morning protein would usually be from yoghurt or nuts / nut butter, but I think this looks impressively balanced.
Thanks!
Love this recipe…am such an eggs junkie! My breakfast today was seriously proteinified! I made oatmeal pancakes with half cup oats and 3 egg whites topped with peanut butter and grilled banana/apple–> racked in about 18-20g protein!
That is some serious protein! haha gotttta have my morning protein too :)
My mom makes something very similar to this, but I can’t remember exactly what she used in them right now. Either way, they were amazing and these look amazing too! :)
Thanks Amy! :)
LOVE this recipe! :-D Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks Alicia!
So glad you liked my recipe! Looks like a fun variation! :)
I like veggies in the morning. Sometimes I even just eat steamed veggies or some sort.
Thanks again, Diana! I love veg with breakfast too :)
Those little cups look amazing. My husband would love those!
I love to get my veggies in a big omelet in the morning.
Mmm, I love veggie omelets too! This is my fallback when I don’t have time to pull out the pots and pans :)
Um…those look delish! My favorite breakfast is 2 pieces of toast, one with pb banana and the other with a runny egg : )
A combination of all things great :) I like how you think!
I love this idea–would be perfect for hubs to grab on his way out to work.
They make a great on the go breakfast or snack!
Favorite breakfast proteins are eggs, protein powder and peanut butter. Oats have protein too, so I’m all set.
Mmm egg cups. Love.
I love PB and eggs.. I just need to try the protein powder for smoothies and oatmeal!
These are adorable! SO cute and little- perfect for on the go.
Thanks :D
These little muffins are your Daddy’s favorite and he sure has been missing your yummy breakfasts! Hurry home for a visit! Go Buckeyes!
Haha good to hear from you momma! Love you both. See you tomorrow!
I can’t do savoury breakfasts; it’s all about fruit rather than veg in the morning (apart from my favourite carrot cake porridge!) but these look brilliant; I’m bookmarking for lunch or dinner instead :-)
They make great snacks too! :)
[...] Spinach and Spice did a variation on my egg-licious breakfast cups [...]