Spinach and Turkey Sausage Egg Cups

Although my typical breakfast is a cool and refreshing protein shake, I am always looking for something else quick and easy to grab on the go. Especially at 6am when I am headed out the door to work. Even more so, I want something that tastes yummy and will keep my full for the better part of my morning. I love waffles as much as the next person, but all those carbs don't keep this girl full. At least not for very long. Mmm, syrup.

Last week I was looking to switch up my breakfast shake routine to something else and came across an egg cup recipe that looked rather intriguing. Plus, I already had everything in my fridge, so I couldn't really say no. Now, you might be thinking - what the heck is an egg cup?! An egg cup is like a mini crustless quiche baked right into a muffin tin. They are super easy to make and you can switch them up to include whatever ingredients you want. Plus, they are ready to go from start to finish in under 30 minutes. Now we're talking. These egg cups contain mostly egg whites (with a few whole eggs thrown in too), unsweetened almond milk (but you can use skim or whatever milk you like here), a little bit of cheddar cheese, spinach and turkey breakfast sausage. I got my turkey sausage at Whole Foods in the frozen section (Applegate brand is my favorite!), but you can use whatever kind of turkey sausage you like (if it's fresh, make sure to cook it up beforehand). Of course you can omit the sausage if you are veggie, but you can also use ham, bacon or any other meat you like in place of it. Like I say, this recipe is pretty flexible!

Once you have all your ingredients ready, you mix the egg whites with the whole eggs, milk and chopped spinach. Make sure to use fresh spinach here - none of that frozen stuff. The frozen will make your egg cups super soggy and look like they aren't cooked. That does not make for a happy egg cup. Trust me. Once all the egg mixture is all ready to go, spray your muffin pan with non-stick spray and evenly disperse the cheese and cut up sausage into each cup. Then fill up each cup with the egg mixture, making sure you fill all the cups. The eggs will puff up during the cooking process, but will deflate once you take them out of the oven.

After about 20 minutes in the oven, your house will be smelling like breakfast heaven! To get these bad boys out of the pan, let them cool for about 15-20 minutes and then go around each cup with a knife to loosen them up. They should pop right out, but you may need to give them a little help. These egg cups are perfect to enjoy right out of the oven, or they will keep in your fridge for up to a week and even longer in your freezer. The best part of this cute little breakfast is that each cup is about 70 calories, has 4 grams of fat and 9 grams of protein each. How great is that? Although these egg cups are great for breakfast, they also make a great lunch. Especially with a fresh sweet piece of fruit. Now we're talking!

If you use the egg whites from Costco, one carton = 10 egg whites

evenly distribute the sausage and cheese

don't forget to add the spinach

don't let the cups overflow!

baked and ready to go for the week!

Spinach and Turkey Sausage Egg Cups

10 egg whites
4 whole eggs
1/2 chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 breakfast turkey sausage links (I used Applegate), roughly chopped
1/2 unsweetened almond milk (or you can use soy or any other milk)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, place the egg whites and whole eggs into a bowl and mix until combined. Then add the chopped spinach and milk.

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non stick spray and evenly divide the cheddar cheese and sausage amongst the cups.  Then add the egg mixture to each cup, making sure it's evenly distributed. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the egg cups are firm. Enjoy!

Eggs don't have to be just for breakfast!