Sausage and Veggie Egg Bites

Bright pink and red tulips sit on my kitchen counter next to a giant bowl of navel oranges and little stemmed satsuma oranges. I’ve got my favorite Rooted In candle lit almost all day (lovely local candle company you can find all over town) and I’ve got a page-long list of chores I want to tackle in the new year.

Will I get to all of said list of chores? Probably not, but January always feels like the month to make a fresh start, or more accurately a re-start of all the habits and practices we promise ourselves we’ll do.

Winter months tend to send me into a bit of an energy slump. I’m sure its partly due to the short cold days and I know I’m not alone in that feeling. Fresh flowers and a lovely candle are two small things that help a little. Bundling up and getting out for a walk always helps too, although sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to lace up my shoes.

Crossing off my to-do list, making the appointments I’ve put off, reading a good book, making a meal plan and a grocery list make a world of difference. I just have to do them. The getting started can be the hardest part.

Having a few easy meal options prepared ahead for breakfast and lunch are at the top of my priorities this month. My kids have relied exclusively on bowls of sugary cereal for months on end and I was getting into the habit of drinking too much coffee until I was hangry, shaky and reaching for anything I could get my hands on when I finally realized it was darn near lunchtime; usually holiday treats or handfuls or pretzels.

These tasty and nutrient packed egg bites have been a breakfast game changer in our house. In what literally takes 10 minutes to throw together has helped both my kids and I to reach for something healthy, delicious and filling for breakfast.

I’ve made several variations of these egg bites (loosely copying a Starbucks egg bite recipe) but our favorite combination is this sausage and bell pepper combo. The trick to getting your kids to eat the veggie part of this recipe is to chop everything up really small. The spinach, red bell pepper and green onion are diced and minced so that they disperse evenly into the eggs and no one bite is too overwhelming with vegetables. The sausage and cheese make the eggs savory and salty and the cottage cheese gives this recipe an extra hit of protein while making the egg bites creamy and delicious.

Deli ham or cooked crumbled bacon are great alternatives to sausage and roasted broccoli, chopped finely could easily stand in for the spinach. Of course you could skip the veggies altogether and just do meat and cheese egg bites for a classic flavor combo. Personally, I love to splash a bit of green hot sauce on mine and my teen boys wrap their egg bites up in a tortilla for a fast breakfast burrito on the go.

Sausage and Veggie Egg Bites

• 10 large eggs

• 2/3 cups 2 percent cottage cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 red bell pepper minced

• 1 green onion, white part removed, minced

• Large handful baby spinach finely chopped

• 1 1/2 cups cooked pork breakfast sausage

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Big pinch black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Liberally spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Cook the breakfast sausage in a sauté pan until the meat is browned and cooked through. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. Mince the red pepper and green onion as well as chop the baby spinach.

Blend the eggs and cottage cheese in a blender. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs and cottage cheese mixture, shredded cheese, baking powder, cooked sausage, vegetables, kosher salt and black pepper. Stir until well-combined. Pour the egg mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup to the top.

Bake the egg bites for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through. The egg bites will rise a bit in the oven and fall slightly once removed from the oven. Allow the egg bites to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin before removing and letting cool fully before stowing in an air tight container.

To reheat, pop two egg bits on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a small piece of parchment paper and cook for 1 minute and 10 seconds.