Baked Egg & Ham Cups

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day....the one that lights the "kindling" for the metabolic fire that is to burn and sustain us for the rest of the day.  Because of this, it's best to start off with a balanced meal including both complex carbohydrates and protein. 

Yet, around our house, (and I'm guessing we're not alone here), mornings are a bit rushed and hectic! We scramble about trying to get 4 kiddos dressed, fed, and in the car to drop our oldest off to 1st grade, and my husband tries to beat the rush out the door.
 
Enter..Baked Egg & Ham Cups! Taking less than 5 minutes to prep and get into the oven, and 20 mintues to bake...a batch of these can get the family through a couple of breakfasts...(more if you're not a family of 6!).  The best part of this is - it's a super simple recipe that the whole family will eat.

Ingredients:  a dozen eggs, 3 pieces of sliced ham (or 12 pieces of deli meat), & garlic powder. 

(Possible Accompaniments: Whole Grain English Muffin, Laughing Cow Cheese, Favorite Sauce, Spinach, or Arugula)

I cut the ham into 4 pieces/slice, and place 1 slice in each cup of my Demarle Straight Muffin Tray;

Crack 1 egg into each of the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with garlic powder;

 

Bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes;

Let cool for a few minutes, then remove from pan and serve! (I like them on a toasted whole grain English muffin with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese.  It is also delicious to take this base and add some arugula or spinach and drizzle with your favorite sauce.)

 Left overs stored for tomorrow's breakfast on the go!

Enjoy!!

Note: While you might be tempted to add salt before baking, I find the salt makes the egg whites a bit tougher when baked in this way.  Hold off on adding any salt until you are ready to serve.  I find the garlic and ham go a long way in flavoring the eggs, and I often don't add salt at all.