More Muffins, with a Protein Punch!

So I did the healthy applesauce oatmeal muffins yesterday, and today I am balancing those carbs with these egg muffins. Provided by my friend Meghan (of Meg's Adventures in the Kitchen), this recipe comes from the South Beach Diet cookbook. I would venture to guess you could add to these muffins just about anything you would put in an omelet and it would taste great. These will be a great option for a protein-packed lunch! I followed Meghan's recipe of eggs, bacon and cheese but omitted the scallions because I didn't have any in the house.


Egg Muffins

12 eggs (or a combination of whole eggs and egg whites - egg whites count for 2 whole eggs. As an example, I did 9 whole eggs and 6 egg whites)
Splash of milk
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
12 slices cooked bacon, torn into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Add 1 piece of bacon, ripped up, and some cheese to each muffin cup.

3. In a large bowl (one with a pouring spout works great for this!) beat the eggs, milk and scallions. Pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup. Be careful not to overfill.

4. With a fork, turn the bacon and cheese in each cup over to mix it all up. Top each with a sprinkle of cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes and then keep an eye on them - they can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on your oven (mine went about 23 minutes). When they are puffy and slightly brown on top they are done. Be careful not to overcook them or they will be rubbery.

*~* I can't use Meghan's recipe and not announce that we have known each other since the fall of 1998 when we happened to be on the same floor of good ol' St. Martin's freshman dorm at Duquesne. We were hall mates our freshman year and then suite mates our sophomore year with a group of 12 girls. We happened upon each other again on The Nest and on MySpace. Hi again Meghan! :)

Breakfast in a Scone

I saved this recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride's blog awhile ago and have been dying to try it! My mom came to visit a couple of days ago and she doesn't really like traditional "breakfast" foods so I thought that she might enjoy these. And enjoy she did! She took a few back with her and my sister reports that they are awesome. And Nick's grade: A! Everyone loved them.

I followed this recipe to a "T" and used buttermilk for the entire amount of liquid called for. Nick said these taste more like a biscuit than my traditional Dark Chocolate Chip scones, which I think might be because of the buttermilk vs. using heavy cream in the chocolate scones. I did roll the dough into an 8" circle, however I thought this made the scones mighty large (in comparison to the picture in Foodie Bride's blog) but everyone loved them and they turned out tasting great! I will definitely be saving this recipe and making it often!

Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1-inch pieces
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Heavy cream, optional**
1 large egg
2 tsp. water

**Heavy cream may be substitued for half of the buttermilk.

Preheat oven to 400.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour - butter bits about the size of small peas. Add grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper. Gradually cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in cheese.)

Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 Tbsp at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone. Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly flours flat surface. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on the size scone you prefer.

Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with egg wash. Place scones on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.

A Hearty Breakfast (waiting for us!)

There's nothing better than waking up and smelling breakfast already waiting for you! Thanks to the invention of the crock pot, we woke up to a hearty, yummy breakfast this morning. I received the Cooking Light Slow Cooker cookbook for Christmas and decided I HAD to try the Maple-Hazelnut Oatmeal. Nick has been on a steel-cut oats kick so I was pretty confident this was a sure bet.


1 1/2 cups fat-free milk (I used 1% because that's what we had)
1 1/2 cups water
2 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (~3 cups)
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. butter, softened
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Cooking spray
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 T. chopped hazelnuts, toasted

1. Bring milk and water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

2. Place hot milk mixture, apple, and next 5 ingredients in a slow cooker coated with cooking spray, stir well. Cover and cook on LOW 7 hours or until oats are tender.

3. Ladle oatmeal into individual bowls; top with maple syrup and hazelnuts. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups oatmeal, 1 T. syrup, and 1 1/2 tsp. hazelnuts).

As you can see, we didn't have any nuts so I just used some blueberries. Also, I used a slow cooker liner which would REALLY help with clean up.

Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker cookbook