egg cupcakes and the paleo diet

Okay, anything that has the word "cupcake" in it is okay in my book ;)

Last night I made egg cupcakes. These are a fantastic thing to make ahead of time so that you can just grab one or two in the morning, warm it up in the microwave, and be on your merry way.  The fun thing about this recipe is that it is super versatile.

On a side note, I know I mentioned the Paleo diet previously. It's too restrictive for me right now to follow, but basically here is Paleo in a nutshell (again, no expert, just my understanding):

• Does it have a face? (meat)
• Would it have had a face? (eggs)
• Is it a fruit or vegetable?

Yes, that's it. It's based on the principle of "eating like a caveman" (Paleolithic Era) and how hunter-gatherers ate. Essentially it's real food. Do you notice no beans/grains? In many of the recipes where you would use flour, almond flour is used instead. It's big on organic, free-range, non-grain fed foods. You will also notice a lot of coconut oil in place of other oils. 

It's definitely a lifestyle, and something I'm open to learning more about, but geez, cheese? Beans? You can't just be sorta Paleo, I know that, but of course I can incorporate some recipes. Some is better than none, right?

So you can make these egg cupcakes any old way you choose, depending on your diet. Try them!

Egg Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Slightly adapted from Everyday Paleo

10 eggs

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

coconut oil to grease the muffin pan (*note: I found mine a little hard to get out of the pan using coconut oil. Feel free to use butter, cooking spray, or even cupcake liners)

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a muffin pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together your eggs and salt and pepper. Set aside. Finely chop your veggies. Pour veggies in egg bowl and mix well. Fill each muffin pan about 3/4 of the way full with your egg mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until eggs are set. Remove from pan and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Now here's where it gets fun! You could add anything to your egg mixture: bacon, sausage, cheese, whatever you'd like. You could also whisk in a little milk to your egg mixture to make them a little fluffier. This morning I warmed mine up in the microwave for 30 seconds and then transported them to work and they tasted great!

I think these will become a staple in our house from now on. They're mini versions of the quiches I love baking and a good way to sneak some protein and veggies in :)