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Easy Egg Muffins with Pesto & Ham (GF with DF options)

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Easy Egg Muffins with Pesto & Ham -- Perfect for breakfast all week or a packed lunch

By Alison Diven, Contributing Writer

Y’all, a week of breakfasts or light lunches doesn’t get any easier or more delicious than this. These little darlings? Five minutes prep, then bake. Done. No sautéing, no mixing, no mussed up bowls. And the flavor combinations are endless! This batch got all fancy with layers of leftover pesto, goat cheese, and ham, but I can also vouch for the simple pleasure of ham and cheddar. And what about in-season Hatch chiles and cheese? Oh baby.  I’m still all over the freezer burrito idea, but if you don’t watch your supply, you run out before you have time to make more. (Ask me how I know.) Egg muffins to the rescue!

One thing I love about this method is that, unlike scrambled eggs (which I also love), it showcases the glorious orange-gold yolks of pastured eggs. If you’ve never tasted a backyard-raised egg, you really owe it to yourself to locate some. Their flavor is so much richer that I now find grocery store eggs bland, even the fancy ones. We buy grocery store eggs too, of course, but every chance I get, I nab the “good stuff.” Farmers’ markets are a great place to look for them, and sometimes locally-owned health food stores will carry eggs from the community. You can also ask around. You want eggs from chickens that spend most of their lives outdoors being chicken-y–eating bugs, worms, and grass. Once you see and taste the difference, you’ll know the “pastured egg thing” isn’t just hype.

Pastured eggs, or eggs of any kind, are especially important for pregnant women like me. Egg white omelets may still populate the “healthy” menu at restaurants, but it’s eggs with their yolks that offer so much for general health and for building babies—including hard-to-get nutrients like vitamins A, D, and K, choline, zinc, and iodine. (Read more nutrition details from Kimberly here.)  These days, as I plod through the third trimester, I get as many egg yolks as I can for the brain-food choline, but scrambling eggs every morning gets really old. Adding in these egg cups and raw “milkshakes” with egg yolks has kept me going.

Recipe Notes:

Swap out ingredients freely! Don’t do pork? Skip the ham or substitute a slice or two of chicken sausage. Use any cheese your heart desires, or nix it altogether if you’re dairy-free. Some easy, no-pre-cooking-required flavor combinations to try:

  • Jarred roasted red peppers, ricotta cheese, and a basil leaf
  • Roasted New Mexico (Hatch) chile peppers with goat cheese or cheddar
  • Tomato, mozzarella, and a basil leaf
  • Thinly-sliced zucchini, monterrey Jack cheese, and cilantro pesto
  • Ham and cheddar

Do use paper muffin liners. While not strictly necessary, they help hold everything together since you’re layering, not mixing ingredients.

Eat ’em hot or cold. They’re delicious fresh, of course, but I eat them cold throughout the week.

Other Bulk Breakfast Recipes You Might Like:

Individual Ricotta and Spinach Ricotta Omelets in a Muffin Tin
15 Freezer Burrito Hacks for Nourishing Cooks
Spiced Oatmeal-Apple Muffins (Dairy, Gluten, Egg-Free)
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes (Soaked)

Easy Egg Muffins with Pesto & Ham (GF with DF options)
 
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6
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Egg muffins are endlessly versatile and a great way to cook breakfast or light lunches for a week. Pesto, ham, and cheese give these an Italian vibe, but you could go all-American with ham and cheddar or Southwest with green chiles and goat cheese. Let your imagination guide you! They are also delicious without the cheese, so don't let being dairy-free stop you from enjoying them.
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces sliced ham (I often buy Applegate or Organic Pastures)
  • 4 ounces soft goat cheese or your favorite cheese, optional
  • ½ cup prepared or leftover pesto (use dairy-free pesto if needed)
  • 12 eggs, preferably pasture-raised and GMO-free
  • 12 paper muffin tin liners
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Meanwhile, line regular-size muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Chop ham and cheese into largish pieces.
  3. Distribute chopped ham among muffin cups. Then add a small spoonful of pesto to each cup. Sprinkle in the cheese. Crack a whole egg into each cup.
  4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the yolks are set but not chalky. Let stand for 5 minutes. Eat warm or refrigerate for later meals.

 

Cook Once, Eat Thrice with a Slow Cooker Beef Roast (GF & DF-Adaptable)

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By Alison Diven, Contributing Author

Are you having one of those weeks? Do you need an action plan for a few days of no-stress, family-pleasing, yet healthful meals? After multiple rounds of illness in our household, I sure do! Picture this: cook (very) simply tomorrow night, then have the next two nights virtually off, while enjoying 3 different dinners—BBQ loaded baked potatoes, deluxe taco bowls, and portobello mushroom pizzas.

We’re following this plan ourselves right now, and it’s such a relief. The flavors are familiar, the cooking simple, and I know we’re all still eating healthy meat, nourishing fats, and even vegetables. For a pregnant mama coddling a sick toddler and exhausted husband, this is very good news, indeed.

It all starts with slow cooking a beef roast, then shredding the meat and seasoning it three simple ways. First, it gets smothered in BBQ sauce atop baked potatoes with all the fixings and a side salad. Then, it joins fresh vegetables, beans, and rice with salsa and sour cream for a Tex-Mex treat. Finally, it meets Italian herbs, portobello mushrooms, and cheese (if you like) for a quick broil, with leftover side salad. Simple and satisfying.

It’s a fabulous way to stretch an already affordable cut of beef, and without a single complaint about leftovers. I’ve written the instructions for a family of 4, but it would also work for a family of 6 without using a bigger roast; just scale up the other ingredients. For those on a no-dairy diet, it’s easy to leave out the cheese, sour cream, and butter.

Because I’m so intimately acquainted with the brain fog that comes with challenging seasons—first trimester, anyone?—I’ve made this plan as user friendly as possible. You’ll find a printable shopping list and explicit step-by-step instructions for each night. So just print and go, girl! You can do this.

Recipe Notes

  • Because my goal is ease, I call for store-bought BBQ sauce and salsa, canned beans, and an optional box of baby greens. You’ll want to look for ingredient lists that are free of GMOs, corn syrup, yucky food additives, and your family’s allergens. Of course, you’re welcome to make your own and save money that way! Kimi notes: I keep (affiliate link) Eden’s beans on hand for recipes such as this. It’s cooked with kombu, a nutritious seaweed that makes them digestible. 
  • The one condiment I do call for making at home is salad dressing. It’s just SO easy and far superior (and cheaper) to what’s available even in health food stores, especially the fats, which are important to me.
  • A whole chicken or pork shoulder would be excellent substitutes for the beef pot roast. The flavors will still work beautifully.
  • I always recommend grass-fed beef and dairy products, when possible. Not only are they healthier for you, the cow, and the planet, they often just taste better. You won’t believe the magic grass-fed beef, slow cooking, and salt and pepper make together! Be sure to save the bones and extra cooking liquids for your next batch of bone broth.
  • If you end up with leftover odds and ends, you can mix and match them to make a couple of fabulous breakfast frittatas or omelets.

Shopping List & Recipes

Click to download the Cook Once, Eat Thrice Shopping List PDF. You’ll also want to print all three step-by-step recipes below.

Cook Once, Eat Thrice Night #1: BBQ Loaded Baked Potatoes
 
Author:
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
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Cook once today and enjoy ultra easy meals for two more nights. The simple tasks for today include 1) slow cooking the beef roast, 2) baking potatoes, 3) cooking rice, 4) seasoning the beef, 5) preparing a simple salad and dressing, and 6) assembling tonight's dinner. Tasks 1-5 can be fit in at any time of day, as you have time. Total active time is less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the Meat
  • 3 lbs bone-in beef pot roast, preferably grass-fed
  • 1½ to 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup BBQ sauce, plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
For the Rice
  • 1½ cups rice, white or brown
  • water or broth as directed by package or rice cooker
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
For the Salad (Nights 1 & 3)
  • 1-2 heads lettuce OR 1 large box baby greens
  • Your favorite salad vegetables, like carrots & celery or tomatoes & cucumbers
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
For Baked Potatoes
  • 4 large baking potatoes, preferably organic
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
  • Butter for serving (optional)
  • Sour cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook meat. In the morning, place the roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, until very tender and “shreddable.”
  2. Bake potatoes. 1-1/2 hours before dinner, turn the oven to 400. While pre-heating, scrub potatoes, pat dry, prick skin, and rub with olive oil. When oven is hot, place potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, turning over midway, or until the flesh is soft when tested with a fork.
  3. Cook Rice. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package or rice cooker directions, adding salt and chili powder before cooking. Place cooked rice in storage container and refrigerate.
  4. Flavor meat. When meat is done, remove meat to large bowl and shred with two forks. Spoon some of the cooking juices into the meat to moisten it. Put one third of the shredded meat into a small saucepan, one third into a storage container, and one third into another storage container. To the saucepan, add ½ cup BBQ sauce and set aside. To the first storage container, add ½ teaspoon cumin and combine. Cover and refrigerate. To the second storage container, add ¼ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Combine, adding more cooking juices as needed to incorporate tomato paste. Cover and refrigerate.
  5. Prepare salad and dressing. Wash and cut up vegetable toppings. Set aside. Combine 1 cup olive oil, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, etc and emulsify with whisk, blender, or immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  6. Assemble Meal. Warm BBQ sauce and meat reserved in saucepan. Slice green onions. Serve potatoes topped with butter, BBQ beef, sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions. Serve ½ the salad greens topped with ½ the vegetable toppings with the homemade salad dressing.

Cook Once, Eat Thrice Night #2: Shredded Beef Taco Bowls
 
Author:
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
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If you followed the plan for Night #1, you'll have dinner on the table in 15 minutes tonight! Be sure to save any leftover vegetables and toppings.
Ingredients
  • Prepared cumin-flavored beef from Night #1
  • Prepared rice from Night #1
  • 1 can black, pinto, or kidney beans
  • ½ cup frozen organic corn kernels
  • 1 large bell pepper
  • 2 medium tomatoes (if in season)
  • 1 large or 2 small avocados
  • 1 handful cilantro
  • ½ cup salsa
  • ½ cup sour cream (optional)
  • Leftover sliced green onions
Instructions
  1. Rinse and drain beans. Rinse frozen corn in warm water and set aside for a few minutes to thaw. Chop bell pepper, tomatoes (if using), and cilantro. Slice avocados.
  2. Meanwhile, gently warm shredded cumin beef and rice. You can use a single large skillet on low and place the beef on one half and the rice on the other half.
  3. Assemble taco bowls, layering rice, beans, beef, vegetables, avocado, sour cream, and salsa.

Cook Once, Eat Thrice Night #3: Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
 
Author:
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
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Tonight's the last night of the 3-day plan. Enjoy another speedy, delicious dinner that requires only a quick broil to get on the table. Have leftover odds and ends after the 3 days? Most ingredients will go toward an absolutely killer breakfast frittata or omelet tomorrow morning. Have fun!
Ingredients
  • Prepared oregano-tomato shredded beef from Night #1
  • 4 large or 6-8 smaller portobello mushrooms
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces Italian melting cheese (like mozzarella), sheep-milk feta, or goat chevre
  • Leftover chopped bell pepper and/or tomato (optional)
  • Leftover green onions (optional)
  • Leftover salad greens from Night #1
  • Leftover salad vegetable toppings from Night #1
  • Leftover salad dressing from Night #1
Instructions
  1. Set oven to broil.
  2. Gently brush dirt off mushrooms. Cut out mushroom stems. Brush tops (smooth side) of mushrooms with olive oil and place top side up on baking sheet.
  3. Broil mushrooms for 3 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
  4. Turn over mushrooms and spread shredded beef over the shallow cavity. If you have any left over, add chopped bell pepper and/or tomato. Top with cheese.
  5. Broil for 2-4 more minutes, watching very carefully to prevent burning.
  6. Serve immediately alongside salad greens, salad vegetable toppings, and salad dressing. Sprinkle green onions on top, if you have any leftover.

Looking for More Easy Family Dinners?

Check out these delicious slow-cooker, quick, and one-pot meals:
Shawarma Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Easy Thai Curry Noodle Soup
14 Easy Dinner Recipes (That Are Healthy and Frugal Too!)
Cucumber Tuna Boats
3 Ingredient Teriyaki Pan Fried Chicken (Easiest Recipe Ever!)
Sriracha-Lime Salmon One-Pot Meal

Fresh “Garden” Pasta

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This simple dish is composed of tomatoes, peppers and herbs sautéed with garlic, onions and chicken served over a bed of pasta, and drizzled with olive oil.

Gardens and farmer’s market are brimming with produce. I love this time of year! There are few things more rewarding than walking out to your garden to pick produce from the vine to create a fresh and flavorful meal moments later.

I also love pasta! There is something irresistible about noodles covered in olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and tomatoes. With the addition of chicken and extra vegetables it’s even more delightful. When paired with a simple salad, such as Kimi’s Nourishing Caesar Salad (from her book, Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons), a loaf of rustic sourdough and olive oil with spices for dipping, you have a complete meal.

This pasta dish is very versatile. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Broccoli  and thinly sliced carrots are two of my favorites. This dish is a “Pasta Primavera” (spring pasta) but since fall is nearly upon us I thought that Fresh “Garden” Pasta was a better suited name.

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Fresh "Garden" Pasta
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
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Ingredients
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb roma tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
  • 4 TBS olive oil
  • 1 tsp unrefined salt
  • 8 oz pasta
Instructions
  1. Cook 8 oz of pasta according to the package.
  2. While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Add the onions, sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and continue to saute for about 3 minutes or until the onions and garlic are a golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
  3. Cut the chicken breast into thin slices, about a ¼ of an inch thick.
  4. Add the sliced bell peppers and chicken to the skillet. (If you are choosing to add additional vegetables now is the time.) Sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt and dried oregano. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. You can cut one piece of chicken in the middle to check.
  5. Return the onions and garlic to the skillet. Push all the ingredients to the side and add the tomatoes to the middle of the skillet. Sprinkle with the remaining salt. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are just tender.
  6. Drain the pasta and toss with the vegetables and chicken.
  7. Sprinkle each serving with basil. Drizzle with additional olive oil if desired.

 

Pesto Chicken Sandwich (Dairy-Free)

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Warm grilled chicken covered with fresh creamy pesto, fresh summer vegetables sandwiched between thick slices of rustic bread.

I enjoy a good homemade pesto but unfortunately most of the time they are made with parmesan cheese. For those who have to eat dairy free that means avoiding pesto. A few years ago at a wedding I had the most delicious pene covered in pesto. It was rich, creamy and full of flavor and surprisingly dairy free! The trick was cashews. Most pestos call for parmesan and pine nuts, when you use cashews in their place you won’t even notice the difference. After the wedding I headed home and came up with this creamy dairy-free pesto that I have been using on pasta, meats and sandwiches for the past three years. Since that day I’ve never looked  back.

With summer gardens flourishing this delicious Italian sandwich is the perfect way to make use of the amazing vegetables found in your garden or at farmer’s markets.

Pesto Chicken Sandwich
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
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<span class="mceItemHidden">With summer gardens flourishing this delicious Italian sandwich made with dairy-free pesto is the perfect way to make use of the amazing vegetables found in your garden or at farmer’s markets.</span>
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • ½ white onion, medium sized, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup [url href="http://nourishingsimplicity.org/2011/06/pesto-dairy-free-option.html"]dairy-free pesto[/url]
  • ¼ cup [url href="http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2013/05/homemade-mayonnaise.html"]homemade garlic mayo[/url]
  • ½ TBS freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 TBS olive oil
  • 8 slices of rustic bread (such as sourdough)
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken in a gallon freezer bag. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the breast to a ¼ inch think. Start in the middle and slowly work your way to the sides.
  2. In a cast iron skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. You will know the skillet is ready if a small drop of water sizzles when added to the pan.
  3. Carefully add the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Cook until the bottom side is lightly browned. Flip over and cook opposite side until lightly browned as well, this should take about 8 minutes. Cut through one of the pieces of chicken to be sure it is not pink, if it is continue to cook until you can see no pink.
  4. Remove the chicken from the skillet and cut into 8 pieces.
  5. Toast the bread, spread the mayo and pesto over both sides.
  6. Layer the bread with the sliced onions, tomatoes, basil leaves and 2 pieces of chicken.

Katie Stanley is a dorm “mama” to 12 amazing girls ages 8 to 18 at a home and school for the Deaf in Baja California, Mexico. She and her “hijas” can be frequently found in the kitchen, the garden or making friends with their new chickens. She loves to read, hike the hills near her home and spend time with her girls. In her spare time Katie blogs at Nourishing Simplicity about nourishing foods, herbal remedies, simple living, the Deaf, raising her girls and encouraging other women in their walk with Christ.