Ham Egg and Cheese Muffins

Its time to talk breakfast!  With school starting and my kiddos needing something nutritious in the mornings, I've really started taking breakfast seriously again.  Let me start by saying, we are NOT a cold cereal family.  My kiddos might get cold cereal 10 or 12 mornings a year.  Its just too expensive, especially when they eat 2 or 3 bowls in a sitting.  I also don't think its healthy.  The labels might say whole grain, but I just can't go for all the other ingredients.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I try to make it as nutritious as possible.  I always try to make sure my kiddos have a protein and a carb at breakfast and often we have fruit with it as well.  It just helps keep them feeling full longer.

The problem I have with breakfast is that my kids leave at different times of the morning.  My oldest daughter, Bailey, has to leave the house at 6:10 am to catch the bus.  My boys, Colton and Wyatt, leave at 7:10 am for the car pool to their charter school, and my 3 younger girls, Brandee, Brinlee and Brylie, hop on the bus at 8:05 am. With a schedule like that I can't cook individual breakfasts every day.  I would be insane.

So, what's a mom to do?  I spend one day a month cooking breakfast items that can be frozen and quickly re-heated in the toaster oven or microwave.  Egg dishes freeze great as do muffins and coffee cakes. For these little egg muffins, all it takes is 10-15 minutes in the oven (or about 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave if you must) and they are hot and taste fresh.  If they're really running behind they can eat on the way out the door.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Muffins
Makes about 30 muffins

12 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1-2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and Monterrey jack)
1-1/2 cups ham, cubed or chopped (I used a good quality lunch meat)
Salt to taste (I didn't add much because the ham made it salty enough)
2 green onion, sliced thin (optional)
1 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns, partially thawed

Heat the oven to 400° and grease the muffin tins.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, sour cream, pepper and dill until well mixed.  Make sure the whites and yolks are really well mixed.  Add in the cheese, ham and green onion and salt, if desired.  Mix well.

Place a small amount of hash browns in the bottom of each muffin cup (I filled each cup about 1/4 of the way up with hashbrowns).  Then spoon the egg mixture over the hash browns.  You want each muffin cup filled about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a light golden brown on top.  Remove from oven and run a knife around the edged of each muffin.  Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before removing from pans.  Cool completely, then freeze individually on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag.

To re-heat, microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.  Or bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until hot.  (We love the toaster oven for this.)

Source:  A Mommy's original recipe