Throughout the years, all 36 of them to be specific, I have struggled with weight. I have to work out. I have to count calories. I have to avoid gluten. If I choose to stray, I get pudgy. It all began when I was born. Have you ever known a baby who was 30 lbs. on their first birthday? I was! I'm 5'8", and fairly muscular. A stick figure I am not. To maintain a frame full of lean muscle, rather than doughy flab, I absolutely have to avoid sugars and most carbs.

For some reason, breakfast seems to be a meal that many sneak sweets into. Syrup on waffles or pancakes. Muffins with so much sugar they should be called cupcakes. Donuts? That's not even food in my book. Some of the breakfast cereals I've seen? Wow... I'm not even going to comment. I'll just say this, sugar is NEVER the first ingredient on the list in anything I eat. I don't even put sugar in my coffee. Admittedly, I'm hardcore. But I have to be. I like being fit. In fact, I'm miserable if I'm not. The older I get, the more I make myself aware of what's going into my mouth.

Breakfast, in my opinion, should be simple. I wake up early enough (usually 5am or so), to begin preparing for my day. Most of my time is spent cooking noodles to put into my son's chicken soup for his lunch, or defrosting his muffins and bread. I barely have time for myself, but I make sure to have breakfast. Who knows when I'll get back home? Coffee is a given for me, but after that... something with eggs. Eggs have no carbs.

I love omelets, or scrambled eggs with vegetables. Veggies are a great way to feel some bulk in your tummy, but to have little carbs and low calories. I don't always have time to cook for myself in the morning, so I've been experimenting with baked eggs in a muffin tin. I make enough for a few days, then just grab a few before I hit the road.

First, I sautee oinions. I like to use about 3 medium onions per batch of 12, but I LOVE onions. I like to add a dash or two of apple cider vinegar to my onions as they cook to add some tanginess.

Next, I add 2 cups of frozen spinach. As the spinach cooks, I drain the excess liquid from the pan. Once the liquid is gone, I add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. I also add 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. sage powder and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. I love spicy, so I add 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper as well.

In the muffin pan, I use a paper towel with oil to lightly grease each cup. First, I add my cooked spinach mixture, distibuting evenly. Then, I add one egg on top of each cup. Usually I scramble them a bit. Then, I bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

I let them cool for about 15 minutes before I attempt to remove them from the muffin tin. I wait until they're completely cooled before I put them in storage containers in the refrigerator.

Meals on the go for days... hope you like them!

I actually don't eat breakfast often, but I know it's really important to do so. I guess when I eat breakfast, I go all out. If I go all out, I'm going to eat "Nana's Frittata." You'll see from the recipe that you can add as many ingredients (as many of them as you want to) or as little ingredients as you'd like. Think of it as an omelet crossed with a quiche.... just no crust.

What you'll need (only because it feeds more than just yourself... you can have leftovers or half/quarter the recipe):

6 eggs
1/3 cup of milk (or if you are dairy free- water will work just fine- I've used both!)
1 medium potato (peeled, sliced thin, or you can leave the potato out if you want this truly low carb)
chopped sausage links (they vary in size... you can choose your variation and quantity. Just remember that if they are not pre-cooked you will have to cook them along with the onions in the first step)
1/3 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
2-3 slices of cheese of your choice. I use American or Cheddar cheese (again, optional for dairy free)

Optional-- diced peppers, tomatoes, spinach---or really anything you'd put in or on an omelet!

What to do:

Before cooking: Dice/slice the potato, sausage, onion and any other optional ingredients you'd like to add to the frittata.

When finished, heat a large stove-top pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the diced onions for about 8-10 minutes until they are slightly translucent in color. (Cook the sausage here if you bought raw sausage. If you brought pre-cooked sausage you can add the sausage in later).
In a separate bowl, whisk the 6 eggs together and then add the milk (or water) and whisk again for about a minute.
Pour the egg and milk/water mixture into the pan on top of the onions.
Add to to the eggs/onion combination the rest of the diced/sliced ingredients, including pre-cooked sausage.
Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low.
Allow the frittata to cook on low heat for approximately 15-18 minutes.
After the 15-18 minutes, I cut my frittata into 4 sections (quarters) and flip it over in the pan to ensure even cooking.
Cover the top of the frittata with the sliced cheese, salt and pepper to taste and replace the lid and allow the frittata to cook for an additional 5-8 minutes.

Serve in quarters or slice again for smaller servings. Buon appetito!