Caprese Egg Cups

I’m tired, actually I think exhausted is more the word.  In the past 2 weeks can literally count on one hand the amount of meals I have prepared in my kitchen.  Between work, play, exercise, wedding planning and my regular to do’s there has been little time for cooking…let alone blogging.  But this week all that’s changing! 

During these last 2 weeks of chaos I’ve sort of strained from my Primal eating routine, and I can feel it…big time!  It’s amazing when you cut the crap from your diet and then slowly start adding it back in the difference you immediately feel.  And it reminded me of why I decided to go Primal in the first place.

One glance at my Recipe Index and you’ll see that not all my recipes are Primal / Paleo friendly.  I made the change to Primal in March of this year after becoming increasingly frustrated with working out 5 days a week, eating organic and healthy meals yet still being unable to tone and shed the extra pounds like I wanted.  A friend turned me on to Mark’s Daily Apple and his Primal Blueprint and I’ve been on the bandwagon ever since.  It wasn’t that hard of a transition for me since I was already eating organic and veggie dominant meals, but the key was cutting the carbs and sugar from my diet.  As a self professed carb-o-holic I didn’t know how I was ever going to live without my mashed potatoes and pasta.  But in just 3 short weeks I was able to shed 7 pounds and 3 inches off of my waist.  I woke up each morning feeling energized and ready to start the day, without the need of caffeine or sugar, and my general attitude and demeanor were also much improved.

The point of this post isn’t for me to get on my soapbox and preach to others that they should suddenly change their eating routines and jump on the bandwagon like me, but if it works great.  I more or less just wanted to let my readers know why.  I’m not perfect, and those who know me can tell you that I still eat things I shouldn’t.  And when you work for a beer distributor it’s a little hard to omit carbs completely from your diet ;)  But I try and live an 80/20 lifestyle, so for the most part I eat 100% Primal and allow myself a cheat day once…sometimes even twice a week.  For me it’s all about balance and it allows me to not feel like I’m depriving myself of the things I love.  And the boy can have nachos or pizza once a week ;)  But going Primal has literally changed the way my body looks, the way I feel physically and mentally and I’m sleeping better then I have in years!

One of the tricks when eating a Primal or Paleo diet is to plan your meals in advance.  Very few people actually get up in the morning and make themselves breakfast; if you do I applaud you, because I’m probably still sleeping.  And since I can’t just grab a granola bar when I’m walking out the door I have to try and make things that I can bring with me and reheat when I get to work.  I’ve already shared with you My Favorite Frittata, it’s great for breakfast, dinner or a post workout snack but when my friend sent the link for these Caprese Baked Egg Cups I knew what I would be having for the rest of the week.

I made these in 2 cup glass dishes that have plastic lids but I imagine they could also be prepared in muffin tins as well.  If not eating right away, microwave uncovered at 30 second intervals to reheat.

Caprese Egg Cups
Makes 4

4 eggs

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
Fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
6 – 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 teaspoons half and half

Preheat your oven to 350º.  Grease your baking dishes or muffin tins with softened butter or any other FOC (fat of choice).  Add 4 or 5 small cubes of mozzarella to the bottom of the dish along with 6 tomatoes halves and a sprinkle of fresh basil.  Crack one egg over top and season with salt and pepper.  Repeat the process and top the egg with more mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and 1 teaspoon of half and half.

Place dishes on a baking sheet, or pop the muffin tins, into your preheated oven.  Bake for 8 minutes at 350º then turn your broiler on high until the cheese is bubbly and brown.  This will yield a runny yolk, if you prefer your eggs well done increase the cooking time to 10 minutes.

Remove dishes from the oven and allow to cool completely, if not eating right away, before storing in the refrigerator.