100-Calorie Cheese, Vegetable and Egg Muffins (gluten-free)

Healthy, portable little egg muffins that you can enjoy without worry at under 100 calories each (about 50 calories of egg, 20 calories of vegetables, and 20 calories of cheese per muffin). Use an online calculator for exact stats. They’re great for breakfast, snacks, before or after workouts, as a light dinner, or in school lunches. They’re soft, yet dense and chewy. The vegetables add texture, and I like the surprise of biting into a juicy pea or a crispy pepper piece, and adding vegetables adds fiber so you feel fuller longer. Use the recipe as a way to clean out your produce drawer by taking advantage of what you have on hand and mixing and matching. You can make them in advance and keep them for up to 1 week in the fridge. A huge caveat is to spray your muffin pan extremely well with nonstick spray or they will stick.

INGREDIENTS:

• about 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (from about 4 medium peeled and trimmed carrots; do it yourself as opposed to buying bagged shredded carrots which I find to be too big, coarse, and tough due to the preservatives added)
• 1/2 cup small diced orange bell peppers
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (I didn’t thaw)
• 1/2 cup frozen corn (I didn’t thaw)
• 8 large eggs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• about 12 tablespoons shredded cheese, divided (I used Mozzarella)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan *extremely well* with cooking spray. Spray the base of the cavities and sides, then run your finger over the sides so that every inch is liberally coated with spray or you will be chiseling off stuck food; set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl add carrots, peppers, peas, corn (or mix and match with your favorite vegetables; read blog post for suggestions) and toss to combine.
3. Full instructions visit @averiecooks