I have added a full-time job working out of the house to my already hectic schedule.   This means that I have to plan and cook much differently.  I spent the weekend making beans (for Jalapeno Ham and White Bean Soup), stewing a chicken (for broth and chicken pot pie (from scratch, recipe to follow)), and, the point of today’s rambling, Individual Spinach Quiches (of South Beach Diet fame) for grab-and-go breakfasts.  We’re all down with the fact that I regard recipes as suggestions, right?

First off, the spinach.  Frozen spinach is great. I prefer the bagged to the boxed because it’s so much easier to thaw.  You just rinse it in a colander, give it a few gentle squeezes,  lay it in a line lengthwise on a clean towel (or 2) that you don’t care much about, roll it up, and twist.  It’s so much easier than microwaving the brick of spinach and burning your hands.  The box weighs 10 oz, and there are 16 in the bag. A little extra spinach never hurt anyone.   Yes, you can use fresh, but there’s nothing wrong with frozen, especially when it’s on sale!  I’m also considering using leftover vegetables in place of the spinach.

Next, the egg-beaters.  The recipe called for 3/4 cup.  I had 2 containers that each held 1/2 cup.  I didn’t feel like drinking the extra 1/4 cup ala Rocky, or pitching it, so it went into the bowl.   Of course, I could have just used 4 eggs (1/4 cup per egg), but all of my eggs were spoken for and I forgot to ask the milkman to leave an extra dozen (yeah, we get dairy fresh milk and eggs delivered, and it’s something I don’t take for granted!).

The recipe called for shredded cheddar, which I cannot eat, so I put in sheep/goat feta.  I didn’t measure, just crumbled and stirred until it looked like enough.   I had green pepper, not red, so added some sun-dried tomatoes for color.

The directions said to line the muffin tin with foil cups and spray them with cooking spray.  This is code for “these things are gonna stick like your high-school reputation.”  I opted for generously greasing the cups and a quick prayer.

Fast forward about 30 minutes, these little gems are cooked (took a little longer – no surprise), coaxed out of the tin using a small off-set spatula and a large spoon, and  are cooling on a rack.  My husband walked by, snagged one, then stopped and exclaimed how good they were. 

These were already spoken for (30 seconds in the microwave the next morning and breakfast was served!), but I plan on making a batch in my mini-muffin tin and sending them to poker night.

Meal planning is a lifesaver when everyone is on the go!