From a series of recipes by Xali: Easy Cheesey Egg muffins
Xali is Australia’s first training, dietary and wellness program to cater to women going through biological changes with a focus on perimenopause and menopause.
Created by Northern Rivers resident Naz de Bono, Xali is a daily personalised program that provides workouts, recipes, education and support to women based on the 4 pillars of Move, Eat, Learn & Connect.
Xali’s in-house Clinical Nutritionist, Samantha Gowling has shared some recipes to fight the winter blues that are available through the Xali platform.
Easy Cheesy Egg Muffins
Prepare these muffins ahead of time and enjoy a quick and easy breakfast for the week! Eggs are rich in iron and Vitamin D, are a great source of protein and have been linked to reducing cholesterol levels during menopause.
Serves: 4 Prep: 20 mins Cook: 20 mins Ingredients:
For the basil pesto
Basil, fresh - 2/3 cup
Pine nuts - 1/3 cup
Garlic clove minced x 2
Olive oil - 1 1/3 tbsp
Parmesan cheese grated - 1/3 cup
Lemon juice of - 2/3 whole
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Cracked black pepper - 1/8 tsp
For the muffins
Spinach, frozen thawed - 166 2/3 gm
Eggs - 4 whole
Olives pitted, chopped - 1/3 cup
Sundried tomatoes diced - 1/8 cup
Thyme, fresh, sprigs leaves only - 1 1/3 whole
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Cracked black pepper - 1/8 tsp
Goat cheese crumbled - 1/8 cup
Pesto see recipe - 1/8 cup
Thyme, fresh leaves to serve - 1/8 tsp
Method:
For the muffins
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Set frozen spinach aside to defrost about 1-2 hours before.
2. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan with oil or butter or you can use cupcake patty pans to line the muffin pan if you have them.
3. Squeeze out excess moisture from the spinach and set aside.
4. In a food processor, add eggs, olives, sun dried tomatoes, thyme, salt and pepper and blitz for a few seconds to combine.
5. Divide the drained spinach and goat cheese, evenly in the prepared muffin pan and pour in the egg mixture. Top with a small dollop of pesto.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve or let them cool completely before storing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the basil pesto
7. In a food processor or blender combine basil with pine nuts and garlic.
8. Add lemon juice and then the oil slowly and process into a paste.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.