Hey all! I wanted to give you a simple and well-rounded breakfast with eggs this week, so here we go with our teacher-friendly, budget-friendly meal! This egg bake contains plenty of protein and healthy fat, + a side of sweet potatoes for some healthy, slow carbs. (Note: this does not contain dairy, but you can of course make subs or additions as you like; just keep in mind that will adjust the macros!)
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m all for quick and simple, so I made this bake in a 16’ x 9’ pan. Thinner layer = faster cook time :). But, if you’d prefer a smaller pan to allow for a thicker, fluffier slice of egg, I would recommend adding about another 5 minutes or so (though, keep an eye on it; eggs cook fast regardless!).
You’ll notice that I made sure to include some spinach in this recipe, along with my current personal fave, which are Japanese sweet potatoes. I love seeing the green, purple and yellow all on my plate at once – lots of colors = lots of different vitamins. But any other sweet potato will also give you a great dose of micronutrients, so go with w/e you prefer, based on flavor/texture, availability, and budget!
Ingredients:
10 whole eggs
7 oz. breakfast sausage
(ie. 1 box. I used 365; any of their options are about the same macros)
2 Cups spinach, raw
2/3 Cup Light coconut milk
(this is what I had on hand; full fat is great too! Just keep in mind it will change the macros)
Collagen peptides, 2 scoops (for a bit of extra protein + healing properties!)
Sweet potatoes, about 5 small or 2 large (550 – 600 g./ 1.15 lbs, if you’re measuring)
Ghee, 1 Tb.
Instructions:
- For Egg Bake — Prep first!
- Preheat oven to 350º F
- Take out breakfast sausage from freezer and let defrost. (*I actually threw them in toaster oven for a few minutes b/c I didn’t plan ahead well :))
- Chop spinach.
- Chop sausage into small pieces once defrosted.
- Spray baking dish w/ cooking oil to prevent sticking. I used avocado oil spray.)
- Crack all eggs in a bowl. Add coconut milk + any seasoning. I used a “breakfast sausage blend”, probably 2 – 3 tsp. Whisk or use hand mixer to combine.
- Spread spinach out along bottom of baking dish. Do the same with sausage.
- Pour eggs over top.
- Bake in oven for approx. 25 minutes.
For sweet potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 425º (you can do this before or after egg bake; I actually do it at the same time, in my toaster oven! My favorite appliance ! )
- Wash potatoes, and poke holes. I always start them roasting whole, b/c I find it easier, but up to you!
- Bake for about 40 – 50 min. total. I baked for about 40 min., then I take them out, chop into a few pieces, topped w/ ghee, and threw them back up to crisp up for the last 10 minutes or so.
(Note: Baking whole for the entire time is fine too! I just do w/e makes sense w/ how much time I have and what I’m in the mood for that day.)
Macros
If we divide this into 5 servings, each serving yields:
346 calories
16 g. Fat / 25 g. Carbs / 26 g. Protein
That’s a pretty well balanced meal!
So….Is it budget- friendly?
Drumroll….for this meal, each serving works out to be about $2.25!
There was a lot of room for variation here, depending on if you bought organic, etc.
For my calculations, I used organic eggs (not pastured), the Japanese sweet potatoes (regular are cheaper), and the 365 pork breakfast sausages b/c that flavor was on sale (these ingredients I just mentioned had the most variation). Overall, not a bad option if you compare to similar options that you could buy out ( or frozen), esp. if you compare the ingredient quality and macronutrient distribution.
What do you think? Would you enjoy a breakfast like this? Would you add/ take away / change anything? Adding some cheese would certainly be tasty, but I was aiming to keep this dairy + gluten free as a base recipe, and I think it’s still pretty good without! ❤ For toppings, I’ve been enjoying a low-sugar ketchup, or some goddess dressing from TJs!
