Recently, Scott and I have been trying to eat a bit more healthfully and shed a few of those winter pounds that crept on over the last few months. We've found that doing Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet helps us both get our eating habits in check and forces us to think a bit more carefully about the food we eat. While I'm looking forward to switching back to oatmeal and other whole grains for my morning meal once this very limited carb phase is over, I've also been enjoying making egg cups for our breakfasts.

These muffin-sized egg bakes (even when not following South Beach, I've made similar recipes in a larger baking dish for brunch potlucks and holiday morning buffets) are essentially portable omelettes that, once cooked, make breakfast prep a snap in the morning. Just grab one and reheat it for a morning meal that contains lots of protein and one healthy serving of vegetables.

The recipe I'm following this week is after the jump.

Veggie Egg Cups

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 bags of baby spinachsalt
pepper

8 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, saute leeks until the start to wilt and sizzle. Add spinach in handfuls, allowing each previous handful to wilt before you add the next.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add yogurt and whisk to incorporate.

Portion the veggies into the wells of a large, 6-cup muffin tin (you could use a smaller, 12-cup tin if that's all you had) and then pour the egg in on top (if you'll notice, my picture shows the wells being fairly full. I used a ninth egg, trying to use up a dozen, and it was a bit too much). Top each cup with a pinch of grated cheese.

Prior to baking, turn the contents of each cup over with a spoon, so as to incorporate the veggies, egg and cheese (if you don't mix it a bit, you'll end up with a stratified cup instead of a uniform texture and appearance).

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I often turn the broiler on for the last 2-3 minutes, in order to really brown up the top of the cups.