Tomato Basil Egg Cups (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)

I’ve been a big fan lately of quick and easy breakfasts, and these Tomato Basil Egg Cups are great for your breakfast meal prep for the week! They are easy, tasty, and filled with summery good tastes. They have the protein to help you through the day, and the vegetables to give you the nutrients to keep that amazing microbiome going strong.

Eggs, tomatoes, and basil are all packed with amazing nutrients that should be a part of your everyday diet. Read below for some of the amazing health benefits of eggs!

Some health benefits of eggs

Eggs are always a controversial topic when it comes to health. Should you be eating the whole egg? Just the egg whites? How many eggs is too many eggs? Does it raise or lower your cholesterol levels?

While the research seems to go back and forth every other year on whether or not you should indulge in eggs, there are some things that scientists can agree on. Eggs are packed with vital nutrients and minerals, including 15% vitamin B2 of the recommended daily amount in a single egg. Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, plays a key role in creating our body’s main energy source known as ATP. One egg also contains 22% of the recommended daily amount of selenium. Selenium is a vital nutrient that maintains a healthy thyroid, and helps prevent damage against free radicals.

As far as the cholesterol levels go, it seems that lately scientists have settled on that eggs do not raise your cholesterol levels. While eggs do contain high levels of cholesterol, some studies have demonstrated that simply because a diet is high in cholesterol does not mean that a person’s blood levels will also be high in cholesterol. There is enough evidence that dietary cholesterol may not affect blood levels of cholesterol that some scientists have urged another look at how high cholesterol is treated. For 70% of the population, eating eggs does not seem to affect the cholesterol levels in their blood, and for the remaining 30%, eggs only mildly raised their LDL cholesterol levels.

One last but major benefit of regularly eating eggs is their protein content. One egg contains 6 whole grams of protein, and contains all nine essential amino acids. Many people only eat the egg whites since that’s where the majority of the protein is contained, and a minimal amount of the cholesterol contained in eggs. Eating a diet high in protein is often linked to feeling fuller, and thus to a greater chance of losing weight. For a protein source that is fairly light on your wallet, eggs are a great way to help regulate your meal portions.

While these new scientific studies are great for people like me who love to hear that eggs are back on the “good” list, it is always up to you and your medical professional to decide what diet is best for you.

How to choose which eggs to buy

Eggs are a great source of protein that usually is pretty cheap, but if you’ve been to the grocery store more recently, you know that there are a wide variety of eggs to choose. From organic to free range, to just plain old cheap eggs, what really is the difference?

First of all, I have to admit that price plays a huge role in my egg selection. There are some weeks (or months) when the cheap eggs will have to do. I personally do taste a difference between the cheapest eggs that you can buy at your nearest grocery store chain and the tasty, more local, cage-free and soy-free eggs. I also can see a difference when I crack open a few eggs – the yolks are a deeper shade of orange and the shells are less brittle. But when it comes down to making that choice at the grocery store, money always plays a role.

There are a number of things to consider when selecting eggs. Part of the selection process comes from understanding the labels that are placed on each carton. Some of the labels can be misleading, making you think that you’re getting a higher quality egg than you actually are. For example, cage-free eggs only mean that the laying hens are not completely packed into their living space, but does not necessarily mean that the birds have plenty of room to roam around and live their best lives. There are lots of sites on the internet that have a guide to help you make a selection, but here is one that I feel like spells it out pretty clearly.

How to make Tomato Basil Egg Cups

Yes, I love making egg cups. Yes, they are tasty and easy. And yes, this one is just as easy and tasty as the previous ones!

For this recipe, you will need:

• eggs
• water or almond milk
• salt and pepper
• chopped fresh basil
• tomatoes, chopped or sliced.
• oil

To make the egg cups, first preheat your oven to 350° F. In a bowel, combine the eggs, some water (you can also substitute almond milk). Mix it with either a fork or whisk, then add in the salt and pepper and stir. Add in your chopped basil and chopped tomatoes and stir.

Spray your muffin tins with some non-stick spray. Then fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full with the egg mixture. If using tomato slices, you can place some slices on the bottom of the muffin tin or on top of the filled muffin tin. Place the egg tins in the oven for about 30 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

You can easily reheat these egg cups easily in the microwave or in the Air Fryer oven. Just pop them in for about 1-2 minutes or until your desired temperature. They are the perfect pre-cooked breakfast for those busy mornings!