Happy Friday! I especially love Fridays in the fall. Walking to dinner at 7 PM when it’s already dark out and there’s a crisp breeze in the air is one of my favorite things about Fall Fridays in New York. But cozying into a sweater after the work week with a glass of red wine, a homemade meal, and some Netflix isn’t all the bad either. However you celebrate Fall Fridays you know what comes next- the weekend. And in the fall that means FOOTBALL.

Don’t get me wrong, I love football (WHO DEY!) but game day often comes with feasting, whether that’s at the game, tailgating, at a local bar, or just gathered in your living room with friends. And oftentimes the desire to cook on football Sunday is replaced by ordering in chicken wings or pizza for your crew gathered around the TV, or snacking on nachos and pretzels at the bar or concessions. And you know what? That’s ok! Everyone is allowed to overdo it from time to time, especially when you’re celebrating your team’s victory.

But how do you get yourself back on track after your festive fall weekend? Make your Monday morning count by starting out with a good breakfast! As you all know, I’m pretty big on meal planning, so I’ve come up with one simple recipe that you can make ahead of time- heck, even on Saturday before NFL game day- to get your healthy eating back on track for the week ahead.

These Italian Egg Muffins only require FOUR major ingredients, cook up quickly, and freeze beautifully. And better yet, they’re a nutritional powerhouse with seasonal kale (veggies at breakfast- touchdown!) and protein to keep you satisfied throughout your morning.

What are your favorite quick, easy, and satisfying breakfasts?

Italian Egg Muffins- makes 6 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup kale, tough ribs removed and finely shredded or chopped

• 5-6 sundried tomatoes (from a jar), finely chopped

• 5 whole eggs and 1 egg white

• Goat cheese

• Salt

• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Apply cooking spray to six muffin cups.

2. In a bowl, combine the chopped kale, chopped sundried tomatoes, and beaten eggs. Mix to combine and distribute eggs evenly among other ingredients. Season with a bit of salt.

3. Distribute egg mixture into the six muffin cups. *I found it easiest to use tongs to first place equal amounts of the kale and sun dried tomatoes in each muffin cup, and then pour the remaining egg mixture into each cup afterwards. The muffin cups should be about 3/4 of the way filled with the mixture.

4. Using a small spoon, place a small dollop of goat cheese onto the center of each muffin. Either with the spoon, or a clean finger, nudge the goat cheese into the center of the mixture so that when cooked you get a nice cheesy bite in the middle.

5. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove muffins just before the tops begin to turn too brown.

6. Pop muffins out and let cool. Enjoy for breakfast that morning or freeze if you’re a meal planning maven. To freeze, place individual muffins on a tray in the freezer until frozen, afterwhich you can then store them together in a sealed plastic bag.