baked quinoa and eggs

I haven't always been a breakfast person, but I find that as I get older (and, more importantly, busier), breakfast has become my favorite meal of the day.

Let's be clear: I've always loved eating breakfast foods. I regularly go out for dinner and order omelettes and bagels when they're on the menu, but somehow eating a big meal first thing in the morning has never been my thing.

That changed a lot when I got pregnant -- to avoid morning sickness, the first thing I'd do after waking up was to make myself a few slices of toast for breakfast. And eventually, it became a bit of a habit -- after the first trimester was over, I still found myself craving something healthy and delicious in the mornings.

And this is the perfect recipe for those cravings -- it's a boost of protein, vitamins and whole grains in a single dish. It's a yummy, nutritious way to start your day!

Baked Quinoa and Eggs

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)

4 cups spinach leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chives

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium saucepan, saute the spinach and bell pepper in olive oil, adding Parmesan cheese, sea salt and ground pepper to taste (approximately 5-8 minutes). In a medium-sized baking dish, spread cooked quinoa across the bottom of the dish, and then top with the spinach and bell pepper mixture. Carefully break four eggs on top of the spinach mixture, keeping the egg yolks intact.

Bake until the egg whites are set, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chives and additional ground pepper. Serve warm.