Start the day off right with Bake-Ahead Morning Egg Cups

When it comes to healthy eating, good intentions and willpower can only take us so far. That's why I believe strongly in making the healthy choice the easy choice, especially when it comes to morning decisions.

Spending a little time to set myself up for success makes a huge difference in my ability to stick to my healthy living plans. For instance, I set out my workout clothes the night before, so rolling out of bed and into them is a no-brainer. Should the extra 15 seconds that it would take for me to open the dresser drawer to grab my exercise clothes be the thing that derails an entire workout? Perhaps not. But alas it does. For me, anyway.

Same thing can happen when it comes to food. When I'm hungry and in a rush, I'm far more likely to grab just anything that will fill my belly. But I'll absolutely eat a healthy protein-filled breakfast if it's all prepped and ready to go.

In fact, my whole family eats better when I invest a little time cooking and stocking my freezer with my own version of "fast food." One of our favorites is the morning egg muffin, which is essentially scrambled eggs baked up in muffin tins.

I make a dozen or two on weekends to keep in the freezer and in less than two microwave minutes, we have a weekday breakfast that is chock-full of filling protein. My secret: I use two eggs to get some of that luscious fat, flavor and color from the yolk and then load up on serious-protein egg whites.

Use whatever veggies you have on hand, and don't be shy about loading up — even my two pickiest kiddos love these little guys. Make several flavors when you find eggs on sale, and you'll have a veritable morning buffet of protein for weeks. No last-minute drive-throughs to stave off the hunger on the way to work.