Recipes: Sunday brunch

After running a few errands bright and early this morning, I was in the mood for a big breakfast. I decided to make sweet potato muffins and mini ham and spinach frittatas. Since it ended up being about 11 a.m. before I ate, I'm calling it brunch. And the best part is that the recipes made enough for leftovers for the entire week.

Sweet potato muffins
1 large baked sweet potato, peeled (I had one leftover from dinner the night before, but you could cook one in the microwave.)
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 egg whites
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mash the sweet potato and banana with a fork. Stir in flour, baking powder, vanilla, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gently, fold in sweet potato mixture with eggs. Spray a muffin tin. Spoon in mixture until cups are about 3/4th full. Bake about 15 minutes (or until middle is firm and edges are golden brown). Makes 12 muffins.

Ham and spinach frittatas
4 oz. ham, finely diced (I bought a thick slice from the meat case and used half.)
1 box frozen spinach
1 pint egg whites
2 slices reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray large muffin tin. (I have a pan with six large spaces, but you could use a regular muffin pan or even a pie plate.) Thaw spinach in microwave according to package directions. Squeeze to remove excess water. Place 1/6th of the diced ham in each muffin cup. Top with 1/6th of the thawed spinach. Pour equal amounts of egg whites into each cup and top with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until middle is firm. Add 1/6th of cheese to top of each frittata and return to oven. Continue baking until cheese is melted. Makes 6 servings.