I hate morning. Like, hate it. I see why people love to get up early. It’s quieter, they can have a relaxed breakfast and then take care of business. Waking up in the morning is the most unnatural feeling to me. I imagine it’s a similar to the feeling babies have when they are born. You go from this warm, gentle, safe place to a bright, loud, demanding world.
There’s this thing that happens between early birds and night owls. Early birds think night owls are lazy when they sleep past 6am. The thing is, while early birds are sleeping at 9pm night owls are just getting started. We get stuff done! Get off my back! Sorry, I got off track. I think that last little bit was directed at my husband.
Communicating, or worse cooking, before 9am is torture to me. I’ve cleverly found some ways to get my kid out the door in the morning with a healthier breakfast without much morning functioning on my part. Here are some easy breakfast tips that make me feel a little bit better about myself. Frosted Flakes are just fine in my house, but not every day.
Crustless Mini Quiches
I love this one. They are individual portions that can be made ahead of time, put in the freeze, and heated up in the microwave as needed.
Healthy, easy, and always ready when you’re on the go! I like to make these muffins at the beginning of the week, so they’re always on hand in the fridge or freezer. (Naturally gluten-free)
Author: Willow at Will Cook For Friends
Serves: 16-18 regular sized muffins
Ingredients
12 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup milk
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBSP fresh basil, chopped (or other herb)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Veggies*:
1 cup broccoli, cut into teeny tiny florets
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¼-1/2 cup onion, diced fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped small
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed, diced fine (optional)
Add-ins (optional):
1½ cups cheddar, gruyere, mozzarella, or other cheese, divided
1 lb. bacon, sausage, or other meat, fully cooked
Instructions
- If using meat (bacon, sausage, etc.), cook it fully first. Set it aside to cool, then cut into small pieces.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., and thoroughly grease (butter, coconut oil, or non-stick spray) a muffin tin. (NOTE: I recommend using a non-stick muffin tin for even easier removal.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Get all your veggies diced up and ready to go. Optionally, you can saute your onion with a bit of olive oil to soften it up and take away some of its bite. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Add all the veggies to the bowl with the egg mixture, and stir to combine. Stir in half of the cheese, and all of the meat, if using.
- Using an ice-cream scoop or ¼ cup measure, scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Fill to about ¼ inch from the top, then sprinkle a small amount of reserved cheese over each. Place in the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the egg is fully set and the cheese has just started to turn golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before running a butterknife around each muffin, and gently removing from the pan. Enjoy while warm, or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftovers can be reheated for several seconds in the microwave (time will vary depending on your microwave), or a few minutes in a preheated oven or toaster oven.
Notes
*Feel free to sub in whatever veggies you like, or have on hand. I used about 3-4 cups of chopped veggies in total, and wouldn’t suggest using much more, otherwise you won’t have enough egg mixture to go ’round.
*Feel free to sub in whatever veggies you like, or have on hand. I used about 3-4 cups of chopped veggies in total, and wouldn’t suggest using much more, otherwise you won’t have enough egg mixture to go ’round.
Make Ahead Mason Jar Smoothies
I’ve never screwed the blender blade on to the jar. Instead I dump the mixture into my Ninja, blend it up, and put it back in the jar.
Ingredients
½ of a banana broken into pieces
About 1 cup of berries or fruit of choice
About 1 cup of milk of choice
Tsp sugar (optional)
1 TBS protein powder (optional)
Instructions
- Break up bananas and put about ½ in the bottom of each jar.
- Fill the jar with about a cup of fresh or frozen berries or fruit of choice.
- Freeze in Mason jars until ready to use.
- Screw off lid and fill up with milk of choice or water.
- Add sweetener or protein powder if desired.
Freezer Breakfast Quesadillas 4 ways
I make a bunch ahead of time and put them in the freezer. They can be warmed up in a toaster oven or microwave. Follow this link to four different recipes.
Freezer Breakfast Quesadillas 4 Ways
Freezer Breakfast Quesadillas 4 Ways
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon butter/cooking spray
2 large (8 inch) tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon butter/cooking spray
2 large (8 inch) tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt to taste
Optional Fillers
The Meat Lover: Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of each
bacon, cooked and diced
sausage, cooked, drained and chopped
ham, chopped
The Hawaiian: Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of each
pineapple chunks, well drained
ham, chopped
The Veggie Lover:
bell peppers, diced
onion, diced
mushrooms, diced
The Cheese Lover:
(reduce base cheddar cheese to 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
The Meat Lover: Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of each
bacon, cooked and diced
sausage, cooked, drained and chopped
ham, chopped
The Hawaiian: Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of each
pineapple chunks, well drained
ham, chopped
The Veggie Lover:
bell peppers, diced
onion, diced
mushrooms, diced
The Cheese Lover:
(reduce base cheddar cheese to 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
1. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and salt.
2. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray or 1 tablespoons of melted butter. Add eggs and cook, stirring over a medium heat until eggs are fluffy and set. Set eggs aside in a bowl.
2. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray or 1 tablespoons of melted butter. Add eggs and cook, stirring over a medium heat until eggs are fluffy and set. Set eggs aside in a bowl.
Pancakes
My husband makes awesome pancakes for breakfast. He frequently makes batches and freezes them to be used during the week. We put them in the toaster frozen and serve them up like we’re IHOP. This is his recipe of choice.
Recipe By:dakota kelly
“This is a great recipe that I found in my Grandma’s recipe book. Judging from the weathered look of this recipe card, this was a family favorite.”
Recipe By:dakota kelly
“This is a great recipe that I found in my Grandma’s recipe book. Judging from the weathered look of this recipe card, this was a family favorite.”
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
- Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
- Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
