Breakfast with a Bang

Our mornings are about to get very busy. As soon as school begins and I start my new job, our mornings will feel like a 400 meter dash to get everyone ready, chores done, lunches made, and breakfast eaten in time to be out the door by 7:15am. Although we are no strangers to this schedule, I want it to be different this fall. In the past, mornings have felt harried and unorganized.

One of the frustrating things about busy mornings is the lack of time to cook a hearty breakfast for my girls. It is important to me to send my kids to school with a hearty breakfast that will get them through a morning of learning and play. I want to serve them a complete meal with protein, veggies or fruit, and dairy. What has happened in the past is that I slop cereal and milk in a bowl and call it good.

This year is going to be different! I have started doubling or tripling my recipes when I make breakfast and freezing the extra. Although this is a trick I have used for dinners, it never occurred to me to use it for breakfasts. So, I am stocking my freezers with hearty breakfasts so my family can start off their morning with a bang.

Here are a couple of recipes that freeze and reheat well. There seems to be quite the controversy over "hiding" vegetables in kids' food versus encouraging kids to eat the veggies on their plate. My philosophy regarding this matter is quite simple. We do both at this house because really, can kids get too many vegetables? So, you will find several of this recipes incorporate vegetables and they all have a protein, dairy, and usually a good amount of fiber.

Baked Oatmeal



This is a recipe from a dear friend that I tweaked to add veggies and fiber.

Mix dry ingredients:
2 cups of oatmeal
1/4 cup oat bran
2 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 c brown sugar or agave (more cooking time if you use agave and cut down milk by 1/8 cup)

Add wet ingredients :
1 1/4 cup milk (I use fat free)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1-2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix in fruit and veggies:
1/2 apple diced
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup zucchini (optional)
1/4 cup carrots (optional)

Lightly grease a 9" pie pan and pour batter in it. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. I normally double the recipe and bake in a 9x13, but will need to increase the baking time to about 30 mins.

I freeze this recipe and it reheats well!



Whole Grain Ricotta Waffles



I adapted this recipe by adding ricotta cheese for extra protein and reducing the fat by replacing the oil with applesauce.

4 eggs, beaten
3 cups skim milk
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ricotta, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown. This recipe will make a lot of waffles and they will freeze great. The best way to reheat them is to stick them in the toaster.

Breakfast Omelet Muffins




This is a recipe I concocted from taking different aspects from breakfast casserole recipes and making one that is full of protein.

Preheat oven to 375.

1 bag refrigerated shredded hash browns (I use Simply Potatoes).
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup ricotta
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup diced ham
1 cup shredded zucchini (or finely diced bell peppers, broccoli, or other veggie of choice)
1 tbsp dried minced onions
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spray muffin tin pans with non-stick spray. Cover the bottom of each tin with hash browns. Mix remaining ingredients together and evenly pour over the hash browns. Cook for 23-25 min. Cool and freeze. Makes approximately 16 muffins. You can make a lighter version of this muffin by using skim ricotta, 2% cheddar cheese, and Egg Beaters.

Another thing that freezes well are breakfast burritos. I have learned a couple of tricks along the way. 1. Don't freeze the salsa inside the burrito. It makes the tortilla soggy when reheated. 2. Wrap the burrito first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. This helps keep them fresh in the freezer for longer. Just don't forget to remove the aluminum foil when you microwave the burrito! I fill our burritos with turkey sausage, eggs, cheese, and bell peppers.

These are just a couple of breakfast ideas filled with protein and veggies for families on the go. When school starts, forget sugar filled cereal that won't hold the kids until lunch. Join me in freezing wholesome breakfasts!

*If you duplicate the Breakfast Omelet Muffins recipe anywhere, please give me the credit since it is an original recipe.*

Linked:
Raising Homemakers
Time-Warp Wife
We are THAT family
Women Living Well
Holistic Homemaking
Far Above Rubies
The Better Mom
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