Berry Greek Yogurt Oat Muffins

These delicious and easy muffins are one of our freezer breakfast favorites. They hare delicious and the greek yogurt increases the protein. You can definitely use coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar. I use a mix of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We warm these in the microwave for about 30 seconds to thaw them. They will store in the freezer up to 3 months. I double or even triple this recipe.

Berry Greek Yogurt Oat Muffins

BERRY GREEK YOGURT OAT MUFFINS

Makes about 12 muffins

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. rolled oats

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 c. plain Greek yogurt

1/4 c. honey

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. frozen mixed berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with liners and lightly spray for easy release.  

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl or large measuring cup, lightly beat the egg just to break it up. Mix in the yogurt, honey, sugar, almond milk, and vanilla, until well combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the berries and stir to incorporate. Scoop the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are lightly golden and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and then freeze if desired.

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies

Who doesn't want a cookie for breakfast?!

What is you could eat a cookie for breakfast without guilt? A cookie that is satisfying, filling, and energy giving would be a win, right? I think we have the recipe for you! It's delicious and easy. We quadrupled the initial recipe and froze them to continue on our freezer breakfast prep trend. 

(As an aside, breakfast-to-go freezer meals continues to be one of my most favorite ideas ever. It just works so well for our family. I long ago gave up the illusion of sitting down to breakfast on school mornings and everyone is so much happier with this solution plus I don't worry that they haven't eaten enough or had enough protein.) 

Anyway...back to the recipe. I found this recipe on Leelalicious (I'm excited to try her other breakfast cookies!) and knew we had to try it. I made a few changes for our taste. I think these are perfect for fall and would be fun to customize with different nuts or fruits or sub applesauce for the pumpkin puree. 

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies

PUMPKIN SPICE BREAKFAST COOKIES

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/2 c. coconut oil

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. maple syrup

2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

2 c. quick oats

1 c. dried cranberries

1 1/3 c. pumpkin seeds

1/2 c. golden flax meal

1 Tb. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. pumpkin puree

4 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt honey and coconut oil. Mix together oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, flax, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add pumpkin, vanilla, eggs, honey, and oil. Stir all together to combine. Drop by 1/4 c. (large scoop) on a baking stone or parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten cookie with the bottom of a cup (spray for easier flattening. Bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack and let fully cool. If freezing, wrap cookies in wax paper and place in freezer bag. To enjoy, remove from freezer and nuke for 20 seconds if desired or let thaw.

Check out our Pinterest board!

Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Oat Muffins

Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Oat Muffins for the freezer!

These muffins are gluten free if you buy gluten free oats. I found the original recipe on Running with Spoons, but changed these slightly to work for us! They are delicious and I'm so glad I found her recipe! Next time I may add pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon. You can also add chocolate chips after blending if you like - that's her recommendation and I'm sure it's wonderful. We added these to our breakfast-to-go agenda and they are a hit!

Delicious, gluten-free pumpkin muffins!

 PUMPKIN GREEK YOGURT OAT MUFFINS

1 c. Greek yogurt

1 c. canned pumpkin

2 eggs

2 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned - I used the latter)

1/2 c. coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners and spray (helps with release when you re-warm them later). 

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. 

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

These muffins came out of the oven fairly puffy, but will deflate just a bit as they sit, so no worries if you notice that!

Cool them completely and pop them in a freezer bag and into the freezer! Thaw a muffin in the microwave (about 25 seconds) and enjoy!

Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast Sandwiches

Few things are better than a breakfast sandwich! It's comforting, delicious, and portable. These definitely made it on my freezer breakfast prep list. They are endlessly customizable and simple to assemble!

Assembled and ready to be wrapped!

Step 1: Choose your bread. English muffins and bagels work exceptionally well, but you can use whatever you like! (English muffins are the more economical choice and frequently go on sale or can be found in bulk at your local warehouse store.)

Step 2: Choose your meat. Meat is always optional, but my kids really like it and I want the extra protein it provides. Ham, canadian bacon (we chose a nitrate/nitrite free version for this batch), bacon, or sausage are all excellent. I'm thinking a chorizo one with pepper jack cheese would be delicious!

Step 3: Choose your cheese. We used a sharp cheddar this time which is a family favorite. Any sliced cheese would be fine, so mix and match to create your favorite combination!

Step 4: Cook your eggs. We did 6 or 8 at a time in an electric skillet (make sure it's nice and hot, so you keep a relatively round shape). We break the yolks and season with salt and pepper. Once they were finished, we put them on a cooling rack to cool before assembly.

Eggs cooked and ready for assembly.

Step 5: Customize. Do you like veggies, herbs, or other seasonings? Feel free to add them! We kept these basic because that's what our families like. 

Our breakfast sandwich components this time around.

Step 6: Assemble, wrap, and freeze. These are seriously easy! We wrap the individual sandwiches in plastic wrap (or wax paper bags) and then store 8 or so in a gallon freezer bag. 

DONE. These are a complete breakfast in themselves which I love. 

To Thaw: They take about 2 minutes to warm in the microwave or 4 minutes at 50%. 

What are your favorite breakfast sandwich ingredients?

Breakfast-to-Go in the Freezer

Breakfast-to-Go Revolutionized Our Mornings.

Breakfast-to-Go

Our schedule changed significantly this year and in preparation for it, I planned to make some freezer breakfasts. Guys, this decision was a game changer! Also, I super wish I had thought to do this a way long time ago!

I'm not a big fan of cereal for breakfast for the kids, but too often it was the easy solution and while my kids are far from picky, a couple don't love oatmeal (okay, by a couple I mean ME and a kid). I soldiered on and made oatmeal and eggs at least 4-5 mornings a week most weeks because I wanted healthy, filling, protein packed breakfasts. Enter...breakfast in the freezer to go.

I made a quick plan initially and did pretty well - I had about six weeks of breakfasts in the freezer. It took less time than I thought it would and pretty much all of the recipes were hits.

Here are some of the things I love about it: 

1) Everyone is in charge of their own breakfast except for the kindergartner - we help her with warming up her choice.
2) Everyone gets their choice of what's available - aka no one has to eat the same thing.
3) When we are running behind (ahem), they can be heated and transported.
4) They are higher protein breakfasts.
5) They are healthier because I control the ingredients.
6) Less stress for all.

That last one makes for smoother mornings in general. At least half of us are not morning people, so that's important for us.

I just did a second day of breakfast prep and this time I did it with a sister. We worked together and split the meals. GO GET A FRIEND. It's way more fun to do with someone! We are already planning our next prep day. I don't think more than 2 people would work very well because of juggling the oven time unless you have a commercial kitchen available.

In about 2 hours we made:

40 egg, sausage and cheese burritos
36 egg sandwiches
24 pumpkin greek yogurt muffins
36 baked oatmeals
48 potato egg muffin cups

So we each went home with over 90 items. IN TWO HOURS. 

(May I take this moment to tell you that Aldi had eggs for $.39/dozen! I often buy organic ones, but at that price and the volume we needed - 10 dozen - we went ahead and got those)

We had plans to make some Lemon Muffins, Greek Yogurt Popsicles (my kids fave!), and waffles, but alas, we had to go pick up our kids from school. Next time we will shop ahead and I think in 3 hours we can add at least 3-4 dozen more items/person.

Here are our tips for a successful day:
1) Plan ahead - print recipes, make lists, and shop.
2) Start with a few recipes - I always plan too many.
3) Have good quality packaging - there is nothing more frustrating than needing 5 dozen pieces of plastic wrap and it's impossible to rip. (I think wax bags would be awesome.)
4) Use muffin liners when you can to reduce the need to wash the pans in between each item, but spray the liner so it releases easily from the breakfast item.
5) Post a whiteboard or sign on the outside of the freezer with the available options so the kids don't leave the door hanging open while they look. :) (Not that I know anything about that. HA!)
6) On the whiteboard or sign, list the approximate amount of time it needs in the microwave or toaster oven.

So...you don't have to be an amazing cook and you don't have to have lots of time. This is super doable. My kids love it, I love it, my husband loves it... It is totally a sanity saver for us!

I'll keep adding recipes that go with this theme - and for the additional recipes not yet linked above!

Potato Egg Cups

Potato Egg Cups

To continue our freezer breakfast theme - check these out! My kids were exceptionally excited about these - I found the idea for these at Ella Claire Inspired. We sampled one of these out of the oven and YUM! I think two would be a good serving for breakfast or one and another item - like a piece of fruit or toast. 

The beauty of these is that you can totally customize this to your own taste! My kiddos LOVE sausage - I'm not a huge fan myself. If I were to customize these for myself - bacon, swiss, chopped spinach, and mushrooms. Ham, bacon, or sausage would all work well, your favorite cheese, and any veggies or herbs that your family enjoys.

Potato Egg Cups

POTATO EGG CUPS

(makes about 2 dozen)

1 - 32 oz package of tater tot style potatoes (I'm certain you could also use hashbrowns as the base!*)

1 lb. sausage, browned

1 small green pepper, small diced

1 small red or orange pepper, small diced

4-6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

16 or so eggs, beaten 

Salt & Pepper to taste (in eggs)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 - 12 count muffin tins. Thaw tater tots enough to press into bottom of muffin tins (about 3/spot) - we used the bottom of a cup. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with 2-3 tsp. sausage, diced peppers, and a sprinkle of cheese. Pour eggs over all - almost to the top. Bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are set. Cool and freeze if desired. Pop in the microwave to re-heat.

* I have since tested hashbrowns and they also work well!  

Baked Oatmeal

INDIVIDUAL BAKED OATMEAL for the freezer.

We've talked about baked oatmeal before and how delicious it is! I gave a recipe I found a bit of a makeover to make it dairy free and to use coconut sugar instead of a refined sugar. These can be topped with whatever topping you like - my kids like blueberries, chocolate chips, plain, and dried cranberries. We make a double batch and make a variety.

Baked Oatmeal

BAKED OATMEAL

Makes 18 

2 eggs

¼ c. oil (coconut or canola)

½ c. applesauce

1½ c. unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

3 c. old fashioned oats

1/2 c. coconut sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a liquid measuring cup. Mix remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour liquids over the oatmeal mixture and stir until combined. Place about 1/4 c. into each muffin section. Bake for 20-30 minutes until bake through. Cool and freeze. Warm in microwave for a quick, on-the-go breakfast. 

These would be great topped with a little greek yogurt or even peanut butter!

Whole-Grain Freezer Waffles

I recently started a full-time job. With an hour of commute time each day, I knew my meal prep time was going to be disappearing. So, the week before work began I spent time making some muffins, granola bars, pita breads, and waffles for the freezer. I intended to get a lot more frozen than that, but it was a start.

The waffles are delicious and work from freezer to toaster. And this week when I didn't know what I was going to fix for supper, we enjoyed breakfast for dinner. These are gluten-free, whole-grain, and egg-free!

For the waffles, I used a recipe from my go-to cookbook, Nourishing Meals. First make a batch of dry mix (which keeps in the pantry for up to 4 months, so make as many batches you want!). Then make the waffles. I made a triple batch, which made 26 waffles in my rather small waffle maker.



WHOLE-GRAIN FREEZER WAFFLES
(from Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten)
Print This Recipe

DRY MIX
1 1/2 c. brown rice flour
1 c. teff flour
1 c. millet flour
1 c. tapioca flour
1/2 c. quinoa flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon (opt.)
1 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Using a wire whisk, mix well. Place into an airtight container. Makes 5 cups or 5 batches of waffles.

WAFFLES
2 Tbsp waffles
2 Tbsp very hot water
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 c. milk (I used almond milk)
1 c. Waffle mix

Place the ground flax seeds and hot water into a medium-sized mixing bowl; quickly whisk together until the flax forms a thick gel. Sometimes this doesn't happen right away so keep whisking until the gel forms. Add the applesauce, coconut oil, maple syrup, and milk and whisk together well. Then add the waffle mix. Whisk together until the batter is smooth.

Heat waffle maker and cook according to waffle make directions.

If you plan to freeze them, cool completely and then layer between pieces of waxed paper and place in freezer bags.

My Kitchen View: Freezing & Marinade

I recently spent a few hours putting some meals in the freezer. It's not generally my style - you may have noticed that there really aren't many casserole recipes here. However, I like the concept of easy, go-to meals and despite my general lack of excitement about casseroles, I decided I could make it work. So, many of the meals were meat in marinade which means all I need to do is thaw and grill. My kind of summer meal!

The meal round up (my sister helped and we made 26 meals in a matter of a few hours!) included burgers (ground turkey & beef combined), meatballs, taco meat, pizza kits (dough, sauce, browned meat & onions, and cheese frozen together), sweet and sour chicken, pork roasts in marinade, BBQ drumsticks, marinated chicken and pork. So far, we have really enjoyed everything. I plan to do this a few times a year to make life a little easier on the days I work or for when I just need a break from cooking. It's really makes meals pretty easy - I just add a salad or steamed vegetables and fruit or bread to make a complete meal. 

First, you need to start with fresh meat. DO NOT thaw and re-freeze meat. Add the desired portion into a freezer bag or container and pour in marinade. Clearly label the package and include the date. Place in freezer until ready to use. I try to remember and stick the meat I want for a meal in the refrigerator the day before we are going to eat it.  

Here is a marinade recipe that made a lot - I was able to use it on about 5 or 6 packages of meat (good thing we liked it! :)). I used it on pork chops and chicken breasts. We've tried it on the pork and it was wonderful! We sauteed some baby bella mushrooms in butter and topped the pork chops with them for serving. Delicious!



MARINADE (adapted slightly from from allrecipes.com)
Print This Recipe

1 1/2 c. canola oil
3/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 Tb. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 Tb. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. finely minced fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried parsley)

In a medium bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Stir in mustard powder, salt, pepper, and parsley. Use to marinate meat before cooking as desired.

Weekend Fare: Stuffed Shells

It had been far too long since I had made stuffed shells and so I decided to make them again. They are great for freezing and they are great for taking a meal to someone. They take a little bit of time but really, they are not hard at all and they look so pretty. You can easily make these vegetarian by omitting the sausage - they are delicious either way. My kids loved them and I like that the spinach adds some excellent nutrients!



SPINACH, SAUSAGE & CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS
Print This Recipe

1 (12 oz.) package jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of nutmeg
4 c. spaghetti sauce (you can make your own or use jarred sauce)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse in cold water.

Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and crumble. In a large bowl, combine cooked sausage, spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, egg, garlic, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9x13 pan and spread 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce in the bottom. Generously stuff pasta shells with the sausage and cheese mixture and place in baking dish. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until hot. Remove foil and sprinkle on the remaining 1 c. mozzarella and 1/4 c. parmesan. Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and dish is bubbly.

Simple Supper: Meatballs for the Freezer

It's always nice to have something in the freezer that can be pulled out and turned into dinner quickly. Meatballs are a great option to have stashed in your freezer. You can make a big batch at once and freeze them in dinner-sized portions. And, you don't need to limit yourself to spaghetti and meatballs when you do pull them out. Think beyond spaghetti sauce to sweet and sour meatballs with stir-fried peppers over rice, meatball sandwiches, meatballs in brown gravy over mashed potatoes, barbecue meatballs, meatball stroganoff, and meatballs tossed with pasta, cheese and roasted veg.



FREEZER MEATBALLS
(Heather)
Print this recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (to make gluten-free use gluten-free oatmeal or crumbs made from gluten-free bread)
3 Tbsp. dried minced onion (or you can use 1/4-1/2 cup fresh minced onion)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. This is usually best done with your hands. I often make 3-5 pounds of meat at once, just multiplying each ingredient by whatever number of pounds of ground beef I have.

Line baking sheets with foil and place meatballs on top. I use a cookie scoop to scoop out one to one and a half inch meatballs. Bake the meatballs at 350F for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool. Freeze or enjoy right away.

I usually plan on a pound of ground beef per meatball meal for my family of 6.