Breakfast bowls save time, money and morning sanity
What the heck? Didn't summer just start? I just realized school starts on Monday.
Before you think I'm a total goofball, we homeschool so I'm blissfully detached from the school year schedule.
But I'm not detached from morning chaos. That seems to be something we all have in common. The only way to beat the morning madness is to organize the chaos.
Here's one trick I've found. If I make self-serve breakfasts, it frees me up to drink more coffee and search for matching socks. So, I have a freezer full of homemade breakfast bowls.
Don't you love restaurant breakfast bowls? Hearty eggs, sausage and potatoes conveniently microwave- ready and delicious. I love everything but the price. So, I make them myself.
FREEZER BREAKFAST BOWLS
Yield ’ 8 to 10 servings Time: 45 minutes plus time to cool
What You'll Need:
One bag seasoned frozen potatoes - or fresh equivalent
One pound breakfast sausage
One onion - chopped
One dozen eggs ’ well beaten
Splash heavy cream - optional
Salt and pepper
One (9 oz.) box frozen spinach ’ thawed and squeezed dry - optional
2 cups cheddar cheese ’ shredded
Food storage bowls or plastic containers
Here's How:
To save time we'll cook the potatoes, sausage and eggs simultaneously, just pretend you're on Iron Chef. Preheat oven. Preheat two skillets. Cook the potatoes according to package directions in the oven. In one skillet, crumble and cook the sausage, adding the onion about halfway through. When cooked, drain excess fat. Meanwhile, in another skillet cook the eggs and cream, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. When the eggs are mostly cooked, dump them in with the sausage. Add the thawed and drained spinach and stir to distribute.
Allow everything to cool uncovered to allow some steam to escape. Once it's room temperature it's time to assemble the bowls. Start by evenly dividing the potatoes between the bowls, followed by the egg and sausage mixture. Top each bowl with shredded cheese and pop on the lid. You can just pop them in the freezer now OR to assure better quality; place them in the fridge several hours until thoroughly cold and then put them in the freezer. Now, I don't know if you're feeding picky toddlers or ravenous teens so your serving size will vary.
To reheat, remove lid and place your frozen breakfast bowl in the microwave for 90 seconds, stir and heat for an additional minute. Microwaves and serving sizes vary so you'll need to experiment.
I know I could start my family's day off with a bowl of cereal but I really do believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I also believe that you need protein to keep everyone satisfied, focused and energized until lunch. Here's to a positive and productive school year!
Frugal Food Finds contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime ’ Where Frugal Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.
