Bacon Muffins

I was intrigued by this idea of an egg baked inside a savory muffin.  I was hoping it might be like an easier form of egg pockets.  The recipe would require a couple changes to work for my purposes: 1.  The recipe calls for the eggs to be baked whole.  This doesn't work for freezing.  Scrambled eggs freeze fine, but when whole, cooked eggs are frozen, the white gets weird.  2. I don't have the giant muffin tins required to make a muffin large enough to have a whole egg inside of it.  So, I decided to create a well in the batter of each standard-sized muffin, fill the well with beaten eggs instead of whole, top with a lid of batter and still have a muffin with cooked egg in the center.  Except it didn't work.

I haven't made the muffins with a whole egg inside of it, but I imagine that since a whole egg kind of holds together that it is possible to top that egg with thick muffin batter and have the egg stay put.  That does not work for beaten eggs.  Since the eggs are liquid and they no longer hold together due to being beaten, the eggs just rise up and run all over when another batter is place on top of them.  Eventually I scraped the idea of having an egg-filled muffin and just cooked the batter as regular muffins.  They still make a delicious and convenient breakfast.  At some point I may revisit them and stir in already cooked, scrambled eggs into the batter and see if I can achieve an egg-filled muffin.

Difficulty: Easy
Category: Breakfast
Recipe Column: R

Get the recipe here: Bacon and Egg Breakfast Muffins

To make them for the freezer, make the batter as called for but ignore the part about putting the egg in the middle.  Just spray your muffin tins with oil and scoop the batter into the tins as you would any other muffin.  Also it's easier to cook your bacon in the oven than on top of the stove.

A triple batch made 2 dozen muffins.  In the future I might make a quadruple batch so I can use up and entire package of bacon.

To freeze:
Freeze the muffins on a sheet tray until solid.  Transfer to a bag or container for storage.

To serve:
Thaw the muffin overnight in the fridge.  Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute until heated all the way through.  Or cover and microwave a frozen muffin for 2 minutes at 60% power.

Cheese Blintzes

I love blintzes and yet I have had them less than five times in my life.  Few restaurants serve them, and I have only made them once.  They are labor intensive.  They require making the crepes and the filling.  Then all the crepes need to be filled, rolled and fried.  The one time I made them they were delicious, but they were too much work for a single breakfast for me to do again.  Until one happy day I realized that they would freeze well.  Making a huge batch of these is a project, but the fact that I can make a ton of these one afternoon and have enough for several breakfasts makes the work worth it for me.

A Collection of Pancakes

Pancakes are great for freezing, and it's easy to make a huge batch of them.  Plus, they heat well straight from the freezer, which is convenient if you're short on time and forgot to thaw something for breakfast.  We have pancakes at least once a week, so I make a triple or quadruple batch when I make them.

As I've stated before, I like a hearty breakfast.  My day is so much more enjoyable and productive if I start the day by eating something substantial.  Unfortunately, as delicious as traditional light and fluffy flapjacks are, I don't find that they stick with me and keep me going until lunch.  As such I am always on the hunt for more filling pancakes.  Below are a few pancake recipes I freeze that are filling as well as delicious.

Breakfast Burritos

My husband eats one or two of these burritos every morning on his way to work.  They are a very convenient and filling breakfast, so I'm making a batch of them every few weeks.  They're also very flexible.  You can change a lot of things to your personal preferences.  You can switch up the meat or eliminate it altogether.  You can leave out the green chiles and add salsa to each burrito as you assemble them.  You can omit the beans and add peppers or veggies.  You can also change up the proportions.  Do some experimenting and find the burrito you like.

Egg Puffs

These make a delicious, filling and convenient breakfast.  Plus it's easy to make a lot of them, so if you need a lot breakfasts, this is for you.  A double batch makes a ton of these.

Egg Pocket

My kids are little still, so we generally don't have to be anywhere early in the morning.  I imagine that when my kids start school these will be indispensable on busy mornings.  These are delicious and incredibly convenient as they can be eaten on the go.  Even without having to go anywhere immediately, we still have these regularly. Plus they are popular with my kids.  

Savory Muffins

My day goes a whole lot better if I start it with a hot, protein-heavy breakfast.  These fit the bill nicely.  They're easy and filling.  Plus they're portable, which makes a great breakfast on a busy morning.

Adapted from: Thriving Home
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Breakfast
Recipe Column: AJ