Breakfast Burritos

I spent two hours this evening making breakfast burritos to put in the freezer for the mornings I just don't feel like making breakfast this month. I made whole wheat tortillas from freshly ground wheat while the potatoes (5 lbs for $0.58) were baking in the oven. Then I cut up two packages of bacon ($1 each) and cooked in a skillet while I peeled the skin off the potatoes and cut them into cubes. When the bacon was cooked, I quickly sauteed the potatoes in the same skillet, then tossed into a large bowl with the bacon. Then I scrambled and cooked 2 dozen eggs ($1/dozen) which I then added to the bowl along with a can of diced jalapenos ($0.25). I tossed with an 8 oz. bag of shredded Habanero Cheddar cheese ($0.99). Then I place a scoop of the mixture into each tortilla and rolled up, wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a large ziploc bag.

Total cost for 25 burritos = less than $6.00!!! That comes out to less than $0.24 each!! And when we want to eat them, we just warm them in the microwave for about 2 minutes and voila!! Fresh, wholesome, homemade breakfast burritos! And if I didn't make the tortillas, it would have only taken about 45 minutes.

I think this will be something I will try to do once a month or so. I am going to also try to find some other ideas like this that can be made ahead and put into the freezer. If you have any suggestions, let me know!!

Yummy Baked Apple Pancakes for Breakfast

I tried a new recipe this morning and it was scrumptious! Baked Apple Pancakes! It wasn't very hard, took about 20 minutes to prepare and then 10 minutes to bake. Everyone loved it and said I needed to double the recipe! This is definitely a keeper and one that I will make often. I had some Gala apples I wanted to use, so I just went searching and found this recipe over at Recipezaar. Since this is the season for cheap apples, try it for your family!! And sorry, no pics, we ate it too fast for me to even think about photos.

Baking: Italian Bread and Cinnamon Rolls

Over the past week, I have made several new "bread" items that I wanted to share since they turned out Great! I apologize that I failed to take photos of the process or finished products! I was busy and it slipped my mind:-)

First, last Saturday night/Sunday morning, I made Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. I saw this on an episode of Good Eats and was inspired! I followed his directions completely, except for using freshly ground whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose.

The result was scrumptiously light and wonderful cinnamon rolls! I was concerned because mine didn't seem to rise as much as his did, but that didn't matter in the tasting. However, I believe next time I will increase the yeast to 3 tsp. to see if that makes a difference, and I will start earlier on Saturday so I can let it rise longer, too. Also, the morning "sauna" definitely makes a big difference, so don't skip that step, even though it makes the time about 1 hour from start to finish in the morning.

Then, on Friday, I made 10 loaves of Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread for our church dinner on Sunday. I have never made Italian Bread before, so this was rather brave (or foolish:-). But they turned out great! I quadrupled the recipe (I can make 4 loaves in my mixer at a time) and then made 2 1/2 batches. I followed the ingredients exactly and the only things I did different were because I forgot: I didn't make the slashes across each loaf with a sharp knife and I forgot to brush with water and sprinkle with whole wheat flour before baking. But they came out great, so it must not be too important. Then on Sunday, we spread each loaf with whipped garlic butter (homemade, of course) and baked in foil for 20 minutes at 425 degrees! They got rave reviews and even a few new orders for bread!

Try these recipes and let me know how they are for you! I can't wait to make more! And for more great Kitchen Tips, visit The Finer Things in Life where Amy is hosting Kitchen Tip Tuesday for Tammys Recipes.
You can also find more recipes and kitchen tips at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed With Grace, and Tasty Tuesday at Forever, Wherever!

Popcorn Cereal - not a hit at our house

This morning my daughter tried the popcorn cereal idea, and it wasn't so great. The popcorn immediately gets soggy and she doesn't like soggy cereal:-) At first we thought it was because the popcorn was still a little warm, so she waited until it was cool. But popcorn and liquids make for sogginess, so I guess this just won't be a great hit in our house.

Have any of you ever eaten Popcorn Cereal? Let me know and if there is anything we are doing wrong.

Popcorn Cereal? A New One For Me!

Have you ever heard of popcorn for breakfast? I was reading this today and just had to share - I am sure this will be a favorite of my daughter! Tammy over at Tammy's Recipes (whose blog I love to read daily) shared how she grew up eating Popcorn Cereal and has introduced her children to it now, too! She just puts a couple cups of air-popped popcorn into a cereal bowl, sprinkle with sugar or whatever sweetener you prefer, and pour milk over. And eat with a spoon as cereal. How does that sound to you? I am going to make it for my daughter tomorrow morning. I will let you know how she likes it!

Breakfast Pizza

Ok, I did make Breakfast Pizza today and it turned out great! Here is my recipe adapted from a recipe I found over on the BreadBeckers website:

Pizza Crust
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. Sucanat
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. Olive or Canola Oil
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground)
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

Mix ingredients in mixer with dough hook for 5 minutes until soft dough forms. If too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour. Grease or spray a bowl with canola oil and put dough into, coating all sides. Cover with towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. Form pizza crust with dough on a pizza stone, making edges a little higher to contain egg mixture.

Pizza Filling/Topping:
1/2 lb. ground turkey sausage, browned
1 cup shredded cheese (or perhaps a little more)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 eggs (I used leftover eggwhites from the Key Lime Pie I made yesterday)
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Top dough with sausage, cheese and spinach. Combine milk, salt, pepper and eggs, stirring with a whisk. Carefully pour egg mixture over the sausage mixture on the crust. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until crust is browned.

My gang really loved it - in fact, my son gave me an ovation after tasting it! I guess this will have to become a regular breakfast option here. I just have to plan ahead to save time in the morning:-).

Sound Off: What is your favorite breakfast recipe?

Meal Plan Monday? Sort of..

If you have been reading my posts, you know that I don't LIKE to plan out my menus for the week. But with my hubby working (and different schedules), I don't have time to "think" about what I "feel" like cooking for each meal. So I have put together a list of meals for the week based on what I have on hand from prior shopping trips. This way, I can know what I am going to make in advance and get it ready on time for him. So here we go:

Monday - Chicken'N'Chilies Casserole
Tuesday - Gyros (whole wheat pita, meat made from gr. turkey, Tzatziki sauce)
Wednesday - Dinner Out for birthday/Valentine's Day combo!!
Thursday - Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes
Friday - Don't know yet:-)

Here are the breakfasts I have lined up:
Apple Oatmeal Casserole
Banana Muffins
Egg sandwiches
Nut and Whole Grain Pancakes
Eggs in the Middle of Toast (Valentine's edition)
and today I am thinking about making Breakfast Pizza!

Well, we will see how well I follow this:-) and decide whether to continue or not. Have a wonderful Monday!!

Frugal and Healthy Breakfast

I was in a quandry today what to make for breakfast. Then I came up with a frugal and healthy dish! I had some potatoes, LOTS of spinach and only 3 eggs to feed 4 of us. So here is what I made:
Spinach, Potato and Egg Pitas
I took 4 small potatoes and diced them with the skins left on (for extra nutritional value). I sauteed them in a little canola oil and sprinkled some 21 Seasoning Salute (from Trader Joe's) on them. Put the lid on the skillet for a few minutes to soften them. Then I added a BIG handful of baby spinach (I just ran the knife through it to chop it a little). When the spinach seemed mostly cooked, I added the 3 eggs, scrambled. Let this cook a few minutes and when the eggs seem almost set, sprinkle a handful of Fiesta Blend shredded cheese. Put the cover on and turn the heat off. Then I spooned this mixture into some of my homemade whole wheat pita pockets, added a little Chalula (hot sauce) and we had a great breakfast!