Breakfast In A Muffin

This is one of my favorite recieps.  It's like having all of breakfast in a muffin.  I love breakfast any time of the day.

This recipe has become more important since I no longer have access to my kitchen and can't scramble up some eggs on "breakfast for lunch" day.  I probably don't make this recipe the same way twice.  Here's how I did it this time.

Cook a half-pound of sausage.  Cube a loaf of bread (I used the Irish Potato Bread I made) and put in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix 10 eggs, a cup of milk, garlic powder, and onion flakes.  In the large bowl toss the bread with 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese, the half pound of sausage.  Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture and mix well.  Let sit for as long as you can, or overnight in the fridge.  I let it set about an hour.

I used my ice cream scoop to separate into 24 muffins.  Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

I let them cool, then put in meal-sized baggies, then all of them in a gallon bag (great way to double bag for the freezer) and into the freezer.

Packaging

I've had a lot of questions about containers and baggies for freezing and what kind do I use?

I use both containers and baggies.  It depends on what I'm freezing and if there are any containers available.

Containers:
I've tried different types.  I've found not one kind is better than another.  I have store brand, Gladware, and Ziploc types.  Tupperware is nice, but I don't really have a lot of it.

At one time I had all types and sizes.  It was hard to find the lids and to stack because they were all different types and shapes and didn't all fit together.  I now just have ONE brand.  I settled on the Ziploc brand.

I have small and large round and square bowls.  Basically, there are two types of lids:  square and round.  If I have a small round bowl or a large round bowl, I know I will need a round lid, making it easy to find with only two choices.  They all stack nicely in the freezer.  They all go from freezer to microwave to dishwasher and back again.

Labeling is important when putting meals in the freezer.  I use masking tape on the lids and a Sharpie marker to label what's in each.  It's easy to take the tape off and toss when I've emptied the container, wash and use again.

Baggies:
As many containers as I have (and that's a lot), if I've made a lot of meals, that's when I look to baggies to store meals.


As far as baggies go, I really don't have a preference.  You can see our "baggie drawer" with lots of different brands.  I just buy what is on sale or the store brand.  I'm not picky.

I make sure to have several sizes on-hand:  gallon, quart, sandwich that ziplocs, sandwich that folds, and snack-size.

One way to make food last longer in the freezer is to double bag them.  The most common method I use to do this is to put a meal-sized portion into a sandwich-size or snack-size baggie, then put all those portions into a gallon baggie, then in the freezer.
The above method works wonderful with the turkey burgers I make, bagging each one separately, or for muffins, or just about anything.

Labeling is still important with baggies.  I write directly on the bag with a Sharpie marker.  If I'm double bagging, like described above, then I will just label the outer, gallon bag.

Rotisserie Chicken

Question:  How many toddler meals will one rotisserie chicken make?

Answer:  8

I made four Chicken, Beans, & Rice and four Chicken, Stuffing & Apples.

Pretty good for a $3.99 chicken that I didn't have to cook (it was $4.99, but I had a coupon for a $1 off).  That makes the cost 50 cents for the protein portion of a toddler meal.  Adding the cost of the other ingredients, the frozen vegetable and piece of fruit I will serve to them, it still makes for a very inexpensive meal, about $2 - $3 to serve 4 or 5 toddlers.

That's less expensive than serving processed fish sticks or chicken nuggets with French fries and a can of sugary fruit cocktail; and my meals are more healthy.

Keeping Track of What's In Your Freezer

As you know, I keep my freezer stocked with meals and snacks to feed toddlers, doggies, and me.  I typically invest a few hours each weekend preparing meals to serve later.

After investing my time and ingredients, I don't want all the meals to get "lost" in the bottom of the freezer.

It's important to label everything.  After a few meals are in your freezer, everything will start looking the same, so I need to be able to identify a package of something at a glance.

Above is a picture of our "baggie drawer".  You can see the roll of masking tape and Sharpie pen.  I make sure I label by writing directly on the baggies or use the masking tape to label containers.

The next step I don't do all the time, but when I keep up with it, I can tell exactly what I have in the freezer without even opening it.

I have printed (the older version) of this Freezer Inventory.  I list how many of what is in the freezer, then mark-off when I use something.  I have two, one for my meals and one for toddler meals.

Cranberry Chicken for the Freezer

It's been a while since I've made Crock Pot Cranberry Chicken.  I made it different this time.

I mixed one can of cranberry sauce, one envelope of onion soup mix, and half a bottle of French dressing.  I mixed it well.

I cut up four boneless, skinless chicken breasts into large pieces and put them each into it's own container.  I then poured equal amounts of the cranberry mixture over each chicken breast.

I labeled them and put them in the freezer, ready to be tossed into the crock pot for a dinner.

Basic Brownies

I try my best to keep sweets out of the house because I will just eat them all up.  I was craving something sweet and remembered brownies; the recipe doesn't make a lot and they're easy!

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

They turned out perfect!  It was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth!

Basic Brownies

Pull Apart Chicken

This is a crockpot recipe is one of my favorite taken from the cookbook Miserly Meals: Healthy, Tasty Recipes Under 75¢ per Serving.

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C water
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt

Mix up all the ingredients except the chicken in the crockpot. After mixed, add the chicken in. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4. 

Use a fork to break apart the chicken into strands.  Spoon this onto hamburger buns and serve.

I have one serving and put the rest in meal-sized portions into the freezer.  I divide up the juice from the crock pot among all the servings.  They make easy dinners, putting straight into the crock pot from the freezer.

I toast a Sandwich Thin (like a thin hamburger bun) and eat it open face.  It's good on just about any bun or tortilla, too.

It's sort of like Italian chicken and very yummy.

Chicken Breast

Kitchen Helpers

I don't do all this cooking and preparing by myself.  Here's a photo of my help:

LOL!

They're not allowed in the kitchen, yet they still try.  They are getting better at watching and waiting on the rug.

On another note . . .
if you have visited my blog page lately, Leftovers On Purpose, you may have noticed my two new pages listed at the top of the blog:  Crock Pots and Bread Machine.  They are pages that explain why I use them so much.

Hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Quick Quesadilla

Having no stove in my child care area has made me think outside my box.  I usually make Quesadillas in a frying pan on the stove.

When I needed a quick lunch I decided to try a Quesadilla a different way, in my toaster oven.

I sprayed one side of a flour tortilla with cooking spray and place on the baking tray.  I put Cheddar cheese over half the tortilla and sprinkled with seasoned salt.  (I have noticed that seasoned salt tastes a bit like taco seasoning and have actually used it in place of taco seasoning on occasion).

I folded it over and put in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 4 or 5 minutes.

It turned out so crispy and yummy!  I'm not sure I want to go back to the stove-top version?

Cheese Quesadillas