Breakfasts to make ahead are a great way to give yourself a good breakfast without having to worry about cooking and washing a lot of dishes. They save time in the morning and get you set up for the day. Who couldn’t use more time in the morning? And who wants to stop and wash all the breakfast dishes, including the pans?
When I was working as a Cashier, I worked very early shifts. I had to be there at 4:00 AM. Even though I went to bed early, I just did not want to take the time to cook a breakfast and face the dishes. So I found some recipes to make ahead, so I would be able to have breakfast on the go. And there are so many types of make ahead breakfasts: Overnight Oats, Muffin Sandwiches, and Mini Frittatas
Starting With the Easiest Breakfasts:
Overnight Oatmeal
One of my favorite breakfasts that I can make ahead are so simple, it is almost unbelievable. I make it in less than 10 minutes the night before, and place it in the refrigerator. By morning, all I have to do is grab a spoon! And it is a great food that helps to scrub the bad cholesterol out of your body and help with heart health. By itself, it can be a bland dish, but with a few creative tweaks, it is more than tasty. This dish can be eaten cold or heated in the microwave. It is Overnight Oatmeal.
All you need to create this amazing, healthy dish is a sealable container, such as a small jar or plastic container with a lid, and the ingredients. And the basic recipe for Overnight Oats for easy breakfasts is so simple:
- 1/2 Cup rolled or Quick Oats
- 1/2 Cup of milk of your choice
- 1/2 Cup yogurt or additional milk
- 1/8 Teaspoon salt
- Sweetener of Choice – I like honey
Just combine all the ingredients in a covered container or jar. Shake or stir well and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, just stir and enjoy! If you don’t like the thought of cold oatmeal, you can heat it up in the microwave.
Make Overnight Oats Your Own
For variations, you can add fruit, nut butters, chia seeds, ground flax seed and more. Just let your imagination run free and you will find combinations that you will love. Some of my favorites include:
- Peanut Butter Oats: This variation can be made simply by adding 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter. To make it Peanut Butter Cups Oats, just toss in a handful of mini chocolate Chips
- Blueberry: The name says it all. Just use fresh or frozen blueberries for the fruit. I found that I also like to add just a dash of vanilla to this one.
- Cinnamon Apple: Spice it with 1/4 Teaspoon of either cinnamon or apple pie spice. Then use chopped apple as your fruit. Toss in some chopped nuts or raisins. Enjoy!
- Coffee: Add 1 Teaspoon of instant coffee to the base recipe. And you can make it creamier by substituting nondairy creamer for half of the milk, whichever one you choose. Make it a Vanilla coffee by adding 1/8 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract.
And one of the best parts is that it can fit almost any type of diet. To make it Vegan, just choose nondairy milk and yogurt. Nondairy milk options include cashew, rice, or soy milks, just to name a few. Breakfasts made with oatmeal are extremely nutritious, and Oatmeal has many healthful benefits. So it makes sense to make it a part of your weekly breakfast menu. What benefits can you get from eating oatmeal?
Benefits of Make Ahead Oatmeal
- Lower Cholesterol – With modern diets being so high in added fats, many people are having trouble keeping the Cholesterol counts in the healthy range. And there are many people who just have problems keeping cholesterol levels in a good range due to heredity.
- Antioxidants – Oatmeal is full of antioxidants, which helps protect the body against damage from free radicals. They are also part of the repair of cells and DNA. Add Blueberries, and you will get even more protection from the damage these free radicals can do.
- A source of Soluble Fiber – Since oats are full of soluble fibers, they help regulate the function of the digestive tract. This helps with keeping the biome of the gut healthy, promoting the balance of good bacteria in the gut. It also helps to regulate blood sugar spikes. And you can assist the oatmeal with this task by using this awesome probiotic.
There are far more benefits to eating oatmeal. However, not everybody can eat oats, and I would like to talk about some more of my make ahead breakfast favorites.
Different Breakfasts With Eggs
Almost everybody knows about the breakfast sandwiches you can buy at any fast food joint. The Croissanwich from Burger King. The Egg McMuffin from the Golden Arches. And so on and so on. But when you think about it, those sandwiches are so full of calories that you have consumed at least one Quarter of your recommended caloric intake. They are easily copied at home, and you control what goes in them. Swipe out Egg Beaters for real eggs, and you already have cut out fat and calories. Use whole wheat muffins. It is up to you what tweaks you make. And it also costs less to make up half a dozen than it does to buy these breakfast sandwiches at the Fast Food joints.
My Favorite Make Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
The ingredients for 6 breakfast sandwiches are:
- 10 Eggs or equivalent egg substitute
- 3/4 Cup of milk of your preference
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
For the meat you can choose:
- 2 Slices of the bacon of your choice, cut in half,
- 4 Slices of Deli Meat, your choice
- 6 Whole Grain English muffins
- 6 Slices of Cheese of your preference
You can also add various Vegetables. The first recipe suggested
- Broccoli. I used it in one batch, and it turned out pretty good!
- Red Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Spinach
To make these great little breakfasts:
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C)
- Prep a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) with cooking spray
- Using the baking Dish, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together
- Add the Vegetables of your choice
- Bake the mix until the top of the mixture is golden brown – it usually takes about 25 minutes
- Place your meat(s) of choice onto a 9×13 in (22×32 cm) on a non-stick sheet pan
- Bake 5-10 minutes, or until they reach desired doneness
- Arrange the halved muffins on another sheet pan
- Broil for 5-10 minutes or until the reach desired toastiness
When the egg mix is cool, slice them into 6 squares. Assemble breakfast sandwiches. Then cut parchment paper into 8×8 in (20×20 cm) squares so you can wrap the assembled sandwiches. Put a moistened paper towels across the parchment paper. Then you wrap the sandwich in the moistened paper towel to asure freezer freshness and even cooking when microwaving. Wrap the parchment paper around the sandwiches, and place into an air tight bag or plastic container. They will stay good up to one month in the freezer.
When ready to eat your breakfast, simply remove the parchment paper and microwave this delicious meal on high for 2-3 minutes, and enjoy the time and effort you have saved yourself in the mornings.
Breakfasts of Mini Frittatas, or Egg Muffins
There are so many various recipes for Frittatas. The beauty of this egg dish is that you can put almost anything in them, and they will come out tasting good. My favorite way to make my make ahead frittatas is to use the following recipe:
- 10 Eggs, or equivalent Egg Substitute
- 1 cup milk of your choice, just remember that non-dairy milks may affect the cook time
- 1 Red Pepper, diced
- 1 cup Cubed breakfast potatos
- 1/2 Cup shredded Cheese – I like sharp cheddar
- 1/2 Cup diced ham
- 1 handful of Spinach, either ripped or chopped into small pieces
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C), and grease a 12 cup muffin tin
Whisk the eggs and milk together, make sure to blend them well
Add remaining ingredients and stir
Grab a 1 cup measuring cup and scoop out the mixture. To ensure even division, you may need to use a spoon to get all the egg filling out of your measuring cup. The muffin cups should be filled almost to the top. Leave 1/4 inch (.64 cm) to allow the egg mixture to rise.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the egg is set and cooked throughout. The egg should not have any liquid egg on the surface. To make sure that they are cooked through, you can shake the muffin tin. They are done when the frittata filling does not jiggle when the pan is shaken.
Allow to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Use a serving knife or butter knife to remove the eggs and place on a cooling rack. Let the muffins cool to room temperature, then store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Some variations on these egg muffins are:
For the Base
- 12 large eggs, or equivalent egg substitute
- 2 Tablespoons of chopped onion
- Salt and Pepper to taste
From there you can make up Tomato Spinach Mozzarella muffin
- 1/4 Cup roughly chopped spinach
- 8 grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Or how about this one – Bacon Cheddar
- 1/4 cup cooked bacon, chopped
- 1/4 Cup Shredded cheddar
Or Garlic Mushroom Pepper
- 1/4 cup sliced brown mushrooms
- 1/4 cup diced red pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder, or 1/3 teaspoon minced garlic
In these variations, fill the muffin cups only half way, and then divide the three topping into 4 muffin slots each. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until set. Let them cool, then store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Or you can make these little egg treats for more than breakfast. They make an excellent brunch, just serve immediately. And make your brunch better with a great wine. I can offer you a membership in a great wine of the month club. These are top notch quality wines that do not have any additives. And in this club, you will be able to buy these wines for quite a bit less than you would pay at a wine store. If you are interested, this link will take you to the sign up page.
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