Bump up your breakfast game

July 20, 2020July 19, 2020 RefreshHer6 Comments

I always eat breakfast, but I find it the most difficult meal to want to prepare. I’m ready to get my day started and don’t like fussing over that first meal of the day. Can anyone else relate?

It’s for that reason that I try to have this things on hand that are either quick to prepare or can be made ahead and just warmed up.

If you’re like me and struggle with getting breakfast ready, let me share a few of my favorite go-to morning meals.

Baked Oatmeal with apples or bananas is hearty, easy to prepare and reheats nicely. Here’s one of the recipes I use often. This same page has a delicious Banana Bread that’s another great addition for breakfast, and it’s also a lighter version!

Baked Eggs With Hashbrowns and Canadian Bacon
Here’s an egg dish with all the morning breakfast foods! It is also hearty and reheats well.

6 spray(s)cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
3 cup(s)frozen hash brown potatoes
1 small uncooked onion(s), thinly sliced
1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
1 1⁄4 tsp dried thyme, plus more for garnish
3 slice(s)uncooked Canadian bacon, diced
12 large eggs

Instructions:
1. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a 12-hole standard muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat a medium skillet over high heat; add oil and swirl to coat pan. Reduce heat to medium-high; add potatoes, onion, salt and thyme. Sauté until lightly golden and tender, 5-7 minutes; remove from skillet. Spoon about 1/4 cup potato mixture into each prepared muffin hole; bake 15 minutes – Less if you want a runny yolk!

3. Meanwhile, return skillet to heat; add Canadian bacon. Sauté until crispy on edges, 3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

4. Crack an egg, one at a time, into a small ramekin or cup; gently slide an egg into each muffin hole. Bake for 9 minutes; remove from oven and evenly divide bacon over eggs. Return pan to oven; bake for 3 minutes more.

5. To serve, run a knife around edge of each egg and lift out onto individual plates or a serving platter; sprinkle with dried thyme and serve immediately.

6. Serving size: 1 baked egg with hash brown crust

Then there’s this Fruity Peanut Butter Toast I made recently and LOVED!! It’s as pretty as it is delicious! It’s simply whole grain bread, toasted and topped with peanut butter and whatever fruit you like. Then add a tiny drizzle of honey over the fruit. So good!

There’s no need to go without breakfast just because you don’t have time to stop and make it in the morning. Get a jump on things and prepare ahead so you can have a delicious meal at the start of your day!

Anyone else love breakfast but dread making it?

I hope you’ll refresh your breakfast routine with one of these easy ideas!

breakfast · Make-Ahead

Breakfast At Its Best

October 21, 2019October 20, 2019 RefreshHer1 Comment

A good breakfast just starts the day out right, but for me it’s so hard to find a good time in the morning to stop the routine and go fix something delicious! So whenever I can find a recipe that can be made ahead of time, and ready in 30 minutes, I’m all over that!

I’ve made a couple of Baked Oatmeal recipes and they’ve been good, but Southern Living published a new one in their recent magazine that caught my attention and I knew I had to try it. I’m so glad I did! This was declared by my husband to be the BEST Baked Oatmeal he’s had!!! I agree! The apple and cranberry addition are so delicious. There’s just the right amount of sweetness. It’s hearty and filling plus, it’s ready to put in the oven when you get up in the morning. It only takes 30 minutes to bake, so I can pop it into the oven and finish getting ready while it’s baking!

Here’s the recipe:

Baked Oatmeal with Apples, Cranberries and Pecans

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, divided
8 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
2 cups small cubed, peeled apple (about 1 large apple)
3 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned regular rolled oats, divided
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, divided
1 cup dried cranberries, divided

How to Make It

Step 1

Lightly coat an 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, apple pie spice, salt, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, and 5 tablespoons of the melted butter in a large bowl. Add apple cubes, 3 cups of the oats, 1/2 cup of the pecans, and 1/2 cup of the cranberries; stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish; cover with plastic wrap.

Step 2

Stir together remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup oats, and 1/2 cup pecans in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Place covered baking dish and covered bowl in refrigerator; chill 8 hours or overnight.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°F. While oven preheats, remove baking dish and bowl from refrigerator; remove plastic wrap. Stir apple-oat mixture in baking dish to redistribute wet ingredients. Sprinkle top evenly with oat-pecan topping mixture.
Step 4
Bake in preheated oven until mixture is set in the middle and topping is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup dried cranberries. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm.

If you’re like me and need a little less fussy breakfast you’ll love this simple answer to your morning meal!

Refresh breakfast by making it ahead!

breakfast · Fast meal · Make-Ahead

Breakfast That is “Love In a Jar”

February 5, 2018February 5, 2018 RefreshHer6 Comments

Yep, you read that right – love in a jar! That quote came from my husband when I fixed these cute little Instant Oatmeal Jars to have ready for his breakfast. He LOVES a good bowl of hot oatmeal with fruit and a handful of nuts.

Our morning routines find my husband downstairs with coffee and Bible, and me upstairs. Because of this, he often starts our breakfast. This winter he had gotten really proficient at making up a couple of servings of oatmeal for us to have each morning! That is saying a lot for a guy who only feels confident enough to make about three things – Scrambled eggs, French toast and …okay, make that two! Though he’d learned the simple art of cooking the Quick oats, I thought I’d make it even a little easier without purchasing those ~~nasty~~ packets of Instant Oatmeal.

Here was the result: Instant Oatmeal Jars

The blessing of having the jars already filled is that there’s no measuring or finding a pan or the additives. Just open a jar, add a cup of boiling water and let it set for 4-5 minutes. Voila! It’s done! You can be as creative with flavors and additions as your taste buds allow. I made up several jars and have them in the pantry ready for any morning we’re hungry for oatmeal!

Here’s how I made mine:

Instant Oatmeal Jars

1/2 C Quick cooking oats
1 Tbl Craisins
1Tbl Chopped nuts
Dash of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbl brown sugar

Keep in a tightly closed jar until ready to use!

When ready to use:

Add 1 cup boiling water (you could use milk instead) to the jar.
Stir.
Replace lid and let set for 4-5 minutes.
Add other fresh fruits as desired. Eat!

Here is the process in pictures:
1.

oatmeal 5 — We love blueberries, bananas and/or strawberries in our oatmeal!

This would make a great breakfast for a busy morning! You could take the jar out the door with you, if needed. Everything is contained and could be sealed back up when empty!

The first morning my husband had his “jar of oatmeal,” he sent me a text while I was getting ready upstairs. It read,

“Now that’s love in a jar right there!”

That made me smile!! I’m on the lookout for freeze-dried fruits to add to my next batches. I wonder what he’ll say about that?! I can’t wait to hear!

What would you add to a jar of oatmeal? Peanut butter? Coconut? I’d love to hear!