Another Breakfast Muffin Recipe

Here is another breakfast muffin recipe that is yummy and packed with nutrients:

Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 c vanilla soy milk
• 1 c old-fashioned oats
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1 c flour
• 1/4 c organic coconut sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/4 c chia seeds
• 1/4 c ground flax seeds
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 2 T protein powder (I used Truvani Banana Cinnamon)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine milk and oats.
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and oil.
• In a small separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
• Stir flour mixture into oatmeal mixture.
• Stir in the flax seed, chia seeds, chocolate chips, and protein powder.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin cups until they are 2/3 full.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

It's also perfect for afterschool snack or even dessert! 

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Oatmeal Banana Chia Muffins

 

I saw a recipe for muffins in Health magazine that called for ingredients I already had on hand, so I decided to give it a try, with some tweaks (I added chia seeds and used chocolate tahini).  

These muffins are great for breakfast, snack, or even dessert!

Oatmeal Banana Chia Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 large bananas - 1 mashed, 2 cut into slices
• 1 1/3 c almond milk
• 3 T chocolate tahini
• 2 T ground flaxseed
• 1 T chia seeds
• 5 T maple syrup
• 2 c old fashioned oats
• 1 1/4 t baking powder
• 3/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Combine mashed banana, almond milk, chocolate tahini, ground flaxseed, and chia seeds in a medium bowl.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine oats, baking powder, and cinnamon.
• Stir banana mixture into oat mixture.
• Stir in sliced bananas.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin tin.  
• Place a sliced banana on each, and sprinkle with more chia seeds.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

You can find the original recipe in the May 2021 issue of Healthy magazine.

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Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

I love tater tots!  And I love breakfast!  I could eat both anytime of the day, so I decided to make a Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole for dinner recently.

I simply cooked up a pound of chopped Portuguese sausage, then placed it on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  I then sprinkled 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the sausage.

In a bowl, I mixed together 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t black pepper, then poured the mixture over the sausage and cheese.  

I then placed tater tots on top of the egg mixture.  I had an 8 lb bag of tots from a warehouse club, so I simply placed enough in a layer to cover the entire pan.  I would estimate you'd need 1/2 to 3/4 of a 32oz bag of tots.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 50 minutes, then sprinkle on 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, then bake for 10 more minutes.

Garnish with sliced green onions, and enjoy!

Next time I hope to also top with chopped bacon!

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Quinoa Breakfast Bars

I cook a lot of quinoa, and often times I end up with a lot of quinoa leftovers!

I decided to try baking with the leftovers, and I made these Quinoa Breakfast Bars that the kids love!

They are also great as a mid-day snack!

Quinoa Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 c quick cooking oats
• 1 c chopped walnuts
• 1 c smooth peanut butter
• 1 c cooked quinoa
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T hemp seeds

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
• Place mixture into a 9x9" parchment-lined pan.
• Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Cool completely before cutting into bars.

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Oatmeal Muffins

I made these versatile Oatmeal Muffins that are great for an after school snack, dessert, or even breakfast!

I made two different batches - one with chocolate chips and vanilla protein powder; the other with vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, and strawberries.

You can add all sorts of mix-ins and toppings!

The kids eat them either chilled, or warmed up for a few seconds.

Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 c milk (I used vanilla soy)
• 1 c quick cooking oats
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1 c flour
• 1/4 c white sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• Mix-ins: 1 c chocolate chips or 1 c chopped strawberries + 1/4 c chia seeds

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine milk and oats, and let soak for 15 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, mix the egg and oil together.
• Stir in the oatmeal mixture.  
• In a small separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder and salt. 
• Stir flour mixture into oatmeal mixture.
• Add mix-ins and stir until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin cups until they are 2/3 full.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

You can find the original recipe here on Allrecipes.com.

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Sweet Bread Ham Cups

I'm trying to cook and bake more, and really use up as much ingredients as I can from the pantry and fridge without letting them go to waste (I'm notorious for buying and forgetting about ingredients).

For a quick and easy anytime meal, I made Sweet Bread Ham Cups.

Simply take 12 slices of ham and place each into a cup in a prepared muffin tin, trying your best to form a bowl.

In a large bowl, combine 2 T melted butter with 2 cups milk (I used vanilla soy), 4 eggs, 4 T sugar, 2 t vanilla. 

I then took half a round loaf of sweet bread and tore it into 1-inch pieces.

I dumped all the bread pieces into the milk mixture, stirred everything up, and let it sit for 15 minutes. 

I then poured 1/4 cup of the bread mixture into each ham cup, and baked for 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 minutes.

They turned out quite yummy - a nice sweet and savory combo.  The kids loved them!

Next time I'm going to make an all-sweet or all-savory version!

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Cinnamon Honey Pancakes

I don't really care for pancakes, and I don't even make them a lot at home.  If we do make pancakes, it's most often times from a mix.

However, I found a recipe in a magazine for pancakes that was so super simple, that I decided to give it a try.

The original recipe called for 2% milk, but since we only use rice milk, I used rice milk instead, and the pancakes still turned out fine.  The recipe also called for almond butter and sliced almonds as toppings, but I just topped the pancakes with regular butter, bananas, and syrup.

I made little pancakes - pouring 1/8 of a cup of batter for each pancake at a time, and they turned out light and fluffy, with a nice cinnamon flavor.  The olive oil helps to keep the pancakes from drying out.

It was definitely an easy pancake recipe that I'll be making again soon!

Cinnamon Honey Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 c honey
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 c rice milk

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, and then slowly mix in all wet ingredients.
• Drop by 1/8 cupfuls into a pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Once bubbles form (about 1-2 minutes), flip over, and cook 1-2 minutes more.
• Serve with your favorite pancake toppings!

The original recipe (Pancakes with Almond and Banana) can be found in Men's Health.

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Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake

I've been trying to go through all the recipes I've torn out of magazines, such as this Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake recipe from a 2014 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine.

I made several adaptations (I just made one layer of bread since my slices were kind of thick; I used rice milk instead of low-fat milk and green onions instead of chives; I also didn't have thyme, so I just omitted it), and the kids enjoyed it.  My youngest son especially liked the "custard" (the dish was very reminiscent of this Bacon & Eggs Bread Pudding).

The Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake is the perfect make-ahead brunch dish, and would be great for dinner too!

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake:

Ingredients:

• 2½ c low-fat milk (I used rice milk)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 baguette, cut into 1" slices
• 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 c thinly sliced deli ham, chopped
• 1 T chopped green onions

Directions:

• Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
• In bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard, salt, and pepper.
• Arrange bread on bottom of baking dish.  
• Pour milk mixture all over bread.
• Top with cheese and ham.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour.  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 50 to 55 minutes in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven.
• Garnish with chopped green onions.  

You can view the original recipe here:

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Stuffing Brunch Casserole

I never thought I'd be the type of person to bake casseroles so often, but I find myself doing just that. Not only are they simple and delicious, but they are a great way to use up leftovers, and they make terrific freezer meals as well!

Since I still had some boxes of stuffing leftover from Thanksgiving (when I made these Stuffing Waffles), I decided to throw them into a casserole.

The stuffing gives a typical breakfast casserole a lot more texture, crunch, and savoriness.  I made two different batches, one with veggies, and one without (since my youngest has a tendency to pick out all the veggies).

Both versions were delicious, and would also be great for dinner!

Stuffing Brunch Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 2 c milk
• 1 6 oz box STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
• 1 c chopped ham
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Whisk eggs and milk in large bowl.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.  
• Pour mixture into 13x9 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes.

You can find the original recipe here on the Kraft website.

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Guava Bread Oven-Baked French Toast

After buying some Guava Bread from La Tour Bakehouse at the local farmers market, I decided it would be the perfect color for Valentine's Day French Toast!

The aroma was amazing, and the kids absolutely loved this special breakfast treat (since usually they just eat cereal or toast).

The best part is that you can prep it ahead of time, and in the morning you just bake it!

You can use any type of sliced bread, but the guava bread really adds a nice flavor (and color!).

Guava Bread Oven-Baked French Toast

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter, melted
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 8 slices La Tour Bakehouse Guava Bread (or 12 slices regular sandwich bread)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 c milk

Directions

• Spread melted butter on 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly on bottom of pan.
• Arrange bread in two layers over brown sugar mixture (cut slices as necessary to fit).
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Pour mixture over bread. 
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
• Bake in the 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 30 minutes.  

You can find the original recipe here on Allrecipes.com.

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Breakfast Casserole Recipe

I love breakfast, and I love making (and eating!) breakfast for dinner, especially since breakfast ideas can be so simple, yet so hearty.

For a recent breakfast-for-dinner, I made an easy Breakfast Casserole.

You can use whatever veggies, meats, and cheeses you have on hand.  It's a great way to use up leftovers, and get your kids to eat veggies!

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups of spinach (chop the spinach if you want smaller bites of spinach with each forkful)
• 1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c turkey, sliced
• 8 eggs
• 2 T milk
• Salt and pepper to season

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix together eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in tomatoes, spinach, cheese, and turkey.
• Pour egg mixture into 9x9 pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

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Hash Brown Casserole

I love breakfast for dinner, and I recently made a Hash Brown Casserole one night for dinner.

I made some changes to the original recipe based on ingredients I had on hand, and the end result was still delicious.

It was super easy to make, and it would be a great casserole to prep ahead of time (without the topping).

You could even make this the night before a big brunch!

Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 20 oz pkg. shredded hash browns 
• 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup 
• 2 c shredded cheddar cheese 
• 3/4 c sour cream 
• 1/4 c chopped onion 
• 1/4 c butter, melted 
• 1 1/2 c potato chips, crushed
• 2 T butter, melted  
• 2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped.

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 
• Spray 9x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl mix together the hash browns, soup, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion, and butter.   
• Spread evenly into prepared baking dish. 
• In a small bowl stir together potato chips and butter. Pour over hash brown mixture. 
• Top with bacon.
• Bake 1 hour or until hash browns are tender.
• Garnish with chopped green onions.

Original recipe found here on Simply Potatoes.

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Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I wanted to use a warehouse-sized tub of cottage cheese up before the expiration date, so I decided to make Cottage Cheese Pancakes.

Although they didn't turn out as evenly-browned as I had liked, they turned out moist and yummy.

I served them with syrup for the kids, and also added some lilikoi butter - so good!

Next time I make them, hopefully they'll turn out more evenly-browned!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 c cottage cheese
• 1/3 c flour
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 3 eggs

Directions:

• Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, and pour 1/3 cupfuls of batter onto skillet.  
• Cook 3-5 minutes on each side.  

Original recipe can be found here from Allrecipes.

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Pancake Muffins

Since I took my old blog down last year, I'll be sharing a few of the recipes I posted there on Hawaii Mom Blog.

When it comes to breakfast, I prefer savory over sweet, but my kids love sweet, so I made Pancake Muffins that would satisfy all of our cravings.

I made both sweet and savory pancakes in mini and regular-sized versions.

For the mini muffins, simply stir your mix-ins (chocolate chips, blueberries, etc.) into prepared pancake batter, pour into a mini muffin tin, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 11-13 minutes. They are yummy just out of the oven, or you can dip them in syrup if desired.

For savory muffins, I poured prepared pancake batter into a muffin tin, then topped with shredded cheddar cheese and a veggie patty. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and you'll have the perfect grab-and-go breakfast that you can eat with your hands!

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Spinach Frittata Recipe

Since I bought a huge bag of spinach from a local warehouse club, I've been searching for a lot of spinach recipes.

I made a Spinach Frittata by adapting this recipe from For the Love of Cooking.

The recipe is pretty versatile - you can add different cheeses or leftover meats and veggies.  It's perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Spinach Frittata (adapted from For the Love of Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• 1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c ham, sliced
• 8 eggs
• 2 T milk
• Salt and pepper to season

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms, stirring often and sauteeing for about 8-10 minutes.
• Add the spinach to the skillet; season with salt and pepper.  Toss until spinach is wilted.  
• Place 1/2 the mushroom mixture on the bottom of prepared tart or pie pan.
• Add cheese and ham.
• Mix together eggs and milk in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour egg mixture over mushroom mixture in pan.
• Add remaining mushroom mixture to top of egg mixture.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

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French Toast Roll-Ups

I've been wanting to make these French Toast Roll-Ups for a while now, but it just seemed too time consuming to make in the morning.

But since my kids are on break, I decided to give them a try.

I even prepped the roll-ups the night before so all I'd have to do was pan-fry the roll ups in the morning.

All I did was take some bread and flatten them with a rolling pin.  I then spread peanut butter (you can also use cream cheese or Nutella), and added the fruit (strawberries & bananas), and rolled the bread (I didn't cut the fruit small enough, so the bread didn't roll up nicely).

At this point you can refrigerate the rolls to cook the next morning.

When it's time to cook, simply melt 2 T butter in a pan.

In a small bowl I mixed 2 eggs with 3 T milk.  Dip each roll-up in the milk mixture, ensuring it's completely coated.

Pan-fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Dip each roll in a cinnamon sugar mixture (I used 1/3 cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon), and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

You can find the original recipe on Betty Crocker.

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Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

I don't know why, but I never thought to eat quinoa for breakfast until recently.  I've seen a lot of quinoa breakfast bowls online - mostly sweet ones, but since I am a fan of savory foods for breakfast, I decided to make a savory Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.

All I did was take a 2 cups of quinoa and sauteed it in some olive oil for a few minutes with some chopped onions (about 1/2 c - I love onions!), and minced garlic (1 clove).

I then divided the quinoa into two bowls and topped with bacon, eggs, avocado, tomato, cheddar cheese, and green onions.

You could really add anything you wish - mushrooms, ham, Portuguese sausage, or even SPAM.

It's a great, delicious way to use up leftover quinoa!

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