Stirred by some internal, infernal clock, I reluctantly opened an eye Monday morning, relieved to see the sky still dark. Foggily judging the time to be about 4:30 a.m., I thankfully figured I had a couple more hours to dream. Reality intruded seemingly five minutes later when the alarm — set for 6:30 — sounded off. How could it possibly be time to get up for work? In the near-dark? Then it came back to me … oh yeah, daylight saving time. With appropriate disgust, I hit the snooze. Something tells me I’m not the only one.
Problem is, too many snoozes put us in a tailspin when we do rise and attempt to shine. On those mornings, I’m lucky to grab a hard-boiled egg (Monday’s breakfast) or a quick piece of toast. I’m fully aware there are more fulfilling ways to start the day. Many of them might keep us from giving in to the vending machine by mid-morning.
In looking into solutions for hurried times, I came across the term “grab-and-go breakfast.” That sure seemed to fit. Many of these type recipes can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen, ready for quick reheating. Others can be at least partially prepped the night before.
I like the idea of ham muffinwiches. This tasteofhome.com recipe from Jenny Wiebe of Villa Hills, Kentucky, came about when she had leftover ham, but no bread. She got creative with cornbread mix. These freeze well and are handy for breakfast, lunch or afternoon snack.
Likewise, I’m partial to the breakfast egg bites. They’re great right out of the oven, but still good stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the refrigerator. (They can be frozen, too.) The egg bites recipe calls for onion and red bell pepper, but you can customize with spinach, kale, bacon bits, whatever suits.
Egg and sausage breakfast taquitos can be prepped in advance. You can get fully cooked sausage links at the grocery. Just bake scrambled eggs, cheese and a link sausage rolled up inside a corn tortilla.
I’ve included a recipe for fruit-filled French toast wraps, too, mainly because, wouldn’t they make a beautiful brunch?
Of course, we’ll adjust to daylight saving time, then do it all over again come fall. But these “grab-and-go” breakfast ideas and brunch suggestions are timely all year through.
BREAKFAST EGG BITES
5 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ham cut into small cubes
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup red onion
1/4 cup green onion sliced
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
(Source: artandthekitchen.com)
HAM MUFFINWICHES
Prep/total time: 30 minutes
Makes 4 servings
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
1/3 cup 2 percent milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) cornbread/muffin mix
1 cup chopped fully cooked ham
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
(Source: tasteofhome.com; Jenny Wiebe, Villa Hills, Kentucky)
EGG AND SAUSAGE TAQUITOS
Serves 4-6
1 (7 ounce) box of sausage links
5 large eggs
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack or Monterey jack)
1 cup baby spinach, chopped (optional)
10 white corn tortillas (or use 6-inch flour tortillas)
(Source: workingwomansfood.com)
FRUIT-FILLED FRENCH TOAST WRAP
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes 2 servings
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup sliced ripe banana
1 large egg
1/4 cup 2-percent milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches)
2 teaspoons butter
2/3 cup sliced fresh strawberries
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup granola
(Source: tasteofhome.com; Dawn Jarvis)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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