One life hack I have learned over time as a mom is that so many things can be frozen to be used later, and breakfast items are no exception! Don't have time to read this post? Check out our reel on IG here!
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Imagine, it's 7 AM, you slept in a bit because you watched that one extra episode of Bridgerton (I mean I get it, it is hard to stop watching that show!). You're feeling frazzled, your coffee hasn't kicked in yet, it's time to get off to school or work, you still need to make lunches, and the kids are wide open begging for food. I've been there a billion and one times. Sometimes this results in me serving up a stale bagel barely toasted slathered in butter, as I note to myself, I promise I will serve a healthier lunch when I am more awake, but sometimes I am lucky and I reach into the freezer for my stash of homemade pancakes or muffins- if the kids haven't already devoured them all!
TWO LOVE BIRDS, ONE STONE
We have built into our routine that once a week, preferably Sunday when mornings are slower, we whip up some pancakes or muffins. We make sure to double the recipe so we can eat some now, then freeze the rest so I have homemade baked goods (healthier than store brand), ready to eat in just a matter of seconds throughout the week. We get the kids involved and through that we are able to teach them life skills, math, measuring, and we build memories. Two birds, one love stone! The key to having the kids help the first couple of times is to gather all the ingredients ahead of time, measure out everything you can for the little ones, and get any of the hard steps out of the way before inviting them to pitch in.
GET CREATIVE
We love mixing it up each week by throwing in different fruits, chocolate sometimes, and even sprinkles (definitely the most requested in this house). I like to throw in some flax, chai, or hemp seeds to boost the nutrition and I can sometimes even sneak in some vegetables! Throughout the week I am able to grab guilt-free baked goods from the freezer, toss them in the microwave, then top them with applesauce or honey or serve them alongside some fruit.
SPECIAL VALETINE'S DAY MIX UP
For Valentine's Day I wanted to make some cute strawberry muffins. I picked out this recipe from Sugarless Crystals: Keto Strawberry Muffins. These were my first attempt at using coconut flour, and I have to say I was very pleased with the outcome. They are a very dense muffin, so when I made them a second time I made them as mini muffins, which are fun for the kids, and not so heavy in the tummy. In order to make enough muffins for now and later I did have to quadruple the recipe. I also substituted some of the eggs with flax seed eggs - mostly out of habit from when my son suffered from a severe egg allergy. (1 TBS of flax seed per 3TBS of water, let sit in fridge for 15-30 minutes before adding to the wet ingredients). We used coconut sugar for the granulated sugar, and agave for the liquid sweetener. This recipe also calls for making your own strawberry "jam". Now, anyone who knows me, knows I am NOT skilled in the kitchen, so when I say it is easier than you think, you can rest assure that it actually means, it is easier than you think! I used about 8 strawberries when I made it, however, next time I would recommend doubling that at the very least! However, if you are pressed for time, you can just substitute with store bought strawberry jam! And I definitely recommend doing this step before you invite the kids in to help. It takes a little long and they might not have the patience for it. I added a heart shaped strawberry to the top of my muffins to give it that extra Valentine's Day kiss, and could also see adding some bits of enjoy chocolate chips to sweeten it a bit for the kiddos or my kids also like drizzling honey on top.
THE FINAL TIP
The key to freezing your breakfast baked goods is to let them cool first! For pancakes I lay out the cookie cooling racks and have each on cool down fully before stacking them a placing them in a ziplock baggie and labeling the date. For the muffins, I do the same. I make sure they are fully cooled before putting them together in a zip lock bag. They should be good in the freezer for up to three months, but ours never last that long!
Finally, I cannot recommend this enough - get a set of silicon muffin liners. This makes for easy clean up, less waste, and you are never without muffin liners!
I hope this little family life hack helps you mama make your breakfast time a little smoother!
Let us know if you add this hack to your daily life by tagging us on social media using the hashtag #tamemycircus. We would love to hear about your favorite muffin or pancake recipes!
Comments