Let's Taco About It (make ahead breakfast burritos)

This past weekend I was determined to help myself out a little by making sure my kids had some healthy and filling options for breakfast on school days. I used to get up early and make them eggs or sometimes pancakes etc. This was BEFORE I had a newborn, and also when they were being dropped off at one location...aww life was so simple then :) Anyway, I was perusing through Pinterest and found some ideas. Now, as a general rule I try to keep microwave use to a minimum in our house, without going into the research and science of it all...it's just not good for our food & I prefer to use better methods, time allowing. Well, on school mornings at our house, there is no time allowing, my teenager is always lagging, I have less time to babysit his progress now that I have an actual baby to care for and get ready in the morning, and luckily my daughter is up and ready to go without my intervention! So with this craziness in the morning... [enter] the microwave!

My son pretty much eats anything, but as a high school freshman, and lifting as his first class I need something he can grab and go, as well as it being filling. My daughter is my pickier eater and she's not a huge fan of eggs, OR egg sandwiches...but she does like breakfast burritos. YAY for the win!!! So, after looking through how to properly freeze and thaw these babies out, I got to work making a big pan of goodness to fill up my tortillas!

This, like most of my other recipes, is truly versatile. I'm filling my burritos with ingredients that I know my daughter likes. You can pick and choose and personalize how you do your own. These turned out super quick and delicious for a crazy morning!

Breakfast Burritos 

- 14 eggs

- 1 cup milk

- 1 lb sausage

- 1 yellow onion diced

- 1 green pepper diced

- 1/2 lb frozen hash browns

- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped

- 1 cup freshly shredded colby jack cheese

- 1 TBSP garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp himilayan sea salt

- freshly ground black pepper to taste

- dash red pepper flakes

- 15-20 fajita sized flour tortillas

- gallon freezer bags

Method:

First brown the sausage in a pan, then add the onion and green pepper sauteing for a few minutes while also adding the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Next, add in the hash browns and cook through until they become soft stirring everything together. At this point take the pan off of the heat, and empty these contents into a bowl for later. Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl and add this to the pan, scrambling the eggs on low-med heat so they don't scorch and stay nice and fluffy :) Once the eggs are cooked through ( I don't like my eggs soggy) add the sausage & hash browns mixture back into the pan and stir everything together. Sprinkle the shredded cheese and cilantro over the top, giving everything one last stir. 

Pan full of goodness :D

For the next step I brought my pan over to a "filling station" on the counter so I could stay efficient with a minimal mess. Put parchment paper over a cookie sheet to set the burritos on once they are filled. I used fajita sized tortillas because I like an even tortilla to filling ratio, and the burrito sized ones were just too big. I measured out about 1/2 cup of filling for each burrito, folding them up, and then placing them on my cookie sheet seam side down.

filling station with my super cute helper & Mugsy
in the background

Now if you've never really folded burritos, there are MANY ways to do it, far be if from me to tell you to change your methods lol. I found this picture off of the good ole' internet to show you how I fold mine!

photo courtesy of google

Just like the picture shows, I place my filling in somewhat of a 'row', then fold in sides 1 & 2, and take side 3 and begin rolling it towards the side labeled 4, tucking in the sides 1 & 2 as needed along the way!

Here is our filling

Once all of my burritos were on my baking sheet, I let them cool completely, then placed them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes was up I removed them from the cookie sheet dividing them up between gallon sized freezer bags to store in the freezer until we eat them!

 To reheat them, roll one up in a paper towel and pop it in the microwave for about 2 minutes (depending on the wattage of your microwave). I ended up with 17 burritos, although the last one was wimpy because I was down to a little less filling :/ but that should give you an idea!

I let Reese help and this was her first time folding burritos,
I didn't let my perfectionist personality go back and re-roll any

Easy peasy! 

Back On The Hamster Wheel (granola recipe)

Now that school is back in session and I have 3 kids to send out in 3 different directions before pulling into the parking lot at work...time is precious! I often pull up to work wondering if I remembered to get dressed. With Randy leaving before 7 a.m. for work, I have diaper changes, nursing, permission slips, and general reminders for the big kids, as well as attempting to look somewhat presentable while trying to pull it off all before 7:25!

As I'm adjusting back into the rat race after the summer lull, I like to try and prepare ahead so meals like breakfast are healthy & simple, ready for the kids to get themselves. One of their favorite options is granola!!! I like a few of the granola brands out there, but they're like $5-$6 for a tiny 11 oz. bag that my kids (and husband) end up going through in a few days. So, in the last few years I've taken to making my own granola because 1) it's super simple & I KNOW what ingredients go into it and 2) it's much more cost effective for this family of eaters!

I got this very basic recipe off of Pinterest- which led me to an awesome blog called Peanut Butter Fingers. It's fantastic because you can customize the granola to what you have on hand, or add to the basic recipe to make it your own. Without further adieu....

picture courtesy of Peanut Butter Fingers blog

Almond Butter Granola 

makes 8 (1/4 cup) servings

• 4 TBSP Almond butter (I've also used natural peanut butter & it works great)
• 4 TBSP raw honey
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 TBSP chia seeds
• 2 Cups Oats 

Method:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and I use parchment paper on my cookie sheet. I don't like to use those cooking sprays because of the chemicals...but that's my personal preference. I combine almond butter and honey in a small saucepan until it's slightly melted, remove from heat and add in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour mixture over your oats & chia seeds and stir until evenly coated. Spread evenly onto your prepared cookie sheet & bake for 8 minutes, then stir the granola around and bake for another 8 minutes. Depending on your oven your baking times may vary. I like it a little toasted and browned, and with a crunch! When it's done leave it on the cookie sheet to cool and then I just store mine in a ziplock bag. I like adding almonds or pecans to this mix, as well as shredded coconut that I've toasted; those are pretty much my staples with this mix. 

The beauty of this recipe is that it has endless other options you can throw into it, like dried fruits, seeds, nuts, candies, etc. If you are adding dried fruits or candies to your granola, you don't want to add it in until your granola has baked & cooled. Give this recipe a try and enjoy!