Quick breakfasts?
 

I'm not a big fan of cooking breakfast every morning, and I can only eat so much oatmeal or toast. Please suggest some breakfasts that I can prepare on the weekend and freeze or refrigerate and eat throughout the week, with minimal heating time (think microwave), and minimal preparation.

Given the OP's handle, I'd be tempted to say that he or she should investigate some boil in the bag kippers. Delicious if you don't mind the kitchen reeking of the smell.

Breakfast burrito. Eggs, potatoes, cheese, meat, veggies, and all wrapped in a toast substitute (tortilla).

Quiche cups. Chop/saute veggies/meats of choice, Beat eggs & milk in a large measuring cup. Grease muffin tin. Add veggies/meats/cheese to muffin tins. Put eggs over top of veggie mix until 3/4 full. bake at 350 until done usually about 15 mins.

If you want them to puff up, you can add a bit of baking powder.

You could also make savoury muffins. Use either a cornbread muffin recipe or http://www.canadianliving.com/food/r...e-mini-muffins You can make them with whatever combo of meat/cheese/veg you want

Yogurt bowl - greek yogurt topped with fruit/nuts/granola/hemp hearts/coconut etc. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup

Smoothie - blend fruit (fresh or frozen), yogurt, spices, juice/almond/soy/coconut milk & ice. Add protein powder if you wish

I was going to recommend something similar (I typically add milk or almond milk to the egg mixture, plus herbs, typical baking time for me is 20 mins). Once baked you can refrigerate for a few days, or even freeze, and reheat in the microwave. You can vary the ingredients so it's not always the same. A few with spinach and ham, some with broccoli and tomatoes, etc.

I guess it's a cultural thing, I dont'know anyone here who actually cooks something for breakfast, as in something hot, while this is very common in the states/uk. The most I would cook would be oatmeal (I soak it the night before in milk, then in the morning add a bit more milk and cook it). Some people will eat fried eggs in the morning but I can't personally handle that so early, for me that's more of a lunch type meal. I guess it's all just cultural right.

In terms of porridge I actually prefer Buckwheat porridge to oat meal, however I don't know if you can find the necessary buckweat groats in the states. In fact it's a bit of an old fashioned food item even here where many smaller stroes don't carry it anymore. But I like it better than oatmeal. It's also healthy and gluten free.

We generally eat sandwiches with whatever you want in the morning (think cheese, cold cuts, or sweet stuff such as jam, peanutbutter, nutella etc.), or muesli/granola/cruesli/cornflakes/other cereal with milk. Now as I don't like just plain milk personally I eat the latter with yoghurt or with buttermilk but that's just my personal taste. What you can also eat is fruit, of course. The minimal """"breakfast"""" here would be a cup of coffee and a cigarette but that's probably not the healthiest option :(:(

I make cooked breakfasts probably 29 days out of every 30, and I am *not* a morning person. For me the secret is advanced planning and prep. On Sunday night I whisk up a bowl of pancake batter which keeps 3 or 4 days in the fridge, and once the batter is ready it takes only a few minutes to actually cook the pancakes. Also prep fruit the night before so it just gets spooned over the pancakes. Another option is the whisk the eggs, etc. for scrambled eggs or an omelet the night before and organize whatever you might add, like cheese or chives.

French toast can be made in batches and frozen. I reheat it on the griddle as it does not microwave well.

Bacon, Canadian bacon and sausage: have individual portions ready. Bacon does o.k. in the microwave, Canadian bacon or sausage in the skillet. The way to make the process seem faster is to interlace one's tasks: start the sausage and while it's cooking either pack lunch or feed the pets (you got doggies, we got cats ;). oh, and fish, waaaay too many tropical fish).

If you get to that meat market in Lancaster, their beef sticks are a good option for the absolutely-zero-time-eat-in-the-car days.

Check out some of the suggestions in "The South Beach Diet."

My wife has been doing these mason jar breakfasts with granola, yogurt and fruit. She loves them.

perhaps try making my breakfast goop to place on a tortilla and nuke for less than 1 minute for a quick breakfast taco:

On a Sunday, in one pot, I'll sauté:
chorizo (or chopped turkey sausage)
vegetarian chorizo (keeps the recipe healthy(er))
diced chilies (Serrano or Jalapeno, as well as poblano)
diced onion
then add: sliced mushrooms & sauté for a bit more
then add: 1 can of refried beans (I really like black beans (lowfat, tons of flavor, good fiber) but will use fat free pinto as well)
1 cup of shredded cheese.

The whole concoction becomes goop which is DELICIOUS on a tortilla.

The goop becomes firm when put in fridge, so I scoop a bit out the following mornings, place on a tortilla, nuke the tortilla & mixture, and there you go, a tasty breakfast taco in less than 1 minute for my weekday breakfasts. The beans and chorizo/sausage have the satisfying protein that I crave in the mornings.

For my kids, especially when I'm traveling that week, I will make a large batch of pancakes* on Sunday morning--both plain and chocolate chip. I put them into a large ziplock bag between layers of wax paper and store it in the freezer. When demanded for breakfast, they can be reheated in a toaster.

* - vegan variety; I use a powdered egg replacer and unsweetened soy milk

Ours are gluten-free, soy-free and high protein. Love the world of food allergies...

How do you heat a pancake in a toaster? They don't usually stand upright very well. :)

When I say I don't want to cook in the mornings, I mean I don't want to cook and deal with pans that need to be washed. As such, pancakes, non-microwaved scrambled eggs, and French toast are all out.
That sounds very yummy!

The completely zero cooking and pan washing wasn't clear from the original post. I thought you were trying to minimize time expenditure in the morning.

I am, hence the not washing things in the mornings.

Can't you just put it in the dishwasher?

OP said she didn't want to wash pans. My pans don't go into the dishwasher.

How about some sort of asian noodle dish made in advance and portions microwaved as needed?

My wife makes a fantastic pancit canton guisado that tastes best the next day. They're easy to make.

http://www.filipinofoodstore.com/rec.../06/pancit.jpg

I usually walk over to Bam Bam Bakery and get a Vegan Breakfast Bomb. The Portland Press-HErald printed the recipe a while back...here it is:

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/01/0...akfast_bombs_/

They're delightful balls of stuff. One of them keeps me full until lunchtime. I will make a batch one day instead of buying them. Slightly sweet and chock full o' stuff.

The OP's best bet would probably overnight puddings and oats in mason jars.

Gotta love Filipino food :D ^

Forgot one important fact: I freeze them.

2-3 minutes in the toaster, they are hot and crispy.

The folks with the Golden Arches are happy to cook me either Sausage Burritos, or Egg McMuffins - and nowadays, they'll do it at any time of the day. And no clean-up issues on my end. They are also happy to prepare pancakes and hash browns, but normally only during normal breakfast hours.

No. My pots and pans don't go in the dishwasher. Even if they did, I don't run the dishwasher every day, so I'd need to wash it a few times until I accumulated enough dishes to run the dishwasher.

One of the grocery stores here does above average croissants, so it's a croissant with some sort of spread (jam, hazelnut-chocolate spread, pistachio cream, chestnut paste, etc.) and a latte made in the nespresso machine.

I'm not a breakfast person really, can't do much beyond simple carbs until I've been vertical for a few hours, but that seems to work for me.

I'll occasionally grab a muffin from the grocery store, but I would prefer to find something a bit healthier. :D

Most grocery stores offer a yogurt cup with some kind of fruit and granola. Mine offer a 12oz cup with blueberries or strawberries for $3. Keeps me filled until lunch. It's located in the pre-cut fruit section.

Their pancakes come to them already cooked and frozen, they just microwave them when ordered. In South Florida, they are part of the all-day breakfast menu.

McDonald's has changed a lot over the years as when I worked for them in the late 80's to early 90's, we use to make a lot of things in store. The biscuits, pancakes, and scrambled eggs have all been moved out of the store* to a manufacturing facility. Only real eggs are used for the McMuffin sandwiches, otherwise every thing else is made with LEP. The biscuits and pancakes are brought in frozen and heated in store via convection oven or microwave. They say that it's a more consistent product store to store and less labor is used in the store.

*McDonald's does not call their locations restaurants. As much of their products are heat and serve, instead of produced from raw food, I can see why it is a store.

I feel I have perfect microwaved scrambled eggs, so here you go:

- in a large shallow mug (wider than tall), grease the inside with butter (I use my fingers to spread around a small pat) or spray butter or oil or whatever
- crack two eggs in, add TWO Tbsp of milk or 1/2 & 1/2 (I use the latter only because I don't often have milk on hand but I always have 1/2 & 1/2 for coffee)...I've experimented a lot, and I think the extra liquid volume is the secret here, so be sure to use 2 Tbsp, not one
- add salt & pepper to taste and whisk the eggs with a fork until yolk is mixed in, then microwave for 50 seconds on high
- remove promptly, give it a little stir and add small handful of shredded cheese (I use Trader Joe's gruyere & swiss mix); stir to mix in the cheese
- microwave for 45 seconds on high
- remove promptly and stir to mix in the cheese more
- microwave for 40 seconds
- remove and eat!

This method has gotten me to a texture that's much better than most "scrambled eggs in a mug" recipes I've tried. If you fill the mug with water as soon as you're done eating and leave it to soak, the cleanup later is not bad even without a dishwasher.

I have to be very careful with granola, as I'm allergic to nuts, and often the granola used has nuts of some sort, or isn't just "clean" granola.
I think I will try this one of these mornings! Thanks!

The quiche cups and muffins seem to be good suggestions, as I can prep them on the weekend, and then just heat them before work or at work. :)

breakfast meats, including things like chorizo

sausage biscuits, with cheese, spices/sauces, etc

I like that microwaved scrambled egg idea a lot. Thanks for posting the instructions, oofta! Thanks also Willie for posting your breakfast burrito goop recipe again; I've been meaning to try that but lost it. Might try quiche cups too.

Another one I do is a vegetable hash and eggs. I make up the hash on the weekends and then just heat up in the microwave. I'll then microwave an egg to go on top.

For the hash, I usually sauté a combination of onions, peppers, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and butternut squash (or whatever vegetables look good that weekend). If I want meat, I'll add smoked sausage or bulk sausage.


For the egg, I do a poached style instead of scrambling:

Grease a coffee cup, and then sprinkle a pinch of salt in the bottom.
Crack an egg in the cup, and then poke the yolk with a fork.

Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a gap on one side as a vent.

Microwave for 30 seconds.

I do the microwaved scrambled eggs a lot. Sometimes I'll even do that for dinner after a run or some time when I want a protein rich meal.

For breakfast, 90% of the time I just have a greek yogurt. I buy the boxes of Chobani at Costco, dump them in the fridge and grab one on my way to work. I also like those frozen breakfast sandwiches, such as Jimmy Dean Delights, if I want something a bit heavier than a yogurt.

My quick breakfasts are lunch-style food. Sliced meats and cheeses. Often a few pieces of bread to make it a sandwich. A handful of nuts. A dish of sliced fruit. Occasionally a protein bar if I need to prepare breakfast really fast.

Well, I am quite relieved to hear you say that first, so I too can confess an occasional fondness for a Jimmy Dean's breakfast biscuit or croissant sandwich. I used to have to keep them on hand at all times for my stepson, but they were for him and I hardly ever ate them myself. Now I can. They're cheaper at Costco, by the way, than in regular grocery stores.

Freezer space is at a premium here, otherwise I'd opt for sandwiches like that. :)

I was at Costco today and they have a $3 discount on the regular Jimmy Dean croissant sandwiches (which are delicious but not super healthy :o), but not the healthier JD Delight flatbread sandwiches. I don't have room in my freezer right now for a box anyway so I just picked up the bag of frozen mixed berries for my smoothies.

Making a fruit salad for breakfast to enjoy through week is wonderful. Combine apples, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwis, and sprinkle cinnamon on top. This meal would last throughout the week.