Five wholesome make-ahead breakfasts

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but between getting ready for work, the kids ready for school, the dog walked, lunches packed, and everybody out the door, so few of us have time in the morning to gulp down anything more than a bowl of cold cereal.

Making breakfast ahead of time saves precious minutes in the morning, while helping to ensure that you and your family start the day off right. With any of these five simple recipes, 30 minutes on a Sunday night can translate into a week’s worth of wholesome, hearty breakfasts.

Melina Vissat
Cook these egg muffins ahead of time, then just grab and reheat in the microwave for a breakfast on the go.

1. Egg muffins to go

Melina Vissat
Cook these egg muffins ahead of time, then just grab and reheat in the microwave for a breakfast on the go.

Eggs are one of the most versatile breakfast foods around, but few of us can spare the time to cook them in the morning. These eggs muffins are designed to be cooked ahead of time, then grabbed on the go. Egg muffins will keep one week in the refrigerator. Microwave 30 seconds to reheat.

Yield - 12 muffins

1/2 pound ground Italian pork or turkey sausage

4 ounces frozen chopped broccoli florets

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

12 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

12 parchment paper muffin wrappers or 12 silicone muffin cups

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink.

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave frozen broccoli florets until thawed (approximately 4 minutes) and drain.

If using a muffin tin, line tin with parchment paper wrappers. If using silicone muffin cups, place cups on a baking sheet lined with foil (to catch any egg overflow and making clean-up much easier!).

In a large bowl, combine sausage, broccoli and cheese. Spoon mixture into cups, filling them 2/3 of the way, leaving room to add the egg mixture.

In another bowl with a pour spout, beat together 12 eggs. Add salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup, being careful to leave a little room (1/4 inch or so) at the top.

Bake 25 minutes, or until muffins have risen and are firm.

Variation: Instead of Italian sausage, try diced bacon, Canadian bacon, ham, chorizo or crumbled breakfast sausage. Try other veggies such as diced red pepper, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. Mix and match at will!

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