Blueberry muffins

Muffins are a great breakfast food or snack and the best part about them is that they freeze really well, which means that you can make a batch and then have them whenever you want. I like my blueberry muffins with a bit of lemon, but if you don't then just leave it out.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir in half the flour, all the salt, and baking powder and mix. Add in the buttermilk and the rest of the flour and stir until mostly smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin pans with liners and spray with non-stick spray. Fill muffin cups most of the way full with batter (they will look really full, thats ok!). Top with a sprinkling of sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

Strawberry cream cheese crepes

All the prep work should be done the night before, so plan ahead for these!! Despite needing to think ahead, these are so easy. Crepes have a reputation for being challenging, but really they are quite simple. So simple that it is sort of silly that they cost $10-$15 at a restaurant.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cream cheese
10 strawberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 egg
1 small pat of butter
1 dash salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a food processor, combine cream cheese, strawberries, 1 teaspoon sugar, and lemon juice. Pulse to combine then process for a few seconds straight so that it is nice and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate overnight. In a blender, combine the rest of the ingredients (water through vanilla) and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a sealable container and place in fridge overnight. When you're ready to cook them, place a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and spray it with non-stick spray. Place 1/4 cup of batter on hot pan and swirl the pan to coat it thinly and evenly. Cook for about 1 minute, or when the bottom begins to bubble and turn very light brown. Carefully flip crepe using an offset spatula and your fingers and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and continue with the rest of the batter. To serve, place a dollop of the strawberry cream cheese in the center of each crepe and fold in triangle shape. Top with sliced strawberries or whipped cream or powdered sugar.

Corn cakes

These corn cakes are just as good for dinner as they are for breakfast. For dinner, serve as is or with black beans. For breakfast, serve with eggs. These are really delicious and they also freeze well just in case you can't eat all of them. I served mine with easy blended salsa.


Ingredients:

1 box jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup corn
1 green onion, chopped
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeno (adjust to your taste)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except butter and vegetable oil in a bowl until just combined. Let rest for 5 or so minutes. Heat a cast iron skillet over low-ish heat and melt butter and vegetable oil together in pan. Take approximately 1/3 cup of batter and pour into hot pan (I cooked about 3 at a time). Cook until edges look cooked and are starting to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil and butter if necessary. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or black beans.

Mini broccoli cheddar quiche

This is one of my most requested recipes by my coworkers. I have brought these mini quiches in for meetings before and people always comment how impressed they are with them and I've rarely had leftovers. One of my coworkers asked for the recipe and was disappointed that I didn't really have one, so when I made them the other morning I made sure to measure everything carefully.

Ingredients:

1 recipe for pie crust (or a tube of pre-made dough like crescent rolls or something)
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash cayenne pepper
5-6 cracks of black pepper

Directions:

Press pie crust into a greased 12 count muffin pan. The crust should look very thin. Poke it a few times with a fork to prevent air bubbles. Bake according to recipe directions but check it regularly - since the crust is so thin it will most likely require a little less time. While it is baking, boil the broccoli until fork tender. Drain. Turn heat down to 325 degrees. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Once crust is done baking, divide the broccoli and cheese into each of the muffin cups. Top with egg mixture (a little less than 1/4 cup per cup). Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs have set and started to puff. Loosen the quiche while still warm.

Overnight oatmeal

Oatmeal always seems like a lot of work on weekday mornings. I'm certainly not going to wake up 15 minutes early to make a pot of oatmeal when I could just grab a yogurt and run out the door. This is the perfect solution and it will keep you much more full than yogurt will. I was a little worried about eating cold oatmeal, but it was actually really good! You could always pop it in the microwave for a little bit if you want it warm though.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup quick oats
1/3 cup water (or milk/almond milk/juice/etc)
1 small handful of nuts/fruits/seeds (really whatever you want)
Sweeteners (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, etc), to taste
Flavorings (cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, vanilla, almond extract, etc), to taste

Directions:

Place oats and whatever liquid you want in a mason jar. Top with fruit, nuts, seeds, sweeteners, and flavorings in any combination you'd like. Put the lid on and seal tightly. Shake until everything is mixed. Store overnight in the refrigerator. The oats will absorb the liquid and become soft and plump.

*The oatmeal in the front of the picture has raisins, walnuts, vanilla, and cinnamon. The ones in the back have chopped dates, walnuts, and vanilla. I didn't use any sweeteners other than the dried fruit and it was plenty sweet for my taste.

Caramel apple baked french toast

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of traditional french toast. It always seemed to egg-y to me and, to be honest, why bother when you could make waffles? Then I discovered BAKED french toast. It really is a good alternative to waffles (but only when your waffle iron is broken. Seriously, waffles are amazing). Also, you have to plan ahead for this one since it requires an overnight soak.

Ingredients:

1 lb. loaf of french bread, cut into 1" slices

6 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup apple cider

3/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 apple, diced

Directions:

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and cider in a large bowl. Soak the bread in the egg mixture for 30 minutes, gently flipping the bread to make sure all of it is covered. While that is soaking, saute the apple over medium heat until it is soft but stop before it breaks down and becomes apple sauce. Melt butter and sugar together in a 9x13" pan (I generally use a glass pan and just set it over the burner on my stove so I don't have to dirty another bowl). Mix in cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and apple. When your bread has finished soaking carefully remove each slice from the bowl and place it on top of the butter mixture. The slices really don't need their own space, so really cram em in there. Cover the pan and place in the fridge overnight. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Invert onto a baking sheet and serve.