"I want Oatmeal!" "Can I have Cheerios, please?" "I like banana muffins". "No. Pumpkin muffins, please!" I was beginning to feel like I was a short order cook at breakfast time. So I set in motion our breakfast schedule. It works perfectly and the kids know what to expect. Some items on the list are egg sandwiches, Cheerios with fruit and toast, oatmeal with english muffins, pancakes and smoothies. However, their favorite day is Muffin Wednesday. I was getting tired of preparing fresh muffins each week. Enter Cousin D. She had read about a woman who makes batches of muffins in advance and freezes them.. in batter form. I started doing this and making many different muffins. Once I had a bunch made up in the freezer, I could plop a bunch in for breakfast and in 20 minutes have fresh baked muffins of their choice!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
WFMW - Quick, Easy Breakfast
How? It is quite simple, actually: Prepare muffin batter as directed. Place foil muffins cups on a cookie sheet or large plate. And take a moment to learn from my mistakes.. paper will not hold up.. do.not.attempt.. I repeat.. DO.NOT.ATTEMPT. Pour batter into muffin cups. Place cookie sheet in freezer until muffins are firm. Remove from cookie sheet and place in *labeled* ziplock freezer bags. When ready to bake, place muffin cups in muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. And I always assume people don't know these tricks but if you are only baking 6 muffins in a 12 cup muffin tin, simply fill the empty slots 1/2 full with water to avoid burning the pan. Unless the kids are studying fire safety in school and you wish to encourage that learning process by testing the response time of the local Fire Department. In which case, burn away.
So that's what works for us. For more great ideas check out one of my favorite carnivals going on at RocksInMyDryer.
There is a comment asking if my breakfast menu is the same every week. Clearly someone who isn't aware of my Control Freak Status. (lol). Yes, the breakfast menu is the same weekly. The only difference would be the kind of cereal or muffins, etc. It just helps me to know what I have to do in the morning.
To answer the 2nd question: No need to thaw. Go directly from the freezer to the preheated oven. How sweet is THAT?! How much do you love me now!? *giggle*
And another update: Click here for a list (and links) to the most popular muffin recipes here in our home. Enjoy.
Posted by TracyMichele at Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Labels: Family Life, WFMW
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23 comments:
Awesome - my kind of breakfast!
So any morning I drop in I can have a muffin of my choice in 20 minutes? I love your resourcefulness. I'll be there at 7 am tomorrow, banana nut?
really great tip!!
Nothing says love like greeting tummies with a thoughtful breakfast!
Ours comes out of the slowcooker every am: ready when we wake up!
The recipe can be found here http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/102/Hot_Cooked_Cereal56412.shtml
All's grace,
Ann
Hmm, the short order cook part sounds so familiar! Thanks for the great tips!
I would've never thought to freeze muffin batter.
I'll have to try this! :)
Great idea!! I will have to try that...
Thanks,
~Amy
Wonderful idea! When I bake muffins, I usually double the recipe and freeze the extras, but it never occurred to me to freeze the BATTER. I like it!
Never would have thought of freezing raw muffins. Will have to give it a try.
This is a great idea! My family LOVES muffins and are always happy when I have them on hand for snacks. I have made them and frozen them in bags but never tried freezing the batter. How clever.
Here's a link to a post with my favorite muffin master mix (makes a nice large batch).
Breakfast Baking
Thanks for sharing a great tip. Do you repeat your breakfast menu every week or does it change from week to week?
It's a great idea.
Breakfast here doesn't contain muffins... but we can introduce it for birthdays.
GREAT tips! Love the freezing muffins - we'll definitely try that!
Genius! Thank you!
I just love the breakfast schedule idea. And thanks for the muffin tip. Sounds great!
They go straight from freezer to oven, or do you thaw them first?
Good question about the thawing!? Tracy- this is the best idea I have seen in a really long time. Now you just need to post what recipes you use. The one I have is great. I saved it from Jr. high home ec. class!
what a fabulous tip. i never thought about a breakfast schedule and while i freeze muffins, i never thought of freezing the batter. this is an awesome post! i submitted it to sk*rt...
Yea! I've got two kiddos going off to school next year and have been dreading the "What's for breakfast?" question. I'm going to start naking my muffins this week:)
This is GENIUS! Here I was thinking that making up the batter the night before would save me time the next morning ... but this! This idea ROCKS!
THANK YOU!
Best Wishes, Kara
We just started the weekly breakfast menu this week. My kids got stuck in the Cereal Rut, and it was getting expensive. I would let them pour their own cereal and milk, and we'd usually waste half of it, grr! So out came the menu, which Everyone Is Happy About. (or they will be soon) :)
Wow, I am very grateful to you! My kiddos love muffins and they are kind of a pain to make fresh every week.
This is a great idea, thanks for sharing!
People make fresh muffins? You mean not from a box? LOL
I LOVE this idea! Will have to find me some "fresh" muffin recipes and try it out!
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