Need help with an idea for breakfast

[vilasman]

While I think it's a great thing that we talk about our new kitchen aids and cusinarts and how grand dinner came turned out, but a thought has come to mind...
The wife and I are now cooking at least ounce a day often times twice a day and doing at least one complete meal a week.

I am wondering if any one has any tips on getting a well rounded breakfast together in 1hr while getting ready for work, reviving DW from the dead, ironing and everything else involved with going from bed to door.
Then again in the evening getting well rounded meal together in time to watch prime time tv.

I am discovering just how wonderous a dishwasher is, I thought it was odd when i read somewhere that a family had 2 dishwashers and just stored their dishes in them, but now i see and understand.

I am also patting myself on the back for getting a 6qt crockpot awhile back.

any other thoughts or suggestions anyone wants to share?

 

[buckytom]

i'm not big on breakfasts, but under 1 hour dinners are my house's specialty. almost all of my recipe posts are made in that time frame.

my wife swears by rachael ray's "30 minute meals" cookbooks. even tho she annoys the crap out of me (rachael, not my wife. ok, my wife once in a while), i have to admit that many of her recipes are easy, tasty, and fairly quick. 30 minutes is a crock tho, if you add in all of the prep work, and everything you need isn't right in the front of the cupboard and fridge, so i'd say most of her recipes are within an hour.

 

[urmaniac13]

What kind of breakfast are you guys accustomed to have? Usually continental type breakfast, or just cereal and milk etc. don't take up a lot of time to prepare... do you enjoy something like traditional full hot English breakfast type fare?

As for dinners, a good idea to prepare large amount of pasta sauce, stew etc., then put them in individual containers and keep them in freezer when you have more time, or weekends. They are a great relief when you just don't feel like cooking or have no time. Also, one of the time consuming parts of cooking is prep, like chopping up and slicing. You can do this ahead of time for various veggies, and again put them in separate containers and store in freezer. This can be also a good time saver. (just cook them while they are frozen, without defrosting)

 

[purrfectlydevine]

You can make double of many pasta based casseroles and freeze one. Lasagna, stuffed shells, tuna noodle casserole and mac & cheese come to mind. I wouldn't freeze anything with potatoes such as vegetable soup. The potatoes (at least to me) becaome watery, yet grainy, and don't taste good.

As for breakfast, my sister makes breakfast wraps ahead of time.

 

[amber]

Omelets are good and also easy, and wraps like purrfectlydevine mentioned. For wraps I use scrambled eggs, and sauteed veggies, cheese, salsa. Fresh fruit salad is great along with a muffin, or a bagel. Poached eggs and toast are good, french toast with a side of bacon, and crepes are all easy and fast to make. As for dinners, chicken, pork tenderloin, ham steak, are all quick and easy. Maybe make a homemade tomatoe sauce in your crockpot one day, and the next day assemble a lasagna. Mac and cheese is good with some corn and salsa added to it.

 

[Ishbel]

A full English (or, dare I say... Scottish!) breakfast would only take about 10 minutes to prepare. Fried bacon, sausages, eggs, black-pudding or haggis and grilled tomatoes... toast, fruit juice, fruit salad and marmalade for extra toast, a pot of good English breakfast tea (best is Twinings)... But.... it IS a heart attack on a plate

During the week we have porridge in the winter, fruit juice, toast and marmalade or marmite.

 

[vilasman]

Well i was a frosted flakes fanatic before Dw started being interested in Bfast , but I was getting tired of eating all that sugar. Right now we are doing bacon egg and chesse bisquits everyday which i am getting tired of, I am going to try to make hawaiian sweet bread sometime soon and then use that to make french toast. I also like waffles and pancakes and cream of wheat but Dw wife dosent like Cream of wheat and thinks that waffles are a special sunday breakfast. She dosnet want anything heavy for a week day breakfast.
I am intrested in doing the poached egg thing and may get adventurous and try and omelet...

On the other end of the day, I like lamb most, fish second and beef lastly and dont do chicken, DW likes chicken the most and then fish and then lamb and beef are tied for last place. Also DW hates leftovers and wont eat the same thing more than 2 times 3 at the absolute most.

So it gets a little interesting and it seems that we will be doing two meals at a time most of the time

 

[QSis]

Wow, an hour to prepare breakfast is a LONG time! Since I like to sleep till the last minute, I make stuff that I can make a ton of, so I can nuke leftovers.

Below are two recipes that I have made several times, both of which are delicious.

The eggs can be made with browned breakfast sausage or bacon, as well as ham (these egg casserole recipes are all over the internet, and everyone loves, them).

I've made the oatmeal twice so far - once with raisins, once with dried blueberries. I've got dried strawberries for the next time.

Also, you can make oatmeal in the crockpot overnight, if you make a lot and your crock doesn't cook too high (my new crock burned the oatmeal BADLY).

Lee

BRUNCH EGGS

16 SLICES OF SANDWICH BREAD, TRIMMED

1 LB OF SLICED HAM BROKEN IN PIECES

16 SLICES OF CHEESE – 8 SWISS AND 8 AMERICAN

½ tsp. ONION SALT

½ tsp. DRY MUSTARD

7 EGGS

2 CUPS OF MILK

2 CUPS OF CORN FLAKES

½ TO ¾ STICK OF MELTED BUTTER OR MARGARINE

Butter 13x9x2 baking pan. Layer ½ the bread slices, half the ham, 4 slices of the American and 4 slices of the Swiss cheese; repeat layering.

Mix eggs, onion salt, dry mustard and milk. Pour over the top. Let stand overnight, (preferable), or for a few hours.

Mix corn flakes in melted butter/margarine and spread on the top of the dish. Try not to skip this step, as it MAKES the dish!

Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.


(Note: You can halve this recipe and bake it in a square brownie pan)


Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:

• 3 cups oatmeal
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour into 13x9 buttered pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. I like to also add dried fruits and nuts and pour into small ramekins for baking and serving individually.

 

[QSis]

Hmmm, vilasman, I didn't see your post re: leftovers before I posted. Well, you can make my breakfast recipes in smaller amounts then.

Sounds like lamb and fish are the top 2 favorites for you and your wife. Lamb shanks in a crockpot are the BEST! Below is one of my favorite recipes for that, as well as the link to my favorite fish recipe (Tyler Florence's Pan-Roasted Halibut with Prosciutto and Capers, but you can use haddock, cod or any white fish - salmon does NOT work well with this).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_27771,00.html

Lee

Lamb and Red Lentil Soup

• 1 large onion -- chopped
• 1 clove garlic -- minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups Swiss chard -- chopped
• 2 cups red lentils
• 2 lamb shank
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Saute onion and garlic in oil until limp in a skillet. Combine with remaining ingredients, except lemon juice, and 2 quarts water in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Add lemon juice, adjust seasonings and serve. Shanks may be served on the side or meat may be removed from bones, diced and returned to soup. Serves 4 to 6

 

[mish]

I'm not really a breakfast person, but if I have the time, I like pancakes and French Toast. Here's a site I enjoy with lots of ideas:

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/

The slow cooker is helpful for an easy dinner. You can make a roast etc. with all the trimmings, and have sandwiches the next day. Or freeze the leftovers for another dish. Pasta dishes are quick and easy - or linguine and clams take almost no time. You can do a lot of dishes with frozen ravioli. I've made a lasagna with them, adding sausage or ground beef, spinach and sauce of choice. You could probably find breakfast recipes for the slow cooker, & put everything in before you go to sleep. I've made a roast in my sleep too.

 

[Constance]

I have a couple of breakfast suggestions.
I sometimes make a frittata for Sunday morning breakfast, and it is so good leftover! I have re-heated it, but it's just a good cold. A slice of that with a piece of toast and your beverage of choice would be a great way to start the day.
Pancakes are another thought. When I make them (on the week-end, also), I always make extra. They freeze well between sheets of waxed paper, and all you have to do is spread them with a little "tub butter",nuke and add the topping of your choice. If you get some of those pre-cooked sausage links, you could wrap a pancake around one for a breakfast sandwich.
A time saver for evening meals is to cook once and eat twice...or more. I love to open the freezer and find a ziplock bag of ham'n beans, spaghetti, etc.
When HB cooks on the grill over the weekend, I have him fill it up...then we have cooked meat for several nights.
Don't forget about those little rotisserie chickens in the grocery store! You can use them for all sorts of recipes that call for cooked chicken.
And don't feel like it's a sin to use some boxed mixes...there are some very tasty ones available. The same with canned soups. Only thing being, they are loaded with sodium, so watch how many of them you use.
Chef salads and garlic bread make a good, healthy meal, and if you have the ingredients on hand, take little time to make.

I think orginization is your best friend here. Sit down and make a menu plan and grocery list for the next week. Do preparation when you have time, and you'll be able to relax and enjoy your evenings.

 

[Claire]

After a bout with cancer, and a lifetime struggle with weight, Mom finds that a half an English muffin, spread thinly with peanut butter, and a half a banana (cut in half) has tons of nutrition and flavor.

 

[Andy M.]

Breakfast!

Bagels, oatmeal, omlets, cold cereal, waffles (EGGO), english muffins, sausages and fried eggs, french toast. If any of these takes more than 15 minutes, you're not paying attention.

Dinners!

Stir-fry, any small piece of meat (chops, cutlets, burgers, chicken) served with a starch and a veggie. As mentioned above, frozen portions of larges batches of pasta sauce, pesto, lasagna, soup, stew, chili. Pasta alfredo, fritatta.

If you're focused, you can prepare, cook, eat and clean uop after a dinner for two in a hour or less. Especially if you have a dishwasher.

 

[vilasman]

Mr. Breakdast is kewl!
I like the lamb shank idea... my wife is a much better cook than me, but she also has less energy than me.... I am trying not to become the primary cook here but i may have too

 

[vilasman]

is it possible to bake a decent english muffin at home from scratch?

 

[licia]

My mom was having quite a time with breakfast. She is almost 88, has maculear degeneration, and is diabetic. All of that really complicates what she can eat and also what she can find to eat, resulting in her putting off breakfast til it was bothering her insulin. She now has a piece of toast with peanut butter, or cheese, a glass of milk and juice. She can fix it herself and eat when she gets up. It only takes a jiffy and certainly starts her day out better. She insists in living in her own home and all of us live at least 2 1/2 hours away so things need to be simple for her. There are several people who drop by several times a week to check on her and I call her almost every day.

 

[vilasman]

I will be learning the fine art of omelets and fritata's... DW has made the decision.

 

[mish]

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[purrfectlydevine]

Alton Brown did oatmeal in a crockpot on Good Eats. Also, homemade pancakes, waffles, and french toast freeze beautifully. I don't make them often, but when I do, I always make extra.

 

[SierraCook]

I learned this tip from my mom to help with the morning. Prepare everything that you can the night before. Set out the cereal, bagels, or muffins (Of course the bagels or muffins still need to be wrapped up). Have the fruit cut up. Set the table. If making a breakfast dish from a recipe have all the ingredients ready and prepared. I even make my lunch the night before and load it into my lunch box in the morning to save time.