Breakfasts: Real Food, Real Easy

The husband leaves the house every day between 5:30 and 6:30 AM and does not return home until 12-14 hours later. He doesn't have time nor does he make the time to cook up something adequate, and even if he did, he'd be hungry again at 9. If  he ate his lunch then, it would be hard to make it through until dinner. So I devised a plan.

On the Saturday or Sunday before the school week begins, I make a big batch of something yummy, and then I divide it up between 5 containers and that's what he takes all week long. I mix it up week to week so he doesn't get bored.

Before he leaves the house, he usually has a bowl of homemade granola (see recipe at the end of this post) or homemade cereal with fresh raw milk to tie him over until brunch when he has time to eat again.

A Few Notes:

• I tend to use the "2 eggs per day" formula when I boil eggs or make the frittata or breakfast burrito filling. 
• I often don't use a recipe when it comes to the egg dishes...I usually use up any leftover veggies or sauces that I had in the fridge from the week before or use what sounds good that day. 
• I prefer to make him a breakfast with some animal protein to give him a nice boost of protein. Since he has most likely already eaten some cereal of some sort for his first breakfast, I like to only do the baked oatmeal or porridge if we are tight on ingredients. 
• None of my recipes are "exact." You've got to do what feels right because everyone has different oven & stove top temperatures and different ingredients on any given day. 

Easy, Real Food "Bulk" Breakfasts

1. Breakfast burritos made on sourdough tortillas (traditional tortilla recipe here)

          Tortillas: 

             Start the sourdough the day before you plan on making tortillas. I find it is better when I make the tortillas the same afternoon that I put together the burritos so that they are more  pliable and easy to work with. Double the recipe for tortillas and make them big enough to fill with eggs and vegetables.  The tortilla ball to the right is a bit small if I want to fit a scrambled egg and some greens inside. Thus the toothpicks and triangle fold was necessary above. So make them bigger.
         
            These tortillas cook up so quickly. As they come off the stove, I put them in a clean dishtowel and then place the wrapped stack of tortillas in a zip-lock bag while I make the filling to allow the steam to soften them up a bit. This makes forming the burritos easier. 

            

         

         Filling: 

             10 eggs

             1-2 onions, chopped

             something green: (kale, cabbage, spinach)

             ~2T liquid to give body to the eggs (i.e., leftover marinara, broth, milk)

             Anything else that needs to be used up (i.e., fresh herbs, tomatoes)

            

             Saute the onions in some good fat until soft and add the greens in to wilt. Remove from heat. Beat together the eggs and liquid and some salt, pepper, and dry or fresh herbs. Cook the eggs over low-medium heat with some good fat as you would normal scrambled eggs. Remove from heat when they are cooked but still moist. Divide the eggs and greens up into 10 portions and make 10 burritos, 2 per day. Place all the burritos on a cookie sheet, using toothpicks to keep the tortilla closed, if necessary, and cover the tray with plastic wrap. Freeze for about an hour, then remove the burritos and place in a zip-lock bag back in the freezer. When ready to eat, microwave at 30 second intervals until warm. 

2. Sourdough Pancakes with unsweetened applesauce & almond butter

The pancakes get cooked up and then into the freezer. Marshall takes as many as he wants that morning, along with a little container of applesauce and almond butter to dip or spread on top.

3. Egg & Veggie Frittata with crispy oven potatoes 

This is seriously so simple, but if you want a recipe, you can use this one as a great guide. I like to add bone broth to the eggs (about half the amount of broth as eggs) and then whisk together with the spices and seasonings I feel like that day. 

The oven potatoes are simple. Cut the potatoes up into bite-sized cubes and toss with coconut oil or pastured lard and some salt, pepper, turmeric, and paprika. Bake at 400 F for about 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes half way through. 

4. Boiled Eggs and Biscuits (sourdough or soaked)

I'm still figuring out my favorite sourdough biscuit recipe. In the meantime, this one from Nourished Kitchen is great. Remember that this won't be as fluffy as your traditional white flour counterpart, but it will be more nourishing and filling. 

5. Boiled Eggs & Wavy Potatoes with cultured ketchup

I love using my new OXO Mandoline slicer my parents gave me for my birthday to make these wavy potatoes. Cook them up the same way as the crispy oven potatoes above. 

Ketchup Recipe: (Adapted from Here)

This ketchup recipe is so good that I converted my ketchup-hating husband into loving this it! 

Combine: 7 oz tomato paste, 3.5 T grade B maple syrup or molasses, 6 T filtered water, 1/2 t powdered onion, 1 1/8 tsp sea salt, and 1/4 t garlic powder in a small sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir often. Adjust seasonings. Remove from heat and allow to cool until only warm to the touch.  Stir in 6 T apple cider vinegar and 2.5 T raw sauerkraut brine (add 2.5 T additional vinegar if omitting the brine). Pour into a wide-mouth pint mason jar.

 If using the lactofermented raw sauerkraut brine, top the ketchup with 3.5 T brine, close lid, and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in fridge. 

6. 3-Grain Spiced Porridge 

This recipe is so great because it is nutrient dense and full of wonderful calories, sure to keep anyone satiated until lunch. 

7. Baked Oatmeal: Apple or Pumpkin 

I usually omit the sugar in the apple baked oatmeal, or at least half it. Applesauce and oats provide plenty of good, sweet carbohydrates.

8. Soaked Granola adapted from Weed 'em and Reap
      6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
      1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted but not hot
      14 oz (1 can) full fat coconut milk or equivalent amount of whole milk, room temperature
      2 cups filtered water
      1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or cultured whey
      1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
      1/4-1 cup raw honey (I use only 1/4 cup. The dried fruit adds lots of sweetness)
      1 tsp sea salt
      1 T cinnamon
      1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
      Mix-ins: 1 cup currants or raisins, 1 cup coconut flakes, 1 cup walnuts

Combine oats, fat, milk, water, and vinegar or whey in a large plastic or glass bowl. Mix well and cover, leaving it on your counter for 12-24 hours. 

Mix together the applesauce, honey, salt, cinnamon, and extract. Add to the soaked oats and then stir in the optional but highly recommended mix-ins. 

I spread the mixture evenly onto 3 of my dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115 F for about 8 hours, flipping the granola half-way through. I then break up the pieces into large 3 inch pieces or so and put into a gallon sized zip-lock bag.

OR... 

Spread onto a couple cookie sheets and dehydrate in the oven on the lowest setting for 4 hours, then turn the granola with a spatula and break into pieces.  Dehydrate for another couple of hours until dry, but still slightly moist. 

I don't wake up with an alarm clock, so expecting to get up when he does to make him fresh food isn't an option for me. Sometimes I do wake up, sometimes I don't. But knowing he already has some breakfast to take for the day is perfect. And stress-free.