I love it when breakfast is ready without any of us having to whip it all up in the morning! Some of our favorite ways to accomplish this are included here. We use natural, unrefined sweeteners like Sucanat, Turbinado, and Xylitol, but you can use good ol' white sugar, too. Have fun experimenting!

Crockpot Oatmeal

2 c dry steel cut oats (not instant or rolled oats)
1 t cinnamon
1⁄2 c Sucanant or brown sugar
1 t vanilla
2 apples, peeled and diced

Spray or lightly wipe down crockpot with nonstick cooking spray or butter. If you are planning to cook the grain 8 hours or longer, use 8 cups of water. If you want to cook it less than 8 hours, use 6 cups of water. Put ingredients in sprayed crockpot and cook on low.

Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 c oats
1 c Sucanat or brown sugar
1 c milk
1/2 c oil (I use coconut but canola is fine)
1 t salt
2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and pour into a 9x13.  You can either stick it in the fridge unbaked to bake in the morning or bake it the night before.  350 degrees, 25 minutes. 

 
Orange-Flax Breakfast Muffins

Makes 2 dozen 

These are very "hearty", but they are super filling, don't raise my blood sugar levels, and give my husband the energy he needs each morning before his swimming workout.  Some of my kids like them (the baby loves them!), some don't.  That's ok-- more for me!

1 1/2 c of oat bran
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c each ground flaxseed and wheat bran (or just all wheat bran)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 oranges, peeled
1 c Sucanat or brown sugar
1 c buttermilk
1 mashed banana
2 eggs
1 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix oat bran, flour, flaxseed, wheat bran, baking powder and salt. In a blender or food processor combine oranges, milk, banana, eggs and baking soda. Pour orange mixture into dry ingredients and mix well.  Add 1/3 cup batter to each paper-lined muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Makes two dozen.

Overnight French Toast

Serves 6

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
12 3/4 inch thick French bread slices
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup Xylitol, Turbinado, or sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar

Spread butter over bottom of heavy large baking pan with 1 inch high sides. Arrange bread slices in pan. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt to blend in large bowl. Pour mixture over bread. Turn bread slices to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400F. Bake French bread 10 minutes. Turn bread over and continue baking until just golden, about 5 minutes longer.

Transfer cooked toast to plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately with favorite syrup.

Beerocks

An easy to make, freezable and easily-reheated entrée.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the following and allow yeast to activate:

5t yeast

¼ c warm water

1t sugar

Add to the above:

2 1/2c water

1/3c oil (I use olive oil)

1t salt

7-8c flour

2 eggs

Mix until dough is soft.  Cover and rise one hour; punch down and knead.  Rise again.

Brown and season with salt:

2lbs ground beef

Saute and add to ground beef:

½ chopped onion

1 cabbage, shredded

Make sixteen balls from the dough.  Flatten each ball into a square and fill half the square with ground beef mixture.  Fold dough over and pinch edges.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until beerocks are lightly browned on top. 

Freeze if desired.  Beerocks can be reheated from frozen in the microwave for one minute.

Here’s another great easy and quick recipe.  There’s great flexibility, too, such as using chicken instead of beef or not putting in any meat at all.  Makes a ton, and freezes well.

Taco Soup

Cook and drain:

2 lbs ground beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

Add:

1 28-oz can Mexican tomatoes

1 large can pinto beans, drained

1 large can kidney beans, drained

2 cans of corn, with the juice

2 cups salsa

2 cans sliced black olives

2 cans beef broth

Heat through and serve with any garnishes you like.  We use shredded cheese, avocadoes, sour cream, and tortilla chips.  Yum!

OK, this one you’re just going to laugh at.  It isn’t a recipe per se- more of a “how to put it together”.  Is there a name for that?

Ravioli Casserole

-Double package of ravioli from Costco, any kind.  We love the spinach and cheese.  For those of you without a Costco, a double package contains 2 lbs of ravioli.

-One jar of your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce.  I use a box of Pomi marinara with a splash of red wine and fresh herbs or garlic I might have one hand.

-Mozzerella and Parmesan cheeses, enough to cover the top of a 9 x 13 pan.

Boil the ravioli until al dente.  Spread it all out in a 9 x 13 pan, cover with sauce, and sprinkle with cheeses.  Heat through at about 350 degrees until cheese is thoroughly melted.

How’s that for easy???

Cinnamon Biscuits are purely a mom-and-kid breakfast around here.  My husband is allergic to whatever it is they put in what we call "whack biscuits"- the kind you whack on the counter and then they pop to open the can- and so we cannot serve them to him.  Good thing.  Besides the whatever-it-is that causes him to become nauseatingly ill, this recipe isn't health food.  But man oh man, it's good.  Pair them with some fresh fruit and scrambled eggs and by golly, you might be able to call it a well-rounded meal.

Cinnamon Biscuits

2 cans “whack biscuits” (or Pillsbury Grands, if you must know)

probably one stick of butter, melted

maybe ½ c sugar and 2 T cinnamon, mixed together

Whack open the can of biscuits and roll each one in melted butter.  Swirl the biscuit in the cinnamon sugar until coated and place the biscuits tightly together in a pie plate or round cake pan.  Bake as directed on the biscuit can.

Despite my culinary school experience, despite my love for fine cuisine and the joy I find in baking, there just isn't time anymore.  I rely heavily on my crockpot and "zero-hour" recipes- recipes I can produce and serve in about 30 minutes.  From time to time I'll post our very favorite zero-hour recipes.

Pizza-Topped Meatloaf

Takes about 40 minutes, start to finish.  We double ours to feed two adults, one teenager, and five under age twelve.

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 c each milk and Saltine crumbs

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 c finely chopped onions

1/2 t each salt, garlic powder, oregano, basil

1 10 1/2-oz can pizza sauce

1 c shredded mozzerella or jack cheese

1/2 c grated Parmesan

Combine ground beef, milk, cracker crumbs, eggs, onion, and spices.  Mix well until blended, then lightly pat into an 11x7 pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, drain off fat, and spread pizza sauce on top.  Sprinkle with cheeses.  Put back in oven for about 10 more minutes, until cheese is bubbly.  Cut into squares and serve.

Muffin Tins filled with an assortment of anything they love.  Our favorites around here are dry cereals like Cheerios, mini pretzels, raisins, craisins, diced apples, and banana chips.

Quarter an apple (core it, too).  Spread natural peanut butter on the cut sides and then dip it in flax seeds.  We have to make several apples' worth of these because we all love them so much.

Freeze yogurt in little sandwich bags.  You could also buy Go-Gurts and do the same thing, but the big tubs are much cheaper.  Just measure the amount you want for each bag and then pop them into the freezer. 

Cheese sticks, cheese sticks, and, um, cheese sticks.  Standard answer to "What can I have for a snack?" around here is cheese sticks and fresh fruit.  Buy them in bulk at Costco or Sam's.

In the fall I buy 50 pound boxes of apples from a patient of my husband's and then go to work making applesauce (I use Turbinado sugar bought in bulk from Azure Standard), dried apples rings in the dehydrator, and apple pie filling.

On a baking binge when I am not in my first or third trimesters, I like to make mini muffins and freeze them.  They are super easy to take out of the freezer and thaw quickly. 

And for bigger people, I try to keep a big bowl of pistachios or almonds on the kitchen island.  They are a good price at Costco, and I don't care if they snack from it all day long.  By the way, the almond crop in California was severely damaged by our weird spring weather, so they might be cost-prohibitive this year.  

S'mores Ice Cream Cake
Cook's Illustrated 2/2005

This childhood favorite is just as delicious served frozen as it is straight from the campfire. Feel free to substitute other flavors of ice cream as desired. We serve this cake with our Hot Fudge Sauce (see recipe below), but you can substitute your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce.

Serves 8

4	whole graham crackers
2	cups Marshmallow Fluff
1	pint chocolate ice cream
1	pint vanilla ice cream
	Hot fudge sauce (for serving) (see recipe below)

1. Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting the ends of the plastic wrap overhang the pan by 6 inches. Break one of the crackers into 4 pieces along the dotted lines. (You will use 3 of the 4 small graham pieces in this recipe.)

2. Scoop the chocolate and vanilla ice cream into separate bowls, then work to soften.  Spread one side of 1 whole graham cracker and 1 graham piece with 1/2 cup of the Fluff and lay in the loaf pan, Fluff facing up. Spoon the chocolate ice cream over the Fluff-topped crackers and smooth the top.

3. Coat both sides of another whole graham cracker and 1 graham piece using 1 more cup Fluff and lay over the chocolate ice cream. Spoon the vanilla ice cream over the Fluff-topped crackers and smooth the top.

4. Spread the remaining whole graham cracker and 1 more graham piece with the remaining ½ cup Fluff. Lay the crackers over the vanilla ice cream, Fluff facing down. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 6 hours.

5. To serve, unwrap and gently tug at the overhanging plastic wrap to remove the loaf from the pan. (If necessary, dip the bottom of the pan into hot water.) Using the plastic wrap to handle the loaf, invert it onto a serving platter. Peel away and discard the plastic wrap. Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before slicing. Serve with the hot fudge sauce.

To Make Ahead:

This ice cream cake can be assembled and held in the freezer, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week.

Hot Fudge Sauce
Cook's Illustrated 2/2005

This is the classic ice cream sundae topping. Sifting the cocoa powder prevents lumps from forming in the sauce. Semisweet chocolate chips can be used in place of the chopped chocolate.

Makes about 2 cups

10	ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
1/3	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder , sifted
3/4	cup light corn syrup
1/3	cup sugar
1/3	cup heavy cream
1/3	cup water
	Pinch table salt
3	tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1	teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Microwave the chocolate, whisking often, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the cocoa until dissolved.

2. Meanwhile, simmer the corn syrup, sugar, cream, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 4 minutes.

3. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Cool the mixture slightly, about 2 minutes, before whisking in the melted chocolate until smooth. Serve warm.

To Make Ahead:

The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Reheat in a small saucepan over low heat or microwave, stirring often, until warm and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes.