Guest Post by Katie from goodLife {eats}
When I first saw Crystal and Jessica talking about freezer cooking, I shied away from it. I made excuses: That’s not for me. I don’t have a big freezer. I like being spontaneous and creative in the kitchen. I don’t have time to cook a whole month’s meals at once, nor did I want to. Being a food blogger, I wanted to be able to cook on my own schedule and as I was inspired.
BUT, eventually I realized that having a few things in the freezer would make life easier. Especially breakfast!
Our family loves muffins, waffles and pancakes for breakfast. I don’t always have time to whip up a new batch of whatever we’re in the mood for, and sometimes I’m out of the ingredients we need. That’s where freezer cooking came in for me.
Baking is easy and fun, something my kids love to do with me. And breakfast isn’t usually something I’m as spontaneous with, except for maybe on the weekends. Instead of tackling my freezer cooking projects all at once, I do them when the opportunity strikes and as time allows. Often times, my son will say “let’s make muffins!” just because he wants to. I take that opportunity to make a double batch and freeze the extra for later.
Here is one of our new favorite muffin recipes. I’ve doubled it for you below so you can have 1 1/2 dozen for now and 1 1/2 dozen to stash in your freezer. Or maybe you’ll even stash all 36 in your freezer.
They are super easy, healthy, and a great way to start the morning. You don’t have to frost them with the sweetened cream cheese. That’s just a little something to make them feel more special, but they are certainly just as good without it! I take advantage of the “frosting” and tell my kids that we’re having cupcakes for breakfast!
Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins
makes 36 regular-sized muffins
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 10 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 cup carrots, grated
- 2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cold milled flax
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Sweetened Orange Cream Cheese (optional)
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons orange juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 36 muffin cups with baking liners.
Grate the carrots (I use a box grater and use the second largest sized hole). Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the carrots, flours, flax, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and allspice. Stir to mix well. Set aside.
Combine the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat using a stand mixer or a hand mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Stir in the yogurt, pumpkin, orange juice, and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar/butter/egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed, but do not over beat.
Add a scant 1/4 cup of batter to each muffin cup, making about 36 muffins in all. Bake at muffins at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes, or until cooked through when tested with a toothpick. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack completely.
To freeze: Place completely cooled muffins into gallon sized freezer zip bags in one layer, about 9 will fit in a bag. Using a straw, remove any excess air and zip the bag. Place in the freezer, it’s ok to stack the bags on top of each other, for up to 2 months (good luck getting them to last that long!).
Remove as many muffins as you need at a time and either thaw at room temperature or heat in the toaster oven or microwave. Frost with the sweetened cream cheese, if desired.
For the sweetened cream cheese: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a bowl and a hand mixer. Cream cheese will store for up to a week in the refrigerator. (I have not tested freezing it.)
—Katie Goodman believes that part of the goodness in life is sharing good food with friends and family. She’s a SAHM determined to make family meal time a priority while providing a variety of healthy and delicious food choices. Katie blogs at goodLife {eats} where she shares what she finds good in the kitchen and in life. She also contributes to Craftzine.com, Paula Deen Online, and Tablespoon.