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Tag Archive: Freezer Cooking

August 9, 2019 | Crystal Paine

17 Back to School Breakfast Recipes for Kids

Looking for some easy breakfast recipes for kids with back to school season almost in full swing? Try one of these healthy ideas!

Looking for more delicious breakfast ideas? Try our family’s favorite Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls, this delicious Ice-Cream Soaked French Toast, these breakfast recipes using leftover potatoes, these easy Homemade Freezer Biscuits, this Homemade English Muffin Bread, or these Make-Ahead Freezer-Friendly Pancake Recipes!

Back to School Breakfast Recipes for Kids

Beat the School Morning Chaos with Easy Breakfast Ideas

Back to school season is upon us…and so are busy weekday mornings!

When trying to get your kids out the door on chaotic school mornings, it really helps to have simple breakfast ideas prepared.

And while cold cereal, pop-tarts, and granola bars are easy on-the-go breakfasts, you might be looking for something a little more filling to give your kids that extra boost of energy they need to get through those first long school days.

If you’re looking for healthy breakfast recipes for kids that are quick, easy, and budget-friendly, this list has you covered!

Psst! Looking for healthy afternoon snack ideas? Check out this list of 25+ Frugal and Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids!

This is our list of top breakfast recipes for kids that meet the following criteria:

  • Generally healthy — These recipes are packed with nutrition for lots of energy, use wholesome ingredients, or sneak in an extra dose of veggies/fruit! (But yes, many of the muffins, pancakes, and waffles DO contain sugar.)
  • Budget-friendly — These recipes won’t break your grocery budget. In fact, many of these recipes can be made from scratch with inexpensive ingredients ahead of time and stretched over multiple days of breakfasts!
  • Quick and easy — These recipes are easy for weekday school mornings because they’re really simple to make, have very little prep time (so you can pop them in the oven to bake while you’re getting the kids ready for school), can be made ahead of time, or are freezer-friendly recipes that can be frozen for later.

Quick & Easy Healthy Breakfast Recipes for Kids

Baked Egg Bites

1. Baked Egg Breakfast Bites

These are SO tasty and easy to make, and they’re packed with protein!

They also freeze really well, so feel free to make these ahead of time to have ready in the freezer for busy weekday school mornings.

Also, I find that using silicone muffin cups (affiliate link) makes clean-up so much easier! I love mine!

Homemade Breakfast Cookies

2. Healthy Homemade Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! Kids will LOVE this one.

This recipe is delicious, healthy, and filling. And they’re great to make ahead of time and have ready to grab-and-go!

easy breakfast recipes for kids: Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets

3. Easy Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets

This is one of the easiest breakfast recipes for kids, and it’s really versatile!

Homemade instant oatmeal packets are so easy to put together ahead of time and customize. You can mix it up and use a variety of different add-ins, depending on what each family member loves.

And you can’t go wrong with whole grains!

Carrot Cake Waffles

4. Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Waffles

Need to use up carrots or want to sneak some extra veggies into your child’s diet? Try these Carrot Cake Waffles!

They’re a little dose of healthy and a whole lot of delicious!

Psst! If you have any allergies in your family, give these Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Waffles a whirl!

Morning Glory Muffins

5. Morning Glory Muffins

Filled with apples, whole wheat flour, carrots, coconut, and raisins, these muffins are packed with nutrition.

And they’re super delicious, too!

Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins

6. Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins

These muffins are another great way to sneak in a dose of carrots! 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!

Super Easy Breakfast recipes for kids: Homemade Granola

7. Homemade Granola

This is another yummy breakfast recipe for kids that’s super quick and easy to make!

Eat a bowlful with milk or sprinkle it over yogurt and fresh fruit.

Blueberry Ginger Smoothie -- great for back to school breakfasts

8. Breakfast Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to quickly get a big dose of fruits and veggies before the day even gets started!

Try one of these smoothies as an easy on-the-go breakfast recipe for kids:

Simple Breakfast Casserole

9. World’s Easiest Breakfast Casserole

This simple Breakfast Casserole is one we’ve loved for years. It’s a pared-down version of my mom’s Breakfast Casserole and one we ate often in our lean law school days.

While not super duper healthy, it is packed with protein and sure to give your kids energy and focus during long school mornings!

Just throw all the ingredients in a pan and pop it in the oven to bake while you’re getting the kids ready for school. Super easy!

Baked Oatmeal

10. Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal 

This is so easy to make and freeze ahead of time! Then you can just pull it out to thaw overnight and bake the morning you need it.

This one willl be such a big hit with your family, you’ll almost feel guilty over how simple it is to pull off.

Not mention, whole grains are always a winner!

Breakfast Burritos

11. Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

These breakfast burritos are perfect for breakfast-on-the-go! They’re also frugal and delicious.

While these aren’t the absolutely healthiest of options, they can be made ahead of time and they’re super filling! Also, there’s some green pepper and onion snuck in there!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

12. Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

These pancakes are one of our favorite breakfast recipes for kids! It’s been a family favorite for years, and it’s healthy and tastes amazing!

The best part is you can totally freeze these ahead of time and just pull them out on a busy weekday morning! (We even love these straight from the freezer. They’re SO good!)

Note: Not a fan of reheated pancakes (or eating them straight from the freezer the way we crazies do!)? Try this Make Ahead Pancake Batter method or this Homemade Baking Mix. These will at least takes a few steps out of the process, so that the mix is ready to go on those mornings you want pancakes.

Looking for something a little different? These Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes my sister makes are really tasty, too!

Delicious Breakfast Recipe for kids: Apple Butter Muffins

13. Apple Butter Muffins

Sometimes an ingredient substitution leads to a great discovery!

Apple butter gives these muffins a great, rich flavor. And they’re made with oats, giving you a dose of whole grains!

Freezer Banana Bread

14. Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread

This is our tried and true banana bread recipe, and it freezes beautifully.

Sometimes we decide to mix things up and add chocolate chips. Feel free to experiment with various mix-ins!

Breakfast Ideas for Kids: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

15. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Can you tell we love chocolate chips? 😉

These muffins are hearty and filling. Not too sweet, but just the perfect blend of crunch and chocolate mixed together.

And again, the oats give your kids a good dose of whole grains!

Blueberry Muffins

16. Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is super-simple, (practically) fool-proof, and makes you the “muffin hero” in less than a half-an-hour!

Even more, I love that this recipe is fairly healthy, using intentional ingredients to make a more nutritious muffin. It’s a great recipe to make when blueberries are on sale.

Whip up a batch of these at the beginning of a school week to have a week’s worth of delicious breakfasts at your fingertips!

Breakfast Recipes for Kids: Best Bran Muffins

17. The Best Bran Muffins

These muffins are absolutely packed with nutrition!

If you’ve been looking for a good bran muffin recipe that is also really good for you, try these out!

Looking for more breakfast recipes for kids?

These are some other great breakfast recipes that we didn’t include on this list due to their not-quite-as-nutritious content or the time it takes to make them on a busy weekday morning. 😉

{I highly recommend the Cinnamon Rolls and the Ice Cream French Toast. SO yummy — especially on a slower weekend morning with the family!}

What are some of your family’s favorite easy breakfast recipes for kids? Let us know in the comments!

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June 20, 2019 | Olivia

Easy 4th of July Recipe | Patriotic Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins

Looking for some really easy 4th of July recipes? These Patriotic Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins are delicious and super simple to whip up in a pinch!

{Looking for 4th of July desserts? Check out this Patriotic Mason Jar Ice Cream — so much fun for the whole family!}

Patriotic Muffins for 4th of July

Easy 4th of July Muffin Recipe

The 4th of July is right around the corner and will be here before we know it!!

If you’re looking for creative 4th of July recipes to take to an Independence Day potluck or family gathering, try these fun Patriotic Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins!

ingredients for strawberry and blueberry muffinsmaking blueberry and strawberry muffins

These Patriotic Muffins are ridiculously easy to whip up and they’re seriously some of the BEST muffins I’ve ever tasted!

They’re super moist and delicious — and it’s difficult to eat just one! You might want to make an extra batch just in case. 😉

4th of July muffins ready for the ovenbaked blueberry and strawberry muffins on cooling racks

If you’re looking for easy 4th of July recipes, these Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins are really versatile!

You could use them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snack/dessert! I’d think they’d also be perfect for a brunch gathering!

4th of July muffins slathered in butter with confetti

You can eat them cooled or warmed, but I recommend them warm and slathered in butter. YUM!

I love the extra flavor twist that the strawberries add to the traditional blueberry muffins taste. But if you love the tart taste of raspberries, you could always substitute the strawberries for raspberries and still have a fun patriotic-themed 4th of July recipe!

patriotic muffins lined up

The best part of these Patriotic Muffins? They freeze really well!

Make them ahead of time a few days or even a week before you need them, and then all you have to do is pull them out of the freezer a few hours before serving them! Eat them as-is or pop them in the microwave to warm them up.

Oh — and if you’re looking for a dairy free version, just substitute the yogurt with your favorite brand of dairy-free vanilla yogurt. Voila!

Patriotic Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups vanilla yogurt (I used dairy-free)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups each fresh blueberries and fresh chopped strawberries

Beat eggs in a bowl, and then gradually add in the sugar. While beating, slowly pour in the oil. Next, stir in vanilla and the yogurt.

Combine all dry ingredients and then add it to the egg mixture. Gently fold in blueberries and strawberries.

Spoon into muffin tins lined with paper muffin liners (I used patriotic ones). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Yields: 25-30 Muffins

Recipe slightly adapted from Taste of Home

close-up of patriotic muffins

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May 9, 2019 | Crystal Paine

Healthy Homemade Protein Bars

This healthy homemade protein bar recipe is super delicious and SO easy to make!

{Looking for more healthy homemade treats? Check out this list of Delicious & Healthy Freezer-Friendly Snack Ideas — including Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Bars, Good For You Peanut Butter Fudge, Honey Sweetened Truffles, and Homemade Energy Bites!}

healthy homemade protein bars

Almost a decade ago now, I decided to do the P90X program. I remember it being a really fun time of coming up with creative, nutritious recipes that I could make from scratch on a budget.

And this homemade protein bar recipe ended up being one of my favorite go-to snacks during that season of my life!

I actually found the inspiration for this recipe in the P90X forums, but (in my usual fashion!) I decided to tweak it to my tastes.

The result was these delicious homemade protein bars — which every single person in my family ended up loving! Scroll to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe!

ingredients for homemade protein bars mixing up protein bar ingredients in a bowl healthy protein bars in a pan with chocolate glaze homemade protein bars with chocolate on top sliced homemade protein bar squares plated healthy protein bars individually wrapped protein bars for the freezerhealthy homemade protein bars ready to eat

Healthy Homemade Protein Bars

  • 1 mashed banana
  • dry oatmeal, 1 1/2 cups
  • ground flax seed, 2 tablespoons
  • protein powder, 2-4 scoops
  • peanut butter, 1/4 cup
  • shredded coconut, 1/4 cup
  • melted coconut oil or butter, 1/4 cup
  • raisins, 1/4 cup
  • water, 1/4 cup
  • 1 large chocolate bar (I used organic dark chocolate) or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except chocolate together well (mixture will be somewhat sticky). Line an 8×8-inch pan with foil and spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Melt chocolate on the stove or in the microwave. Drizzle or spread over the mixture in the pan.

Place the pan in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Cut into 10 -12 bars and wrap in plastic wrap and/or foil and store in the freezer.

Thaw slightly before serving.

Enjoy your delicious healthy protein bars recipe!

1/1oth of this recipe = approximately 260 calories and 11 to 13 grams of protein (depending upon how much protein powder you use, per Calorie Count.)

protein bars on a plate

Looking for more recipes? Try these!


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April 15, 2019 | Olivia

Easiest Homemade Easter Candy Recipe (Easter Basket Idea!)

Note from Crystal: I’m so excited to have my youngest sister, Olivia, sharing this fun homemade Easter candy recipe — a spring variation on our family’s favorite homemade Christmas Candy recipe! We typically make this candy to give as gifts during the Christmas season, but I never thought of the brilliant idea to make it for Easter baskets!

Looking for non-candy Easter basket ideas? Check out this Easy Homemade Slime Recipe that my daughter loves making!

Easiest Homemade Easter Candy Recipe

Looking for unique and different Easter basket ideas this year? This homemade Easter candy recipe is sure to be a hit with your kids!

This delicious recipe is a spin-off of Crystal’s incredible Christmas candy recipe — and if you’re a white chocolate lover like me, you might end up actually liking this one better than the original! 😉

(Not a fan of white chocolate? Just use milk or dark chocolate chips instead, but don’t forget to put on the festive colorful sprinkles!)

ingredients to make homemade Easter candy

This recipe is SO easy to make and only uses a few ingredients! It’s hard to believe this recipe could be so yummy with just these few ingredients, but it really is.

There’s just something about the concoction of crackers, chewy caramel, and chocolate! YUM!

layered Easter candy in a pan

I brought a bowl of these to a recent family gathering, and not only did the kids absolutely love it, but the adults raved about it, too!

This is a super simple dessert that you could totally use for Easter Sunday, if you want something a little different than usual. Just make a big batch ahead of time and you’re ready to go.

white chocolate chips on top of layered Easter candy in a pan
And it’s SO easy to make ahead of time, because it keeps really well in the freezer. I recommend making a batch and breaking it up into individual baggies to freeze for later.

Then just pull a baggie out when you’re ready to use it for a get-together or Easter basket!

white chocolate Easter candy with sprinkles

I love the fun colors of the sprinkles — and this recipe is really perfect for just about any spring parties or get-togethers! You could even use them as frugal end-of-the-year teacher gifts.

crumbled homemade Easter candy

This homemade Easter candy recipe will add such a personal touch to a kids’ Easter basket — even if it’s the only thing in it! You could even make some of this Homemade Slime to add a little non-candy gift to the mix!

close-up photo of broken Easter candy with sprinkles

Easiest Homemade Easter Candy Recipe

  • 1 sleeve Saltine crackers
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips
  • Pastel sprinkles

On a baking sheet, spread out Saltine crackers. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until gooey. Pour over crackers and bake at 350 degrees for five minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle white chocolate chips on top. Let sit for a few minutes until white chocolate chips begin to melt. Then, spread over crackers evenly with a spatula. Immediately decorate with sprinkles.

Stick in the freezer for an hour, or until chocolate hardens. Break into small pieces and put into gift containers or baggies. Store in the freezer until ready to eat or give away.

Easter candy packages for an Easter basket

Related Links:

What other unique Easter basket ideas do you have? I’d love to hear in the comments!

15 Comments
October 18, 2018 | Crystal Paine

10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze

Make some room in your freezer because after you read this list of 10 things you didn’t know you could freeze, your life—or at least your refrigerator and your grocery budget—is about to change for the better!

I’ve been freezer cooking for years and I’ve experimented with freezing just about anything I can. Some were major fails, but I’ve discovered that you can actually freeze a wider variety of items than you probably realize!

I decided to put together this list of 10 out-of-the-ordinary things you can freeze. I’ve tried all of these and they have all worked for me! Just follow the links below to find the freezer tutorial for each item.

Here’s my list of 10 things you probably didn’t know you could freeze…

1. Cottage Cheese

Frozen cottage cheese doesn’t taste great plain once it is thawed, due to it being a little watery. But I love freezing cottage cheese to use later in my smoothies. It works perfectly!

I usually like to divide the containers into smaller bags so I can just thaw out a little bit at a time as needed. This also allows me to freeze them flat in plastic bags to save space in my freezer!

2. Taco Meat

Taco meat is one of my favorite things to make during a freezer cooking session. You can whip up a huge batch of taco meat at one time, and it’s SO versatile!

Taco meat can be used in all kinds of different recipes and it thaws really quickly, so it makes for a great last-minute dinner idea if you forgot to pull something out from the freezer earlier in the day.

Go here to see how I like to freeze taco meat, some of the frugal ways I stretch it to feed more people, and some of our family’s favorite recipes!

3. Milk

I’m often able to find organic milk on clearance that’s close to the expiration date. We use what we can until the expiration date and then I freeze the rest. By buying it on clearance, we’re able to buy higher quality milk without spending a fortune to do so.

While I don’t recommended using frozen and then thawed milk for drinking (due to the changes in consistency and flavor), I do freeze milk frequently for all kinds of other uses! For example, it works beautifully in pancakes, waffles, french toast, or other baked goods.

I’ve never had a problem freezing it in a cardboard container. It will expand some when it freezes, so you might want to drink or use a half cup or so before freezing. But otherwise, just stick the milk in the freezer in the paper carton!

When you’re ready to use it, you can thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Or, you can stick the carton in a sink full of cold water for 15 or 20 minutes.

4. Waffles

While I know that some people like pancakes and waffles fresh, I’ve found it’s so much more convenient to make a big batch of waffles and then freeze them for breakfasts later in the month!

This is one way we make sure we have filling, healthy breakfasts on busy mornings. We love trying different varieties and mix-ins, such as Carrot Cake Waffles, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles, Gluten-Free Waffles, or even Red, White, & Blue Waffles!

5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches

I first happened upon the idea of freezing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when Jesse was in law school and we were eating a LOT of PB&J.

While it doesn’t really take that long to make PB&J, it can still help speed things up a bit when your time is really crunched in the morning. Plus, it’s nice to have sandwiches at the ready if you end up needing to go somewhere unexpectedly and no one has eaten any lunch yet.

6. Pizza, Cookie, and Biscuit Dough

Our family loves homemade breads, and one of the easiest ways to speed up the process of bread-making is to make the dough when you have time and freeze it to bake later!

There are all kinds of different doughs I’ve experimented with freezing, but these 3 recipes are my favorite: Pizza Dough, Cookie Dough, and Biscuit Dough.

This pizza dough recipe has been my go-to recipe for years. Keep it on hand and pizza night will be a breeze.

Even if you’re not a fan of most freezer meals, I encourage you to try making cookie dough and freeze it! I can almost guarantee you won’t be able to tell a difference between frozen cookie dough and fresh cookie dough.

It makes it so easy to make a batch of fresh-baked cookies when you have drop-in guests or need to bring a dessert or snack to some event at the last minute. It’s also very handy for those times when you get a late-night craving for chocolate! 😉

These chocolate chip cookies are SO good and the dough freezes beautifully!

This biscuit recipe is quick, easy, inexpensive, and so practical! Say goodbye forever to canned biscuits with this winner recipe — especially when you freeze the dough ahead of time to make it even easier.

Freeze fresh herbs with this quick and easy method!! They'll never go to waste again!

7. Fresh Herbs

This a super simple way to preserve fresh herbs so that they don’t go to waste before you have a chance to use them! Frozen herbs work especially well in sauces, stews, and soups.

8. Avocados

I decided to try freezing avocados when I found clearance bags of avocados for just $0.99 at Kroger. I couldn’t pass up that price, so I bought 6 bags and was determined to not let them go to waste once I got them home!

It was a little hesitant to try freezing avocados… and I honestly didn’t love how they turned out when I thawed them. However, I have heard from many readers who have had great success with freezing avocados. I froze mine with salsa and lime juice since that’s the way I love to eat my avocado. You could experiment with all kinds of different seasonings and flavoring, though. (And if you’ve found a great trick for freezing avocados, let us know!)

9. Onions

I really do not enjoy chopping up onions (does anyone?), but I do love how they taste in recipes, so I often chop them in bulk and freeze them for later use. It’s such a time-saver!

10. Cooked Beans

Dried beans are much more economical than canned beans. Unfortunately, since they need to be soaked and softened, they can be inconvenient to prepare them on the same night you want to use them in a recipe.

Freezing them ahead of time is a huge time-saver — especially if you freeze a bunch of different types in bulk at one time!

Looking for more ideas?

Be sure to check out this post for a list of 15 more surprising things you can freeze!

Enjoy experimenting with some of these freezer-friendly foods on this list, and you’re sure to see a reduction in food waste and an increase in the amount of money you save!

What crazy food items do you like to freeze? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below!

19 Comments