On a busy morning, you are likely to forget at least one thing. Add in kids and it becomes a game of “What can I remember?” not “What did I forget?”
If we’re being truthful, it’s not just kids that can make mornings tough, the every day hustle-and-bustle leaves many of us sprinting out the door and missing breakfast. Thankfully, blogger, podcaster, and home-chef Staci Mergenthal stopped by today.
And, while Staci usually helps us whip up sweet treats to take to our next event, today she broke down breakfast made easy.
Peanut Butter & Honey Energy Balls
(Staci Mergenthal, Random Sweets, randomsweets.com)
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups quick oats or old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup wheat bran
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, or flax seeds
- ¾ cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
Make the Balls:
- Stir together the oats, chocolate chips, wheat bran and seeds.
- In a separate bowl, warm the peanut butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, just until a creamy stirring consistency. Stir in the honey. Add this warm mixture to the oat mixture and stir to combine.
- Roll mixture into quarter-size balls. Using a small cookie scoop works best. Place balls in a container, using plastic wrap to separate the layers, and refrigerate at least one hour.
- Energy balls can be refrigerated a week or so. They keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
Egg Bites
(Staci Mergenthal, Random Sweets, randomsweets.com)
Ingredients:
- 8 large eggs
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound of breakfast meat like bacon, ham, or sausage, crumbled or diced
- 1 cup shredded cheese like cheddar, pepper jack, or gruyere
Make the Bites:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a small dish, like 8×8 glass pan, with water in the oven.
- With a blender or hand-held immersion blender, blend the eggs and cottage cheese until smooth. Stir in the salt and pepper.
- Butter a silicone mini muffin pan. Place on a large cookie sheet.
- Fill each cup with a little bit of the meat and cheese.
- Fill each cup almost to the top with egg mixture.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the baking time to cook evenly.
- Cool for 5 minutes and then pop the egg bites out and cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Store in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- Reheat in microwave for about 1 minute or in an air fryer.
- Can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in microwave or air fryer.
