One of the main complaints about Traditional Foods meals is the amount of time needed to plan and assemble the meals. Sometimes it seems like every ingredient needs advance preparation. There are a variety of strategies to combat this problem. Making a menu plan with a preparation schedule is extremely important. Batch cooking tried-and-true recipes is another essential tool, to have leftovers or freeze the excess for another meal.
By far, the hardest meal to deal with for many is breakfast. It’s not that the planning ahead or cooking is difficult. The issue is that for most people, mornings are the most hectic part of the day. Many moms tell me they throw up their hands and give in to their children’s pleas for a bowl of cereal (with raw milk) when the alarm doesn’t go off or another mishap happens that cuts into the amount of time set aside to get ready. How many mornings have you had the dryer eat your clothing, the baby spit up on your only clean top or the wild hunt for the missing toddler shoe that got up and walked off by itself?
The best way I have found to circumvent these mornings is to plan far in advance and keep some freezer meals on hand that can be popped into a toaster oven to heat and eaten in-hand on the way out the door or in the car. While it isn’t the ideal breakfast sitting around the dining room table, it is far better to eat a nourishing meal in the car than to give in to the temptation of a quick and easy bowl of cereal so you can get out the door.
Think about the fast food companies. They’re the master of the portable, breakfast-in-one-hand meal. A properly soaked English Muffin topped with some pastured bacon and scrambled free-range eggs can be wrapped in parchment paper and frozen. Pop them in the toaster oven, still wrapped, when you get to the kitchen and allow it to heat until the middle is completely warm and you have a healthy, filling breakfast in one hand.
You can also make burritos using a flour tortilla holding some home-made bulk sausage, scrambled egg and raw cheese with a little salsa. Another popular option is a biscuit with a slice of pastured ham and a scrambled egg. The combinations of meats, wrappers and optional fillings is endless.
Take your favorite combination or combinations, cook it in bulk, assemble them and wrap in sheets of parchment paper. I use a little piece of freezer tape to make sure each little parchment bundle stays closed, but you don’t have to. Freeze them on cookie sheets, then pop them into ziplock bags or freezer containers. When it’s time to heat, pop them in the toaster oven until they are heated through. It takes less time if you remember to take them out of the freezer and put them into the fridge to thaw the day before.
This is our favorite spicy sausage recipe. I fry it in patties and put it on a biscuit or fry it in crumbles and put it into a breakfast burrito.
From the Menu Mailer
1 pound ground turkey or pork
¼ onion, minced
1 clove garlic, pressed
2½ tsp basil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp ginger
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash cayenne or red pepper flakes, optional
2 Tbs coconut oil, butter, ghee or other fat
In a bowl, combine the meat, onion, garlic and spices and mix them gently. Shape into patties and fry in the fat for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the patties or fry it as loose crumbles until the meat is no longer pink.
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We do breakfast burritos a lot, using a sage-based bulk sausage (cause we don’t like hot): fry a pound of sausage with a diced yellow or orange bell pepper and a diced red or yellow onion and remove with slotted spoon. Beat a dozen good eggs with 1/4 cup heavy cream and scramble in leftover sausage grease (add bacon grease or coconut oil if not enough sausage grease). Shred a pound of raw cheese.
Assemble by placing 12 pieces of plastic wrap down with 12 tortillas on top, so when you wrap the burritos, they’re wrapped in the plastic wrap too. Portion out the sausage/veggies, then the eggs, then the cheese and wrap. The assembly is annoying cause you need so much flat space to do it. If you can get sausage in half pound portions, it’d be easier to halve the recipe.
Another favorite is cheese muffins. This makes 24 muffins:
Cut up a pound of bacon with scissors. Fry until crispy, then remove pan from heat. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper-towel lined plate to drain and let drippings cool. Meanwhile, shred raw cheese in food processor to yield 2 cups. Line two 12-muffin pans with foil muffin cups.
In mixing bowl, beat 16 eggs then stir in 1/2 cup cooled bacon drippings. Stir in 3/4 cup coconut flour and 1/4 tsp baking powder until smooth. Stir in bacon and cheese. Pour batter into prepared cups and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. After they cool completely, store in large ziplock bag in freezer.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am desperate to get my food allergy family eating more protein at breakfast and I can’t purchase sausage because of the additives. I am eager to try this recipe and whip up a batch of gluten/egg-free cornbread for breakfast tomorrow!