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The Schmidty Wife

The Schmidty Wife

real fresh food for real fun families

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  • About
  • Fan Favorites
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • All Recipes
  • Weeknight Dinners
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Skillet
    • Casserole
    • Sheet Pan
    • Main Dish
    • Crockpot
  • Browse By Type
    • Pasta
    • Mexican
    • Asian
    • Fun Foods
    • Leftovers
    • Tacos

Parfait Breakfast Popsicles

July 12, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Healthy & delicious these yogurt based popsicles are perfect for toddlers, kids, and adults alike. Packed with yogurt, fruit, and granola these Parfait Breakfast Popsicles are the perfect frozen breakfast or snack!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Sheet tray full of red and white parfait popsicles and ice cubes surrounded bu sliced strawberries, bananas, and bits of granola.

Yogurt Parfait Popsicles

Warm weather is for popsicles, I even believe in popsicles for breakfast! To be fair these Parfait Popsicles are equally as good for snack time as they are for breakfast, nonetheless they are delicious healthy popsicles anyone can enjoy anytime of day!

My oldest kid is not a breakfast person (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree), so I was thinking of some fun breakfast ideas for the summertime and these breakfast popsicles totally nailed it.

Filled with fruit, yogurt, and granola with no added sugars this popsicle is basically what I would serve as a yogurt bowl option to my family in the morning just you know…frozen.

The best part is of course you can customize it to your family. You can use different fruits and granola’s for the center!

So let’s make some popsicles!

Hand holding up a popsicle stick of a parfait popsicle showing white and red layers.

Special Equipment

Yes making popsicles is waaaay easier with a popsicle mold. Of course if you don’t have one you can get creative and use paper cups and sticks to make popsicles at home.

After buying cheap plastic molds multiple times to only have them fall apart on me or not be large enough I finally bought a nicer silicone popsicle mold off of amazon for just a few more dollars and it was totally worth it. The following is the one I have that I really like, and of course there are a lot more options on Amazon or other retailers.

Ingredients

You will need the following:

  • Banana
  • Plain Yogurt
  • Fresh Strawberries
  • Granola – any kind, I like a ‘classic’ flavor here best

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients to make parfait popsicles on a white plate including strawberries, a banana, yogurt, and granola.

Instructions

Add the peeled banana and yogurt to a blender. Blend until smooth. Divide the mixture in half, reserve half the mixture covered in the fridge for later. Divide the other half of the mixture between all the popsicle molds. Add the mold to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour. 

A collage showing the first steps of blending together the yogurt and banana and adding it to a popsicle mold.

Once the first part of the popsicle is frozen move on to the strawberry mixture. Add the strawberries to a blender and blend until smooth. Divide the blended strawberries between the popsicle molds. 

Now add about 1-2 teaspoons of the granola into the molds on top of the blended strawberries, it’s okay if some of the granola sinks into the strawberries. The amount of the granola doesn’t have to be exact during this step. Note, if you are able to add the popsicle sticks before adding the granola that works best, but some popsicle molds the top is attached you might not be able too, that is okay just add it at the end. Transfer to freezer and let freeze for 1 hour.

A collage showing the second steps of blending up the strawberries, adding them to the popsicle mold, and adding granola.

Lastly add the reserved half of the banana yogurt mixture evenly on top of the strawberries & granola. Make sure to add sticks to the popsicles & transfer back to the freezer and let freeze for at least one more hour or until frozen solid. Enjoy!

Close up of a red & white parfait popsicle on a sheet tray surrounded by ice cubes.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

  • The popsicle mold I use (listed above) holds 10 popsicles and this recipe makes 10 popsicles that are on the smaller size, so if you have a popsicle mold that fits 8 or 12 the same amount of ingredients should work, if making more or less than that you might want to double or half the ingredients.
  • I prefer a classic granola like Bob’s Red Mill Classic Granola but feel free to use what you like, you could even use homemade granola! PLUS you can even make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free granola.
  • Feel free to use other fruits in place of the strawberries. I think this would be fantastic with blueberries, cherries, peaches, or raspberries.
  • Yes you can substitute Greek Yogurt for the Plain Yogurt, the bonus would be more protein, the negative would be it is more tart so the whole popsicle might be more tart but that is a personal preference.

If you like these Parfait Breakfast Popsicles you might also like:

  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie
  • Cinnamon Apple Cottage Cheese Bowl
  • Peanut Butter & Banana Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl
  • Healthy Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes
  • Flourless Banana Muffins
Yield: 10 popsicles

Parfait Breakfast Popsicles

Overhead view of a sheet pan filled with red and white parfait breakfast popsicles surrounded by ice cubes and sliced strawberries.

Healthy & delicious these yogurt based popsicles are perfect for toddlers, kids, and adults alike. Packed with yogurt, fruit, and granola these Parfait Breakfast Popsicles are the perfect frozen breakfast or snack!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Banana
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 ½ cups strawberries, cut in half & tops removed
  • ¼ cup granola (any kind, I like a 'classic' flavor here best)

Instructions

    1. Add banana and yogurt to a blender. Blend until smooth. Divide mixture in half, reserve half the mixture in the fridge for later. Divide the other half of the mixture between all the popsicle molds. Add the mold to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour.

    2. Once the first part of the popsicle is frozen move on to the strawberry mixture. Add the strawberries to a blender and blend until smooth. Divide the blended strawberries between the popsicle molds.

    3. Now add about 1-2 teaspoons of the granola into the molds on top of the blended strawberries, it’s okay if some of the granola sinks into the strawberries. The amount of the granola doesn’t have to be exact during this step.* Transfer to freezer and let freeze for 1 hour.

    4. Lastly add the reserved half of the banana yogurt mixture evenly on top of the strawberries & granola. Make sure to add sticks to the popsicles & transfer back to the freezer and let freeze for at least one more hour or until frozen solid. Enjoy!

Notes

*Note if you are able to add the popsicle sticks before adding the granola that works best BUT some popsicle molds where the top is attached you might not be able too, that is okay just add it at the end.

The popsicle mold I use (listed below) holds 10 popsicles and this recipe makes 10 popsicles that are on the smaller size, so if you have a popsicle mold that fits 8 or 12 the same amounts should work, if making more or less than that you migth want to double or half the ingredients.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Homemade Popsicle Molds
    Homemade Popsicle Molds

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 popsicle

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 48Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 17mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Cottage Cheese and Peanut Butter Bowls

June 2, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

With creamy cottage cheese, bananas, peanut butter, and coconut make yourself a protein packed breakfast! Easy to make Peanut Butter & Banana Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls will keep you full and focused all day long.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

White bowl gilled with cottage cheese and topped with banana slices, peanut butter, and shredded coconut.

Cottage Cheese and Banana with Peanut Butter

I love cottage cheese, am pretty obsessed with it, I think it makes a great breakfast or snack bowl. It also is the key secret ingredient to the best scrambled eggs, for real try my Healthy Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs. 

Reasons I love cottage cheese:

  • Packed with protein
  • For a cheese it is low-calorie
  • It is mild and creamy enough to take on whatever flavor profile you want

I have already shared one of my favorite cottage cheese combinations, my Apple Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls and today I am sharing another awesome combination.

But I warn you, you make it once and it will be on repeat, once you pair a delicious flavor with this breakfast that keeps you full you will never go back!

Close up of a bowl filled with cottage cheese and topped with banana slices and drizzled peanut butter with shredded coconut flakes.

If you like Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls you might also like:

  • Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice
  • Meal Prep Breakfast Bistro Box
  • Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffin
  • Easy Avocado Breakfast Sandwich
  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie
Yield: 1 serving

Peanut Butter & Banana Cottage Cheese Bowls

Overhead view of a bowl with a spoon filled with cottage cheese and topped with banana slices, drizzled peanut butter, and shredded coconut.

This Cottage Cheese Bowl packed with peanut butter and banana is full of protein that will keep you full and focused all day long. With creamy cottage cheese, bananas for sweetness, peanut butter for flavor, and little bursts of coconuty goodness you can't go wrong!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 banana
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

  1. Add cottage cheese to a bowl. Slice banana and add to the top of the cottage cheese.
  2. Drizzle peanut butter over the banana and sprinkle on the shredded cocunut.

Notes

Keep in mind the type of peanut butter you use will affect the nutrition, I advise to use 100% peanut butter.

Feel free to make this your own by adding more or different toppings. For added nutrition add items like hemp seeds, or to settle a dessert craving try adding some mini chocolate chips.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 412Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 551mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 5gSugar: 20gProtein: 21g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Cottage Cheese and Apple Breakfast Bowls

March 29, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Easy to make Apple Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls will keep you full and focused all day long. With creamy cottage cheese, apples for sweetness, granola for crunch, and cinnamon for flavor you can’t go wrong!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

A white bowl on a blue towel filled with cottage cheese and apples with granola and ground cinnamon with a spoon ready to eat.

Cottage Cheese and Apples

I wish that cottage cheese wasn’t such a passé food trend, it is delicious and nutritious and I think it needs to be treated as such.

I am pretty obsessed with it, I think it makes a great breakfast or snack bowl. It also is the key secret ingredient to the best scrambled eggs, for real try my Healthy Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs.

Reasons I love cottage cheese:

  • Packed with protein
  • For a cheese it is low-calorie
  • It is mild and creamy enough to take on whatever flavor profile you want

So in this recipe I am showing you one of my favorite cottage cheese breakfast bowls, Apple Cinnamon.

This might be the easiest recipe on my blog. Yes you just grab the ingredients listed and add them to a bowl.

But I warn you, you make it once and it will be on repeat, once you pair a delicious flavor with this breakfast that keeps you full you will never go back!

A bowl on a blue towel, the bowl is filled with cottage cheese and topped with apple slices, granola, and dusted in cinnamon.

If you like Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls you might also like:

  • Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice
  • Meal Prep Breakfast Bistro Box
  • Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffin
  • Easy Avocado Breakfast Sandwich
  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie
Yield: 1 serving

Cinnamon Apple Cottage Cheese Bowl

Overhead view of a breakfast table with a bowl full of cottage cheese and apple with granola and cinnamon.

This Cottage Cheese and Apple Breakfast Bowl packed with protein will keep you full and focused all day long. With creamy cottage cheese, apples for sweetness, granola for crunch, and cinnamon for flavor you can't go wrong!

Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cottage cheese
  • ½ apple, diced
  • ¼ cup granola, your favorite kind
  • pinch of ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Add cottage cheese to a bowl top with diced apple and granola. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!

Notes

The nutrition facts for cottage cheese can vary a lot brand to brand and type, so find the brand and type that fits your needs.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1 bowl

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 405mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 5gSugar: 18gProtein: 17g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

Sheet Pan Egg in a Hole

March 1, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Turn regular breakfast items into a fun and impressive breakfast with this Sheet Pan Egg in a Hole recipe. Using Eggs, Bacon, and Toast this breakfast is a hands off way to make an enjoyable family breakfast!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

A sheet pan full of freshly baked egg in a hole with bacon garnished with sprinkled greens.

Egg in a Hole with Bacon

Egg in a Hole is a fun breakfast but add in bacon and make it easier with a sheet pan and the oven and you have a real winner!

This recipe is a fun way to turn an ordinary breakfast into something a little more fun!

I love it because of the hands off time and your family will love it due to the novelty!

Just promise when you continue to read this and find out I don’t have a biscuit cutter you won’t make fun of me! I live in the north, we don’t make biscuits like the south does 😉

Angled close up shot of a toasted egg in a hole with bacon on a sheet pan.

Supplies for Sheet Pan Egg in a Hole

A pretty simple recipe, you will need:

  • 2 Sheet Pans
  • Parchment Paper
  • Biscuit Cutter OR Drinking Glass
  • Everyday Kitchen Items like plates, knifes, ect…
Close up of two baked egg in a hole toasts on a sheet pan.

Ingredients Needed

  • Bacon
  • Butter
  • Bread
  • Eggs
  • Parmesan Cheese

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

All the ingredients needed for baked egg in a hole laid out on a sheet pan.

How to make Baked Egg in a Hole

You will pre-cook the bacon to start. We won’t be cooking the bacon to crispy yet, just cooked enough to get it started and release grease so that it won’t make the toast too greasy.

Place bacon on a sheet pan in a single layer. Transfer to a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400ºF. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate and dab off any extra grease with more paper towels . 

Before and after photo for the step of pre cooking the bacon.

While the bacon cooks lightly butter both sides of all the bread. You don’t need to use all the butter. Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass cut a hole in the center of each piece of bread.

Cutting a hole in the center of a buttered piece of bread with a drinking glass leaving a hole in the center.

On a clean sheet pan lay down a sheet of parchement paper. Lay the cut bread and circles in a single layer on the parchment paper lined sheet pan. 

Transfer two strips of bacon to each hole in a bread making an ‘X’ shape. 

Collage showing the steps of adding the bread with holes to a lined sheet pan and then adding the bacon in an 'X' shape in the holes.

Very carefully crack an egg in each hole over top the bacon. Sprinkle the parmesean cheese over the bread and eggs.

Collage showing eggs being cracked into the middle of the holes in the bread and then parmesan cheese being sprinkled over them.

Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve immediately. Top with salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a fresh herb like parsley or basil!

Cooked sheet pan egg in a hole fresh out of the even with golden toast and set eggs.

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

  • To keep the eggs from sticking to the sheet pan the parchment paper is crucial here, I tested many different ways to keep the eggs from sticking to the sheet pan and the parchment paper worked best!
  • You don’t have to use the parmesan cheese, you can use a different cheese, like cheddar! Or the cheese can be left off.
  • While I love thick cut bacon it doesn’t work great in the recipe since it takes longer to cook. I also have a personal preference of staying away from the sweet bacon, like the maple flavored ones but again that is a personal preference since I think it doesn’t taste that great with the eggs.

Can I use any kind of bread?

Yes, why not?! Of course you will want to make sure it fits on the sheet pan, but there is really no wrong answer to what kind of bread you can use.

Everyday bread, sourdough, some fancy brioche, it should all work!

Close up of an egg in the hole with bacon strips showning a yellow yolk and crispy parmesan cheese.

You might like some of my other breakfast recipes:

  • Easy Avocado Breakfast Sandwich
  • Healthy Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs
  • Shakshuka with Spinach and White Beans
  • Pancakes From Scratch
  • Overnight Tex Mex Breakfast Casserole
Yield: 6 servings

Sheet Pan Egg in a Hole

Zoomed in view of two egg in a hole toasted on a sheet pan sitting next to the toasted center circles.

Turn eggs, bacon, and toast in to this super fun yet easy meal thanks to the handy sheet pan! Sheet Pan Eggs in a Hole is fun to make and a great way to spice up your morning breakfast routine.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 strips bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 slices bread
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Place bacon on a sheet pan in a single layer. Transfer to a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400ºF. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer bacon to a papertowl lined plate and dab off any extra grease.
  2. While the bacon cooks lightly butter both sides of all the bread. Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass cut a hole in the center of each piece of bread. On a clean sheet pan lay down a sheet of parchement paper. Lay the cut bread and circles in a single layer on the parchment paper lined sheet pan.
  3. Transfer two strips of bacon to each hole in a bread making an 'X' shape.
  4. Very carefully crack an egg in each hole over top the bacon. Sprinkle the parmesean cheese over the bread and eggs.
  5. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve immediately.

Notes

To keep the eggs from sticking to the sheet pan the parchment paper is crucial here, I tested many different ways to keep the eggs from sticking to the sheet pan and the parchment paper worked best!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Reynolds Kitchens Non-Stick Baking Parchment Paper Sheets - 12x16 Inch, 22 Count
    Reynolds Kitchens Non-Stick Baking Parchment Paper Sheets - 12x16 Inch, 22 Count
  • Nordic Ware Baker's Sheet Pan
    Nordic Ware Baker's Sheet Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 Toast

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 223mgSodium: 716mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 18g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Energizing Green Smoothie

December 28, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Perfect for a morning or midday pick me up this Energizing Green Smoothie is full of healthy ingredients for high energy and focus! Made with fruits, spinach, and green tea this is an easy Green Tea Smoothie that you will love to drink!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

A large glass with a metal straw filled to the top with an energizing green smoothie, topped with chia seeds.

Green Tea Smoothie

I love a good healthy smoothie. This is my version of a green smoothie, everyone has got one right!?

In my version of this energizing green smoothie I have tried to keep the nutrition dense and the calories low so that it is a smoothie that keeps you refreshed and full of energy!

A pair of glasses at an angle filled with green smoothie topped with chia seeds.

So what is in this Green Smoothie that is healthy and will give me energy?

I start with a BANANA base, as so many smoothies often do. Bananas are high is fiber, potassium, and the vitamin B-6. Fiber helps you stay full, potassium is good for your heart health, and Vitamin B-6 is great for brain health.

GREEN APPLE is added in next, you know what they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But apples are high in fiber and vitamin C. The fiber again will help keep you full and the vitamin C helps your immune system , its even believed that it may help shorten a cold!

And the one of the classic ingredients of a green smoothie, SPINACH. Spinach is high in fiber (see a pattern) and a lot of vitamins including vitamins A, C, K1, Folic Acid, Iron, and Calcium. Let’s just say this original ‘superfood’ has got your back.

And for sweetness a DATE. Yes dates add in some sugar but they also pack a punch of potassium, magnesium, and you guessed it Fiber.

For the liquid base instead of a milk I went with plain old GREEN TEA. Unsweetned and cooled for the smoothie green tea is full of antioxidants and a tad of caffeine to make you feel like a super hero. Just make sure you are using unsweetened green tea if you aren’t making it yourself, sweetened tea can have a lot of added sugars.

And lastly CHIA SEEDS. Chia seeds are actually a whole grain and they are full of Fiber (can you believe it?!), antioxidants, and surprisingly protein.

Together you can see how all these nutrients can keep you full, focused, and full of energy!

Ingredients all sitting on a plate for green smoothie made with green tea.
Hand holding a glass of green smoothie topped with chia seeds.

So now that you are full convinced time to get making!

You might also like:

  • Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie
  • Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
  • Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie
  • Orange Ginger Sunshine Smoothie
Yield: 1 smoothie

Energizing Green Smoothie

Two large glasses full of bright energizing green smoothie, topped with chia seeds and with a metal straw.

Full of nutritious ingredients this healthy green smoothie is easy to make and will keep you energized and focused!

Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • ½ green apple
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 pitted date
  • 1 cup cold green tea
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

  1. Add the banana, green apple, baby spinach, date, and green tea to the blender. Blend until smooth about 20 to 30 seconds. Add the chia seeds pulse to mix in. Enjoy.

Notes

1-2 teaspoons of honey is a good substitute for the date, if you preffer honey.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1 smoothie

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 11gSugar: 29gProtein: 5g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Drinks

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

https://www.pinterest.com/theschmidtywife/

The BEST Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

September 8, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Learn to make the Best Pumpkin Pancakes! Using pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice you can get the most flavorful and fluffy pumpkin pancakes, perfect for a crisp fall morning!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

A tall stack of pumpkin pancakes on a white plate, a hand is pouring maple syrup from a jug over the top of the pancakes leaving the syrup to drip down the sides of the stack.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes Recipe

For as wonderful and infamous as pumpkin pancakes are finding the best recipe can be a tad tricky.

I worked on this one for a while to get the perfect ratio of pumpkin to seasoning to fluffiness.

The tricky part about pumpkin pancakes is that the pumpkin puree tends to be dense and wet, basically the opposite of light and fluffy that you want in a good stack of pancakes.

So test after test I sought out the perfect balance, these pumpkin spice pancakes are equally packed with pumpkin as they are fluffy and delicious.

I also found that most pumpkin pancake recipes lacked the true flavor of the pumpkin pie spices people love, so I made sure to makes these packed with flavor!

Stacked on a plate with real maple syrup next to a cup of coffee I don’t think there are a whole lot of things better on a cool fall morning.

So let’s look at what is in the recipe.

A bite full of pumpkin pancake on a fork resting on the side of a white plate next to a big pool of maple syrup.

What You Need and Ingredients

As with all of my pancake recipes I highly recommend an electric griddle. I love mine, they make pancake making so fast and easy in the morning. I also use mine for things like large batch grilled cheese, French toast, and quesadillas. You can check out the large selection on Amazon HERE. I also have noticed that during the holiday season they are often on sale because they make great family gifts, so if you are wanting one check out different stores around Christmas.

If you don’t have a griddle, no worries you can still make pancakes using a large skillet/pan on the stove top, it just might take a few more batches.

Now here are the ingredients you will need to make the pancakes:

  • all-purpose flour 
  • baking powder
  • brown sugar
  • salt
  • pumpkin pie spice <– Link to my easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • eggs
  • pumpkin puree
  • vanilla
  • milk
  • butter (unsalted)

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

All of the ingredients needed to make pumpkin pancakes from scratch including pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice blend.

How To Make Easy Pumpkin Pancakes

Start by preheating your electric (or stovetop) griddle or large skillet to medium heat, about 350ºF.

Now in a medium mixing bowl add all of the dry ingredients. The flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to mix everything together, set aside.

In a clean mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients. Eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, milk, and butter (melted). Whisk until fully incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Using a spatula or spoon gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just incorporated. Some clumps should still be present this is good, DO NOT OVERMIX.

Now lightly grease the hot griddle/pan with oil or butter, you only have to do this once at the beginning not before each batch.

Now scoop the pancake batter onto the hot surface. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter for consistent pancake sizes.

Cook 2 to 4 minutes, most importantly watch for air bubbles to start to form in the center of the pancake. When the bubbles begin to start popping towards the center of the pancake it is time to flip.

Two photo collage, first shows a bowl with a spatula full of the Pumpkin pancake batter showing how it should be a little clumpy, second a pancake cooking on the griddle starting to show air bubbles.

Once flipped cook the pancakes an additional 1 to 3 minutes. Cooking on this side will depend significantly on the heat of your griddle. You can check the doneness of one pancake by gently lifting up the side to see if it is golden brown but try not to move too many of the pancakes while cooking. Continue to cook the pancakes in batches until batter is all gone. You can transfer the first batch to a warm oven if preferred while the others cook. Best served with maple syrup.

Close view of a high stack of pumpkin pancakes on a white plate next to a fork.
Stack of fluffy looking pumpkin pancakes on a white plate topped with a pad of butter and maple syrup running down the sides and pooling on the plate.
A fork holding three pieces of but pumpkin pancake showing the fluffy interior of the pancake.

Check out more family favorite breakfast recipes here:

  • Pancakes From Scratch
  • Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes
  • Cinnamon Apple Topped Dutch Baby
  • Mini Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
  • Tex-Mex Breakfast Casserole
  • California Hashbrown Breakfast Pizza
Yield: 16 pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

A tall stack of pumpkin pancakes on a white plate, a hand is pouring maple syrup from a jug over the top of the pancakes leaving the syrup to drip down the sides of the stack.

Fluffy homemade Pumpkin Pancakes full of pumpkin spice flavor and pumpkin puree! The perfect breakfast for crispy fall mornings!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted & melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat griddle (electric or stovetop) or large pan to medium heat, about 350ºF.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl add all of the dry ingredients flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to mix everyting together, set aside.
  3. In a clean mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, milk, and butter. Whisk until fully incorporated.
  4. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Using a spatula or spoon gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just incorporated. Some clumps should still be present this is good, DO NOT OVERMIX.
  5. Lightly grease the hot griddle/pan with oil or butter (you only have to do this once at the beginning not before each batch).
  6. Now scoop the pancake batter onto the hot surface. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup for scooping the batter for consistant pancake sizes. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, most importantly watch for air bubbles to start to form in the center of the pancake. When the bubbles begin to start popping towards the center of the pancake it is time to flip.
  7. Once flipped cook the pancakes an additional 1 to 3 minutes. Cooking on this side will depend significantly on the heat of your griddle. You can check the doneness of one pancake by gently lifting up the side to see if it is golden brown but try not to move too many of the pancakes while cooking. Continue to cook the pancakes in batches until batter is all gone. You can transfer the first batch to a warm oven if preferred while the others cook. Best served with maple syrup.

Notes

Cook Time includes 2 batches of pancakes being cooked.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • 2 Quart Ovenproof Glass Batter Bowl
    2 Quart Ovenproof Glass Batter Bowl
  • Family-Sized Electric Griddle
    Family-Sized Electric Griddle

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

2 pancakes

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 242Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 364mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 7g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Overnight Tex Mex Breakfast Casserole

November 26, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt 2 Comments

This Tex-Mex Breakfast Casserole is full of flavorful sausage, english muffins, cheese, eggs, and salsa. This overnight egg bake is easy to prep during the evening, rests in the fridge overnight, and in the morning you simply place in the oven and cook! Large enough to feed a crowd, this breakfast casserole will be your new go-to!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

freshly baked overnight tex mex egg bake in a white dish

Tex-Mex Breakfast Casserole

Over the past few weeks I have gotten a chance to share some of my family’s favorite recipes with you, and today is no exception.

This Overnight Tex Mex Egg Casserole is one that has been around my family for years. Gracing the table whenever there are family members visiting, holidays, or just when I am in the mood for it!

My mom has been making this recipe for years before I got my hands on it. This breakfast casserole was actually one of the things my husband would request when we would go visit!

I made slight modifications from how my mom has always made it but it is essentially the same dish.

Tex-Mex Breakfast Casserole is full of flavorful sausage, English muffins, cheese, eggs, and salsa. It is easy to prep during the evening which allows for easy cooking in the morning by simply placing it in the oven.

It is perfect for when you have company and need to feed a large number of guests, for holiday mornings, or use it as meal prep (my husband loves when there are extras for him to portion off for the week).

Recipe for Overnight Tex Mex Egg Dish

Prepping this dish the night before is easy, you really only need a handful of ingredients

You will need:

  • english muffins
  • breakfast sausage
  • 1 onion
  • canned green chilies
  • shredded mexican cheese blend
  • eggs
  • milk
  • salsa
ingredients needed to make overnight tex-mex breakfast casserole

Once you have all of your ingredients you will basically have 4 different parts to prep that come together to make the dish.

  1. The sausage mixture, comprised of the breakfast sausage, onion, and green chilies cooked together
  2. The English muffins torn into bite size pieces
  3. The shredded cheese blend
  4. The egg mixture made up of eggs, milk, and salsa
4 bowls of the prepped layers of breakfast casserole

Once you have all four of these parts ready the dish comes together very fast.

You start with a greased 9×13 baking dish. Then you simply layer half of the torn english muffins, then sausage mixture, then cheese. You will then repeat with second layers.

Once everything is in the dish you will pour the egg mixture evenly over the layers, and that is it!

the first of the layering steps making the breakfast casserole
the second layers of the casserole being put into the dish
the egg, milk, and salsa mixture being poured over top the casserole layers
the unbaked casserole ready to be put in the fridge

The dish gets covered with aluminum foil and transferred to the fridge to rest overnight.

In the morning you will remove the baking dish from the refrigerator 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Keep aluminum foil on and transfer the egg dish to the oven. Bake for 60 minutes.

Uncover and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the eggs are set and cheese is melted. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

hands with towels holding a white baking dish filled with fresh tex-mex egg bake
overhead shot of the cooked breakfast casserole in a white dish

Some things to note:

Most breakfast sausages come in 12oz or 16oz packages, you can use a 12oz package for this recipe if that is what you have available. I have used both amounts are both worked just fine!

For the cheese blend any sort of cheddar, montery jack, or mild cheese blend works here if you don’t have a Mexican cheese blend available.

If you are serving this to a large crowd I suggest using MILD salsa and green chilies to please everyone. If you are making this for a group that loves spicy foods you could use spicier varieties. My favorite brand of mild salsa for this recipe was Pace brand (not an ad, just a fan).

Although this recipe is amazing because it involves so little work in the morning when you make it, it does take a while between resting at room temperature and cooking so plan accordingly.

When I make this (depending on the size of the crowd) I will usually make something carb-y to go with it like muffins or cinnamon rolls. And I usually will slice up a bunch of fruit or make a quick fruit salad to round out the meal!

When you make it I’d love to know what you think in the comments!

Other breakfast inspired recipes to pair with this Tex Mex Egg Bake:

  • Kid’s Breakfast Mocktail
  • Chai Tea
  • Overnight Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
  • Pancakes from Scratch
  • Lemon Whipped Greek Yogurt
  • Pumpkin Bran Muffins
a pice of the tex-mex breakfast casserole on a small white plate

Love Eggs? You might like these recipes…

  • Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs
  • Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice
  • Double Batch Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins
  • Shakshuka with Spinach & White Beans
overhead view of the tex-mex breakfast casserole with a piece taken out on a plate
Yield: 12 servings

Tex Mex Breakfast Casserole

hands with towels holding a white baking dish filled with fresh tex-mex egg bake

A overnight breakfast casserole with a tex mex twist, starring sausage, english muffins, cheese, salsa, and eggs! Easy to prep the night before and perfect for a crowd!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Rest Time 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 English Muffins
  • 16oz* Breakfast Sausage
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
  • 4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend**
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup salsa

Instructions

  1. On the stovetop cook and crumble sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, 8-10 minutes. Add diced onion and cook until translucent 3-4 minutes. Add Chilies and cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
  2. Tear english muffins into bite size pieces, about 1 inch is size.
  3. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Now evenly layer 1/2 of each the bread, then sausage mixture, then chese. Repeat layers.
  4. In a bowl beat together the eggs, milk, and salsa until well combined. Pour evenly over the baking dish.
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
  6. Remove from refrigerator 45 minutes to 1 hours before baking. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  7. Keep aluminum foil on and transfer to the oven. Bake for 60 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the eggs are set and cheese is melted. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*most breakfast sausages come in 12oz or 16oz packages, you can use a 12oz package for this recipe if that is what you have available

**Any sort of cheddar, montery jack, or mild cheese blend works here

If you are serving to a large crowd I suggest using MILD salsa and green chilies to please everyone. If you are making this for a group that loves spicy foods you could use spicier varieties.

Although this recipe is amazing because it involves so little work in the morning when you make it, it does take a while between resting outside the fridge and cooking so plan accordingly.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • 9x13 Lodge Stoneware Baking Dish
    9x13 Lodge Stoneware Baking Dish

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 694mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 21g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Kid’s Healthy Orange Juice Mocktail

November 21, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt 1 Comment

This post is sponsored by Barlean’s. All opinions and writings are 100% mine own. I partner with Barlean’s because I believe in their products and their mission, pathway to a better life. Please note this blog post contains affiliate links.

Healthy Orange Juice Mocktail for your favorite kids, a drink packed with fruits, juice, and omega-3’s! Perfect as a Breakfast Mocktail, after school snack, or brunch!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

large glass of breakfast mocktail filled with fruits

Orange Juice Breakfast Mocktail

When my siblings and I were kids my mom would treat us with ‘fancy’ orange juice every so often as a fun snack/treat.

Do you know what ‘fancy orange juice’ contained?

Orange juice and sliced up bananas, that’s it.

But I love it SO much! Seriously something that simple brought me so much joy as a youngster. So much so it is still something I happily recall as an adult with my own kids. It brings me peace of mind that most things can be simple and still bring so much joy.

Breakfast orange juice mocktail in a glass with paper straws and colorful fruit

So now that I am a mom of two adorable children I got excited when it dawned on me that I could make ‘fancy orange juice’ with our beloved Barlean’s Omega Pals.

I even went one step further and added a few more fruits that my kids love turning it into an Orange Juice Mocktail that not only my kids love but is giving them some seriously delicious omega-3s!

We already love using our Omega Pals for our Tropical Energy Bites and now we have a new fun recipe for our omega-3s.

If you are new to the world of Omega Pals find out more info on the seriously delicious supplements on Barlean’s Website. Find out info on Omega-3s, emulsification, and more!

I love the piece of mind that my kids are getting the help their growing bodies and minds need with Omega Pals!

kids holding a bottle of tangerine flavored omega pals

How to make your own ‘Fancy’ Orange Juice Mocktail

First off if you don’t have your hands on some Omega Pals yet getting some is step one.

Order some online:

Next get Orange Juice (I recommend an all natural variety) and fruit!

Now I go with banana, strawberry, and orange in my mocktail, but feel free to pick your kids favorite!

ingredients needed to make orange juice mocktails

Now making these drinks couldn’t be any easier!

Slice & dice the fruit into bite size pieces, cut enough to fill your kids cups.

Add 1 teaspoon of the Omega Pals to each cup. Pour in a few tablespoons of orange juice, this doesn’t have to be exact just enough orange juice to mix the Omega Pal into the juice. Stir the juice and Omega Pals togther until fully combined.

Add an assortment of the cut up fruit into the cup.

Top the rest of the cup up with the orange juice and stir to mix.

Serve immediately! I recommend giving the kids Paper Straws & spoon to use as they wish.

Breakfast orange juice mocktail in a glass with paper straws and colorful fruit

Between both of my boys one likes to go for the fruit first and the other likes to go for the juice first, everyone is different!

I think this fun juice beverage for kids can be used in so many occasions!

  • a fun addition to breakfast
  • great as an after school snack
  • perfect for brunches and get togethers with family & friends (especially when the adults get their own special fun drinks)
kids hands holding a glass of orange juice filled with colorful fruits

Pair this Breakfast Mocktail with…

  • Healthy Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes
  • Mini Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
  • Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs
  • Healthy Chocolate Hummus
  • Peanut Butter Fruit Dip
young kids holding an orange juice mocktail
young boy sipping on an orange juice mocktail
kid smiling holding a glass of orange juice mocktail
Yield: 2 beverages

Orange Juice Mocktail

large glass of breakfast mocktail filled with fruits

A healthy orange juice breakfast mocktail for your favorite kids, a drink packed with fruits, juice, and omega-3's!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon Barlean's Omega Pals Hooty Fruity Tangerine*
  • 1 cup Orange Juice
  • 1 Banana
  • 4 Strawberries
  • 1 Orange

Instructions

  1. Slice & Dice the fruit into bite size pieces, cut enough to fill your kids size cups.
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of the Omega Pals to each cup. Pour in a few tablespoons of orange juice, this doesn't have to be exact just enough orange juice to mix the Omega Pal into the juice. Stir the juice and Omega Pals togther until fully combined.
  3. Add an assortment of the cut up fruit into the cup. Top the rest of the cup up with the orange juice and stir to mix. Serve immediately, I recommened giving the kids a straw & spoon to use as they wish.

Notes

The amounts of the juice and fruit in the recipe don't have to be exact.

*Any other flavor Omega Pal works here too, my one son loves using the Sensational Straw-nana!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Barlean's Seriously Delicious Omega Pals, Hooty Fruity Tangerine Fish Oil +Eye Health, 8 Ounce
    Barlean's Seriously Delicious Omega Pals, Hooty Fruity Tangerine Fish Oil +Eye Health, 8 Ounce

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 26gProtein: 2g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Drinks

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

Easy Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

August 13, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt 4 Comments

Today’s post is sponsored by Barlean’s, Hamilton Beach, and Rhodes Bread as well as Crispy Green, and The Spice House. However, all opinions are my own. #ad #Back2School

This Avocado Breakfast Sandwich is the perfect to start your day. Packed with healthy vegetables and protein packed egg. This veggie breakfast sandwich is made fast with minimal prep to get your day started quick!

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Avocado breakfast sandwich sitting on a teal plate.

When I received the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker I had no idea that my family would be so OBSESSED with it!

Everyone loves to make their own individual sandwiches and it works so perfect as each person can make their sandwich when they are ready. All it takes is for the first person to plug it in and warm it up and for me to grab just a few ingredients at the store for delicious hot breakfast every day of the week!

Now everyone likes their sandwiches a little different which is why this is such a great machine. Some like ham, some like different cheeses, some different breads but today I am going to share with you my favorite breakfast sandwich I have been enjoying!

California Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

I am not a fan of ham or really any other breakfast meats for that matter, which yes is a little odd but hey there are plenty of other options out there like a Veggie Breakfast Sandwich!

I simply replaced what would usually be the ‘meat’ of the sandwich with delicious avocado and tomatoes, a match made in sandwich heaven! And when served on a bagel thin sandwich is absolutely breakfast game changing!

looking down at a open Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

How to use the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich maker to make a Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

This appliance is so simple. You plug it in, it takes a few minutes to heat up. And you are ready to go!

So while the sandwich maker is warming up, prepare your toppings, slice the avocado and tomato into thin slices. You will use about 2 slices of tomato and about 1/4 of avocado. What I have been doing is slicing off what I need and keeping them in a container in the fridge for the next day, its been working like a charm!

ingredients needed to make an Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

Once your sandwich maker is to temperature, lightly grease with spray oil. In the bottom compartment layer bottom half of the bagel thin, avocado slices, tomato slices, and cheese. Close the bottom compartment.

spraying a Hamilton Beach Sandwich Maker, placing in a bagel, and sliced tomatoes

Crack an egg into the top griddle (ensuring the griddle is closed). Break the yolk so that the egg cooks evenly. Add the top half of the bagel thin to the top campartment and close the breakfast maker. Set time to 3 or 3.5 minutes depending on how well you like it toasted.

adding avocado to a Hamilton beach sandwich maker, cheese, and an egg

When timer goes off carefully slide the griddle out releasing the egg and then lift the compartments up to release the sandwich. Enjoy!

series of pictures showing a bagel sandwich in a Hamilton beach breakfast sandwich maker and opening a cooked sandwich

The sandwich maker is pretty intuitive so the whole family was able to figure out how to use it right away. And the whole machine is fairly small as well, it fits perfectly next to our coffee grinder in the cabinet without taking up too much room!

So if you want to get your hands on one of these handy machines, you could win one by entering the giveaway OR just hop over to Amazon and get one delivered straight away:

 

So each of my family will get there own sandwiches made and then they are served with some fresh fruit to start our day. 

avocado breakfast sandwich sitting on a teal plate
cut open avocado breakfast sandwich revealing the sandwich insides
hands holding an open avocado breakfast sandwich
Yield: 1 sandwich

Avocado Breakfast Sandwich

Avocado breakfast sandwich sitting on a teal plate.

Tasty avocado, tomato, cheddar, and an egg are served on a toasted bagel fast for a perfect weekday breakfast.

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bagel thin
  • 1/4 avocado sliced
  • 2 tomato slices
  • 1 slice cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat your Hamiltion Beach Sandwich maker. While the appliance is warming up, prepare your toppings, slice the avocado and tomato into thin slices.
  2. Once your sandwich maker is to temperature, lightly grease with spray oil. In the bottom compartment layer bottom half of the bagel thin, avocado slices, tomato slices, and cheese. Close the bottom compartment.
  3. Crack an egg into the top griddle (ensuring the griddle is closed). Break the yolk so that the egg cooks evenly. Add the top half of the bagel thin to the top campartment and close the breakfast maker. Set time to 3 or 3.5 minutes depending on how well you like it toasted.
  4. When timer goes off carefully slide the griddle out releasing the egg and then lift the compartments up to release the sandwich. Enjoy!

Notes

* To make without a breakfast sandwich maker, toast bagel thin, cook egg in a frying pan, and assemble ingredients together.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker
    Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 383Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 437mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 18g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

#Back2School Recipe Inspiration

It’s hard to believe it’s already time to be talking about going back to school! It seems like summer just flew right by! To celebrate and help get you ready for this busy time, we’ve got loads of great back to school recipe ideas for you, along with an awesome giveaway.

For more amazing #Back2School recipes, please follow our #Back2School Pinterest board. Be sure to also check out my fellow bloggers participating all week long for more delicious dishes!

Blogghetti, Bowl Me Over, Cindy’s Recipes and Writings, Cheese Curd In Paradise, Cooking With Carlee, Doodlecraft, Everyday Eileen, Family Around the Table, Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks, Juggling Act Mama, Karen’s Kitchen Stories, Mandatory Mooch, Palatable Pasttime, The Schmidty Wife, and Wendy Polisi.

#Back2School Giveaway

The giveaway is now closed, thank you!

The giveaway includes the following prizes:

  • Omega Pal’s Prize Pack from Barleans
  • 1 item (winner’s choice from featured products) from Hamilton Beach
  • Cookbook and coupons from Rhodes Bread
  • 4 six-pack bags of Crispy Fruit snacks (mixed flavors) from Crispy Green
  • Best Sellers Collection Gift Box from The Spice House
  • Freezable Lunch Bag + Mod Lunch Bento from PackIt

Official Rules and Conditions: One (1) winner will be chosen. Prize must be claimed within 48 hours of announcement or a new winner will be drawn. Open to US residents 18+ only. All entries will be verified. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Rafflecopter, or any other entity unless otherwise specified. Giveaway ends 08/21/2019. Enter using the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you enjoyed this recipe or any of my others let me know by using #theschmidtywife on social media!

And make sure you are following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check out my Double Batch Egg Muffins or my Meal Prep Breakfast Bistro Box. 

Creamy & Healthy Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs Recipe

May 28, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt 6 Comments

If you are looking for the world’s most perfect healthy scrambled eggs look no further, I have the prefect method for you! This creamy Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs recipe is so simple to make. With just 2 ingredients and 5 minutes you can have a hot, fresh, fluffy eggs for breakfast for you and your family. 

cottage cheese scrambled eggs and sliced avocado on a plate with a fork

Links may be affiliate links.

Cottage Cheese in Scrambled Eggs

To me cottage cheese goes with eggs like peanut butter goes with jelly, they just work so well together! When you add cottage cheese to scrambled eggs you get a cheesy, creamy, and fluffy egg without adding too many extra fats. The moisture from the cottage cheese works perfectly with the eggs to result in a flavorful breakfast dish without the need of butter or heavy cream. If you haven’t tried this combination yet you are in the right place because I am going to tell you how to achieve these miraculous eggs!

cottage cheese in a blue bowl with 4 brown eggs next to it on a counter

The Best Method to Make Scrambled Eggs

The best scrambled eggs are a result from adding the perfect amount of moisture to the eggs and to never let the eggs stop moving.

4 cracked eggs in a blue bowl with the brown shells sitting next to it

So for the moisture in this recipe we use cottage cheese. I use no-fat cottage cheese most often but you can use whatever fat content suits you. The higher the fat percentage in the cottage cheese the more creamy and watery the eggs will be, if you are using a fuller fat cottage cheese it will turn out great but the eggs might need to be cooked a few more seconds than if you were using a lower fat content.

Next thing you need is a good skillet. If you have a high quality non-stick skillet you are in luck because you can get away with not greasing the skillet if you don’t want to, but this does mean there is a chance some egg will still stick slightly. Otherwise I recommend very lightly greasing it, I will add just a little oil with a paper towel, just enough to get a light coat. Or if you make bacon or in my case turkey bacon before the eggs and wipe it clean I find that the skillet is perfectly seasoned for the eggs.

Now that you have the perfect skillet you will want to get it hot before you add the eggs. So heat your large skillet over medium heat.

While your skillet is heating crack 4 eggs into a bowl and add your cottage cheese. Note that as written this recipe serves 2 but this recipe can easily be scaled down to serve 1 or scaled up to serve as many people as you need. Just follow 1 tablespoon of cottage cheese for every 2 eggs.

3 photo collage showing the steps of making the perfect scrambled eggs

Now we are ready to scramble. The most important part about making the perfect scrambled eggs is to always keep the eggs moving. For moving the eggs I found that a nice thick silicone spatula works best, but ultimately any kind of spatula will do.

So pour your eggs and cottage cheese into the hot skillet. Using your spatula start moving the eggs quickly and evenly around the pan right away. Continue to move the eggs the whole time they are cooking, scraping them around the pan and off the sides of the skillet, paying attention to the spots that are cooking quickly.

Keep moving and scraping the eggs around the pan until they start to thicken. As they start to thicken start to move the eggs together into one lump of eggs continuing to move them until they are thickened to your liking, this usually will take 3-4 minutes from start to finish.

If at any point the eggs seem to be cooking too fast, carefully remove the skillet from the heat (I usually move it to a cold burner) continue to stir the eggs until you have moved all of the egg around and the cooking begins to slows down. Return to the heat and continue cooking the eggs. You can continue to remove and transfer back to the heat as necessary, just remember you don’t want any egg cooking in one spot for too long.

Once your eggs are firm and to your liking transfer to a plate. Garnish with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs if you like.

These Scrambled Eggs are perfect with all of your go-to breakfast items, perfect for on toast, with bacon, hash browns, you name it!

overhead shot of scrambled eggs on a plate with sliced avocados and a fork

scrambled eggs with salt, pepper, and parsley on a white plate

a fork with a bite of fluffy scrambled eggs on it

TIP & TRICKS

• add a dash of salt and pepper or other spices before cooking if desired, my personal preference is to season when its done but adding some before cooking is no problem

• there is no reason to break up and scrambled the yolks before adding to the pan, you should be moving the eggs around the skillet so much that they scramble quickly in the pan

Yield: 2 servings

Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs

cottage cheese scrambled eggs and sliced avocado on a plate with a fork

creamy & healthy scrambled eggs made using cottage cheese

Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Very lightly grease the pan with oil or butter, if your skillet is a high quality non-stick pan greasing is optional but some egg may stick.
  2. Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and add cottage cheese.
  3. Pour eggs and cheese into the hot skillet. Using a heavy spatula (silicone works best) move the eggs quickly and evenly around the pan. Continue to move the eggs the whole time they are cooking, scraping them around the pan paying attention to the spots that are cooking quickly. Keep moving and scraping the eggs around the pan until they start to thicken. As they start to thicken start to move the eggs together into one lump of eggs continuing to move them until they are thickened to your liking, this usually will take 3-4 minutes from start to finish.
  4. Transfer cooked eggs to a plate and garnish with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs if preferred.

Notes

I use no-fat cottage cheese most often, the higher the fat percentage in the cottage cheese the more creamy and watery the eggs will be, if you are using a fuller fat cottage cheese it will turn out great but the eggs might need to be cooked a few more seconds.

If at any point the eggs seem to be cooking too fast, carefully remove the skillet from the heat (I usually move it to a cold burner) continue to stir the eggs until you have moved all the the egg and the cooking momentarily slows down, then return to the heat and continue cooking the eggs. You can continue to remove and transfer back to the heat as necessary.

This recipe can be scaled down to serve 1 or scaled up to serve as many people as you need.

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  • 2-Piece Silicone Spatula Set with Bamboo Handles
    2-Piece Silicone Spatula Set with Bamboo Handles

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

half the dish

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 153Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 373mgSodium: 199mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 14g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American

If you enjoyed this recipe or any of my others let me know by using #theschmidtywife on social media!

And make sure you are following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check out my Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes or my Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice.

Healthy Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe, Perfect for Toddlers

May 21, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Naturally gluten-free these healthy spinach pancakes are made easy in the blender. Full of heart healthy oats, protein packed yogurt, and vitamin filled spinach with no refined sugars! Great for toddlers & kids these spinach oatmeal pancakes are the perfect fun and flavorful breakfast to get the day started. 

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stack of green spinach oatmeal pancakes on a white plate topped with blueberries

Healthy Spinach Pancakes

I developed this recipe with purely personal reasons with no intention of putting this recipe on the blog, but the recipe became so refined that I figured if I use it so often there has to be another momma out there who could use it. 

I developed this recipe for 2 reasons. The first was that my 3 year old, Archie would not stop asking for pancakes every single day. The second is that my 1 year old son, Fred’s iron levels had been testing low, and even though we eat a very balanced diet full of iron rich food, I felt that as a mom I had to try even harder and add spinach to literally everything I could. Whether it helps with his iron or not, I figure it is good for everyone to add spinach to everything. 

So even though I have my Pancakes from Scratch recipe and my Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes recipe I needed a new pancake recipe to fit my both my sons needs. 

close up of a stack of spinach oatmeal pancakes

I figured I would have to use the blender for this recipe if I was using spinach, so I rolled with the blender pancake idea and decided that oats would be the perfect base. 

This recipe did take quite a bit of trial and error with the level of liquids added to the batter. I tried using all yogurt and all milk but neither turned out, so I had to find the perfect balance. I also went with a classic approach to pancake batter, by blending the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separate you get a nice even pancake batter when folded together. I also tried different sweeteners, and found that Stevia is actually really good in this recipe. But when I asked you guys on Instagram if you use Stevia I got a big NO, so back to the drawing board. So even though Stevia was good I decided that Honey tasted best with the spinach. 

So after a lot of testing it was ready for my own two kiddos and I figured since they enjoy these healthy spinach pancakes so much I had to share them!

ingredients on a wood tray

How do I make Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes?

To start I want to point out if you are a big pancake family and you don’t have a breakfast griddle yet, you NEED one. Hint for it as a gift if you need to but they are great!

Heat your griddle (or large skillet) to medium heat about roughly 350º F. Lightly grease with oil such as coconut oil or butter. Or if you want a little pro-tip, what I always do is make turkey bacon (or regular) first and then just wipe it clean and the griddle is perfectly greased.

Now to make the pancakes, begin by adding all of the dry ingredients to a blender. Oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Blend on high until oats have become fine, almost like a flour. Empty your now blended dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Note there is no difference in this recipe if you use old fashioned oats or quick oats besides the fact that old fashioned oats might take 5 seconds longer to blend. 

dry ingredients blended smooth to a flour-like consistency

Next you’ll add your wet ingredients to your blender. Start by adding the spinach first because it will blend easier, and then add your yogurt, milk, egg, honey, and vanilla. Blend until spinach is broken down to small flecks and smooth.

Add your wet ingredients over the top of your dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and gently mix together with a spatula. 

Working in batches, spoon a scant 1/4 cup batter on to the hot griddle. Cook the pancakes 4-5 minutes until the edges of the pancakes are visibly cooked but the center is still wet and cooked side is brown. These pancakes don’t bubble like normal pancakes would.

green pancakes being cooked on a black griddle

Flip your pancakes and cook another 3-4 minutes until pancakes are browned.

Serve pancakes immediately. Great with pure maple syrup and fresh fruits!

fresh maple syrup being poured onto a stack of green spinach oatmeal pancakes
Maple Syrup being drizzled on a stack of green spinach pancakes
Stack of Spinach Pancakes on a plate with blueberries on top and syrup being drizzled over the top

TIPS & TRICKS 

• there is no difference in this recipe if you use old fashioned oats or quick oats besides the fact that old fashioned oats might take 5 seconds longer to blend

• these pancakes keep pretty well in the fridge and reheat well

Yield: 4 servings

Healthy Spinach Oatmeal Pancakes

close picture of a stack of green oatmeal packs with syrup drizzling down the side

a naturally gluten-free blender pancake made with no refined sugar and full of healthy spinach

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup oats (old fashion or quick)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup packed spinach
  • 3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon honey*
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Heat griddle (or large skillet) to medium heat about 325-350º F. Lightly grease with oil such as coconut oil or butter.
  2. Add dry ingredients to a blender, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Blend on high until oats have become fine, almost like a flour. Empty dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add wet ingredients to a blender, starting with the spinach (blends better if it goes in first), yogurt, milk, egg, honey, and vanilla. Blend until spinach is broken down to small flecks and smooth.
  4. Add wet ingredients over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and gently mix together.
  5. Working in batches, spoon a scant 1/4 cup batter on to the hot griddle. Cook 4-5 minutes until the edges of the pancakes are visibly cooked but the center is still wet and cooked side is brown.
  6. Flip pancakes and cook another 3-4 minutes until pancakes are browned. Serve pancakes immediately.

Notes

*Do NOT give honey to children under 1 year of age. Alternately I have substituted the honey for a packet of stevia, I just add it to the dry ingredients instead of the wet, and they come out just as delicious!

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  • Family-Sized Electric Griddle
    Family-Sized Electric Griddle

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

3 pancakes

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 188Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 473mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 10g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

And make sure you are following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check out my White Bean Shakshuka or my California Hashbrown Breakfast Pizza.

Not just for Breakfast: Shakshuka with Spinach and White Beans

May 14, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

This Easy Shakshuka with Spinach Recipe isn’t just for breakfast, it is a great 20 minute meatless dinner option too! Eggs are poached in a flavorful tomato sauce made from canned tomatoes, beans, and fresh spinach and then topped with feta cheese. This meal is so easy to make you will have it on your breakfast and dinner rotation!

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overhead shot of shakshuka in a cast iron skillet on a wood table with a blue striped towel

What is Shakshuka?

A very fair question because up until a few years ago I wasn’t sure what it was either. Pronounced ‘Shaq-shoe-ka’ it is a dish of eggs pouched in tomatoes with other spices and vegetables, traditionally peppers and garlic. Shakshuka has thousands of variations but originated in North Africa. Over time the dish spread throughout the Middle East and Southern Europe into areas like Israel and up into Italy where it is known as Eggs in Purgatory.

So in its essence it is a breakfast dish of tomatoes and eggs, often served with either bread or rice. 

In my version I ramp up Shakshuka with beans for extra protein and spinach for added nutrition and freshness.

a fork in the runny yolk of an egg in the shakshuka

So can I eat Shakshuka for Dinner?

YAAASSSS! To much? I love this dish for dinner, I know its ‘supposed’ to be a breakfast dish but I guess I am a rule breaker because this is the most perfect weeknight 20 minute meatless meal.

And because my family eats it for dinner so often that is when I add the extras, like beans and spinach to make it a little heartier. 

I love to serve it over a bed of rice (or even cauliflower rice) or I generally serve it will warm naan bread. 

Lastly if you want to bulk it up a little more for dinner, if your skillet is large enough you can add a few extra eggs for a dinner meal. Typically when I make it for dinner I will add 6 eggs, 2 for me and my husband and 1 for each of my young boys. 

all the ingredients for this easy Shakshuka recipe on a table

So how do I make Shakshuka with Spinach and Beans?

It is so so easy, I have barely had time to talk up the point that it only takes roughly 20 minutes start to finish! Plus it is a one pot meal which makes clean up a breeze! Seriously the hardest part is dicing an onion.

Start by heating the oil in a large skillet, preferably cast-iron over medium-high heat. I use my 12 inch cast iron, a little bit larger or smaller than that should work just as well. Add the diced onions toss in the oil and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly tender and translucent.

Stir in the minced garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds to a minute for the garlic to become fragrant. 

Add your diced tomatoes, beans, smoked paprika, and oregano to the skillet and mix to combine. Cook your tomato sauce for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally for liquids to reduce slightly.

3 pictures with the following steps for the recipe cooking the diced onion with garlic, adding the tomato/beans/spices, and cooking down the liquids

Pile your spinach to the top of the skillet and slowly work the spinach leaves into the tomato sauce until they begin to cook and wilt, stirring occasionally 3-4 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium. With a large spoon make 4 wells in the tomato sauce for the eggs to be placed in. Carefully crack an egg into each of the wells. Cover and let cook 4-5 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking (up to 8 minutes if you like them well done). If you do not have a lid for your large skillet (you are in good company) you can cook your eggs uncovered, they will just take longer or use my favorite hack. Cover your skillet with a sheet pan, just use caution because the pan is hot and could fall easy and cause burns.

3 pictures of the following steps of the recipe, adding spinach to the skillet, cooking the spinach down, and adding an eggs

Once your eggs are cooked remove from the heat and garnish with feta crumbles and fresh parsley.

close up of cooked shakshuka with eggs in a cast iron skillet

What do I serve with this Easy Shakshuka Recipe?

You’ve made these easy tomato poached eggs, so now you have to figure out what to eat with it. How to eat Shakshuka totally depends on you because there are a number of ways and it could depend on if you are eating this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Bread. I guess really any form here would do but I personally recommend naan bread that is lightly toasted. You can dunk, scoop, and dip the naan into the eggs and tomatoes, sopping up all of their delicious juices. If naan isn’t your style I would go with a crusty bread such as a sourdough or large loaf of French bread. 

Rice. When we are eating this for dinner I most often will cook up a pot of rice and serve it over top the rice. White rice is great here but brown rice or even cauliflower rice would also be delicious. Need help cooking rice, check out my post for How to cook Stovetop Rice.

overhead shot of shakshuka in a cast iron skillet on a wood table with a blue striped towel
skillet of shakshuka with beans on a table with parsley and feta

Tips & Tricks

• note that Smoked Paprika and Paprika are different, smoked paprika will give the dish a very robust smoky flavor that regular paprika will not 

• to add more flavor to the dish try using flavored diced tomatoes 

• to feed more/have a larger meal you can add more eggs to the skillet, I’ve added up to 6 eggs with no issues 

• if you do not have a lid for your large skillet (you are in good company) you can cook your eggs uncovered, they will just take longer OR use my hack, cover skillet with a large sheet pan, just use caution because the pan is hot and could fall easy and cause burns

Yield: 4 servings

Shakshuka with Spinach and White Beans

overhead shot of shakshuka in a cast iron skillet on a wood table with a blue striped towel

Perfect for breakfast or dinner. This variation of shakshuka is simple to make and filled with extra nutritional benefits from adding beans and fresh spinach.

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15oz) can great northern beans, drained
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 cups packed spinach
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup low-fat feta crumbles
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast-iron over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly tender and translucent.
  2. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
  3. Add and mix in diced tomatoes, beans, smoked paprika, and oregano. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally for liquids to reduce slightly.
  4. Add spinach to the top of the skillet and slowly work the spinach leaves into the tomato sauce until they begin to cook and wilt, stirring occasionally 3-4 minutes.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium. With a large spoon make 4 wells in the tomato sauce for the eggs to be placed in. Carefully crack in egg into each of the wells. Cover* and let cook 4-5 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking.
  6. Take off the heat and garnish with feta crumbles and fresh parsley. Best served with naan, crusty bread, or over rice (or other grains).

Notes

*If you do not have a lid for your large skillet (you are in good company) you can cook your eggs uncovered, they will just take longer or use my favorite hack. Cover skillet with a large sheet pan, just use caution because the pan is hot and could fall easy and cause burns.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 325mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 16g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: African

And make sure you are following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more 20 minute recipes? Check out my Shrimp Stir Fry, Korean Ground Turkey, or my 20 Minute Chicken Stir Fry.

Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice

January 29, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Sometimes the simplest breakfasts ideas become our favorite, like this Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice. An understated and nutritional breakfast consisting browned cauliflower rice and fried eggs with a side of avocado. 
breakfast eggs with cauliflower rice with avocado
how to make breakfast eggs with cauliflower rice with avocadoSometimes as a food blogger I can get on a path over overthinking food and meals. You know things that wow people so they’ll click on my recipes, but sometimes a girl has to sit back and share the real food she eats weekly. One of these meals that I eat regularly is Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice. On the mornings when life isn’t crazy and I have 10 minutes to make myself something nutritional and that I will enjoy I always make this, and the best part is that it unintentionally became my sons favorite breakfast too.This recipe consists of really simple ideas, frozen cauliflower rice warmed and browned in a skillet, simple fried eggs, an avocado, and whatever seasonings you love. 

I started making this for myself last May when I decided I had to get more vegetables on my families plate. One of those ways I thought to myself is why don’t I start serving more vegetables first thing in the morning at breakfast time. So I began to brainstorm ways to get more veggies first thing in the morning. I thought to myself what is something super easy I can pair with eggs? It had to be easy because I will remind you for the 101st time, I am not a morning person…

So when ravaging through our fridge and freezer I found a bag of frozen cauliflower rice. PERFECT! Now I know almost all of these bags are meant to be microwaved now but there were two reasons why I decided against it. First, it was just myself I needed to feed that morning and I surly didn’t need the whole bag, second I liked the idea of lightly browning the cauliflower rice to give it extra flavor. And so I warmed up the rice, cracked some eggs next to it, grabbed half an avocado and viola Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice was born.

Since that first time this has been a regular breakfast for me, I like to use different spices and seasonings occasionally to mix it up if I feel necessary. One of the benefits of eating this so often is that even though my 3 year old originally didn’t like the idea of cauliflower rice for breakfast he watched me eat it so often that he decided he needed to try it, and now he asks for cauliflower rice for breakfast all the time! If that is not a lesson of leading by example then I don’t know what is!!

So lets look at the simple ingredients for this simple Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice. 

a bag of frozen riced cauliflower, an ingredient in this dish

The Ingredients 

Cauliflower Rice. Cauliflower is such a power food these days and I am all for it! Cauliflower is generally low in calories, for example a whole bag of frozen cauliflower rice is only 80 calories. And at the same time cauliflower packs a nutritional punch being full of needed vitamins and antioxidants. Heck cauliflower even contains anti-cancer phytochemicals, sulforaphane and plant sterols such as indole-3-carbinol. Now I am not a food scientist so I can’t tell you exactly what those are but I can tell you this great tasting plant isn’t just super versatile but healthy too so you can feel good about starting your day eating it! I like to buy the frozen bags that are resealable (like the Green Giant brand) so then if I only use half the bag I can just seal it back up for the next day! I have also noticed that cauliflower rice can vary by brand, I’ve noticed some store brands sometimes tend to be thicker cut and sometimes more watery, so shop around!

Eggs. I say this every time I use eggs in something, but to me eggs are the worlds perfect food. Apparently the world agrees because as of this past week did you know a singular picture of an egg became the world’s most like picture on Instagram?! I know that has nothing to do with the recipe but, I kind of think that it’s great. But in all seriousness eggs are protein packed, nutrient dense, and come in perfectly controlled portions. 

Olive Oil. I always use olive oil in this recipe because when your ingredients are so simple you want to use a good tasting oil (or butter). I find that the olive oil compliments the egg and the cauliflower better than some others, by all means though any neutral oil would work well in this recipe. 

Avocado. I like to round off this breakfast with some healthy fat! I include half an avocado. I do this for a couple reasons, first is to actually keep me fuller longer and second is mostly because avocado is just really good with eggs and cauliflower rice! I like to slice it on the side and incorporate it into bites but you could also dice it up and throw it right on top. And sometimes I just leave it off altogether if I feel like I don’t need it. 

Lastly Spices. In the simplest version I recommend salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flake, good simple ingredients sometime deserve good simple flavors. BUT I also love loading this with an ‘Everything Bagel’ seasoning, I also have served this with hot sauce or salsa when I want a little kick. And every once in a while I like to add a little minced garlic to the cauliflower rice as it is cooking. This is where you can really make it you and put on what you like! 

cauliflower rice and fried eggs in a skillet

 

The Method

Making this is super easy, and if you don’t care that your rice is browned (although I recommend it) you can even just mirowave your cauliflower rice!

You will begin by heating the cauliflower rice on a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes until no longer frozen, stirring occasionally. If you aren’t using a non stick skillet go ahead and lightly oil the skillet.

Use a spatula to move all of the cauliflower rice over to one half of the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium and oil the empty half of the skillet with your preferred amount of oil, more oil means it will fry more opposed to just being cooked, but at least lightly grease the pan so the eggs don’t stick! Once the oil is hot crack and add the eggs to the oil. Cover and cook until your eggs are done to your preferred liking of runny yolk or hard, around 2-5 minutes.

Gently transfer eggs and cauliflower rice to a plate and add sliced avocado on the side. Season as preferred, I recommend good salt such as sea salt or Himalayan salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and a few red pepper flakes. Some other great options I enjoy are “Everything Bagel” seasoning, other seasoned salts, or sauces like hot sauce or salsa. Eat your Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice immediately while still hot!

 

plate with eggs, rice, and avocado

TIPS & TRICKS

• you don’t have to have your eggs sunny side up/fried, make them your favorite way, give them a little scramble or flip ’em over

• for more flavor add a little minced garlic to the cauliflower rice

Yield: 1 serving

Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice Recipe

overhead shot of a plate full of breakfast eggs with cauliflower rice and avocado

a simple breakfast of eggs, cauliflower rice, and avocado

Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups frozen cauliflower rice*
  • 2 large eggs
  • half an avocado, sliced
  • olive oil
  • seasonings such as salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Heat cauliflower rice on a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes until non longer frozen, stirring occasionally.
  2. Use a spatula to move all of the cauliflower rice over to one half of the skillet. Oil the empty half of the skillet and turn the heat down to medium. Once the oil is hot crack and add the eggs to the oil. Cover and cook until your eggs are done to your preferred liking of runny yolk, around 2-5 minutes.
  3. Gently transfer eggs and cauliflower rice to a plate and add avocado to the plate. Season as preferred, I recommend good salt such as sea salt or Himalayan salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and a few red pepper flakes. Eat immediately.

Notes

*most brands this will be about half the bag, fresh cauliflower rice also works too

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made. NUTRITION INCLUDES 2 TEASPOONS OLIVE OIL.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 383Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 372mgSodium: 187mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 9gSugar: 5gProtein: 18g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more healthy breakfast like my Breakfast Eggs with Cauliflower Rice? Check out my Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie or my Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal.

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins

January 22, 2019 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins
Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins - perfect for the whole family

I have said it probably 100 times and I will say it again, I am not a morning person. So I naturally brainstorm a lot of ways that can help me out in the morning, and one of those ways is coming up with awesome meal prep breakfasts’ that you can make ahead of time and just grab and go. So my newest favorite make-ahead breakfast is egg muffins! I have been experimenting with different flavors and ways to make them awesome (aka a perfect double batch!?!) and I am finally ready to share with you my Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins.

A while back on Instagram I was making these in my stories and I asked if you wanted to see them and there was an overwhelming response of YES! So here they finally are! And if you like the idea of getting to help me decide what to put up on the blog head over to Instagram and give me a follow! 

The first and foremost thing I wanted to do with these egg muffins was to make them a double batch. I don’t know about you but my house is myself, my husband, and 2 toddlers, we could eat 12 egg muffins like no ones business. I can’t even imagine once the boys start to get even bigger that 12 egg muffins would last us a week. So I wanted to make all the meal prep work last, so by making 24 all at once it solves this problem. And the best part is that these freeze so easy so even if you and your family only eat 12 a week you can easily freeze half of them for the next week or whenever you need them!

So obviously egg muffins aren’t a new thing but here is what I did to make Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins the best I possibly could:

• The filling is made up of sausage, spinach, onion, and tomato. These are all easy to prep and most importantly they taste amazing together. I tried a ton of variations and this is the one I kept coming back to! Plus I use fresh spinach and it makes these taste fresh every time you eat them, even after they have been frozen.

• I decided to have this version cheese free, a lot of egg muffins include the cheese but I felt like with the flavors of the fillings that I choose it really didn’t need it so I left it out.

• I decided from the start I wanted to make this a ‘double batch recipe’ so I experimented a lot with the amount of eggs, milk, and fillings to get it absolutely perfect for 24 muffins.

• I made these with and without liners, and while it did work without liners, it was an absolute pain to clean up, so I grabbed for my silicone muffin liners and I don’t know how its possible but the silicone liners makes them even more amazing. I think it has to do with the muffins not getting overly browned on the sides but if you don’t have silicone muffin liners yet I highly recommend them for this recipe (and not just this recipe I absolute love them in general and I think everyone should get some). Regular paper liners would probably work really well too.

Stack of three spinach sausage egg muffins in colorful silicone liners

The Ingredients

Eggs. In my opinion one of the worlds most perfect foods. Bursting with nutrients I worked a lot on the egg to milk ratio to make the texture perfect for these, I also went through a lot of eggs and in the end the perfect amount was 18, which is kind of perfect because eggs come in 18 packs! So all you have to do is grab an extra 18 count carton of eggs at the store!

Milk. Cow’s milk is what I always use, skim, 2%, or whole milks would work here. I always use whole milk but use what you have! 

Onion. Half of a small yellow or white onion, either variety would work here, I usually always have yellow onions on hand so that is what I use. You’ll want to dice them up small. And I want to leave this link to how to properly dice an onion here if you don’t know how to do that yet, I learned a few years back and it is life changing! 

Tomato. Really any kind of large tomato here will work, I like to use Roma in this recipe because generally I find they have less seeds. You’ll want to remove the seeds from the tomato, this is to keep too much extra liquid from getting into the muffins. I Find the best way to do this is to slice the tomato into quarters the long way and use a spoon to scoop them out, then dice up your remaining tomato. 

Spinach. I was really nervous to use fresh spinach the first time I made these because sometimes spinach releases too much water but I quickly found out that as long as you don’t add too much you are perfectly fine! I use about a large handful, that is probably equivalent to a cup. It is then roughly chopped.

Breakfast Sausage. Whatever variety you can find at your store, you’ll want about 12 ounces. You will quickly crumble and brown it on the stove and then it will be mixed with the rest of the fillings. 

Lastly a little bit of garlic powder for flavoring and then salt and pepper as you see fit. Simple awesome ingredients right?!?

chopped tomato, onion, and spinach on a cutting board

all of the ingredients assembled in the muffin tins ready to cook

The Method 

Preheat oven to 350ª F and line 2 muffin tins with silicone muffin liners. If you don’t have 2 muffins liners you can obviously make these in batches, it will just take longer to get them all cooked. Also side note, if you only have one muffin tin and wouldn’t mind having another one but don’t want to pay big bucks, check out your local thrift store or garage sale. Every single thrift store always seems to have muffin tins, it is just one of those items! And then probably what you won’t find at a thrift store, the Reusable Silicone Muffin Liners, these liners I got a year ago for my birthday and they are seriously my favorite thing, I use them all of the time and they make clean up SO SO EASY! So hop over to Amazon and order yourself a double pack. 😉

Okay moving on to the actual food. On the stove top you will cook the breakfast sausage over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes, until sausage is browned on the outside. Drain the extra grease from sausage.

Make sure you dice the onion and tomato (removing the seeds), and roughly chop the spinach, then mix them together in a large bowl with the cooked breakfast sausage. Use a spoon to evenly distribute the mixture between the 24 muffin liners.

Add the eggs, milk, and garlic powder to the large bowl and whisk together until fully combined and a few bubbles form on the top of the egg mixture.

Evenly distribute the egg mixture between the 24 muffin liners being careful to make sure that all of the filling is covered. I love use an extra large glass measuring bowl for this step because it comes with a spout for easy pouring, I find those large 8 cup Pampered Chef glass bowls work best. 

Transfer the muffin tins to the middle rack of the oven and bake 20-23 minutes until the egg is fully set on the muffins.

Once done let the egg muffins cool before storing. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze. To reheat place on a paper towel lined plate and microwave 60-90 seconds, depending on your microwave.

Since these muffins are ‘Double Batch’ I like to put half of them straight into the fridge and freeze the other half so that they are fresh when we run out of the first half. 

Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins in a muffin tin

a stack of fresh cooked spinach sausage egg muffins

TIPS & TRICKS

• if you love cheese, go for it and put cheese in these Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins, I think a sharp cheddar would probably pretty good

• you can make them without liners, I would recommend greasing the tins very well, even with well greased tins we found that some of the egg bits were hard to clean off 

• because of the fresh spinach these muffins tend to release a little bit more water than other variations when reheating them in the microwave so make sure you either wrap or place them on a paper towel to absorb that moisture 

Yield: 24 Egg Muffins

Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins Recipe

close up of a freshly made spinach, sausage, tomato egg muffin

a double batch recipe for egg muffins full of fresh ingredients like spinach, tomatoes, onions, and sausage

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12oz breakfast sausage
  • 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped (or 1 large handful)
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1 large roma tomato, seeds removed and diced
  • 18 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ª F and line 2 muffin tins with silicone muffin liners*.
  2. On a large skillet crumble and cook breakfast sausage over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes, until sausage is browned on the outside. Drain extra grease from sausage.
  3. In a large bowl mix together the spinach, onion, tomato, and sausage to combine. Use a spoon to evenly distribute the mixture between the 24 muffin liners.
  4. Add the eggs, milk, and garlic powder to the large bowl and whisk together until fully combined and a few bubbles form on the top of the egg mixture.
  5. Evenly distribute the egg mixture between the 24 muffin liners being careful to make sure that all of the filling is covered.
  6. Transfer the muffin tins to the middle rack of the oven and bake 20-23 minutes until the egg is fully set on the muffins.
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool before storing. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze. To reheat place on a paper towel lined plate and microwave 60-90 seconds, depending on your microwave.

Notes

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Reusable Silicone Baking Cups
    Reusable Silicone Baking Cups

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 muffin

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 93Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 133mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more breakfasts like my Double Batch Meal Prep Spinach Sausage Egg Muffins? Check out my Meal Prep Breakfast Bistro Box or my Meal Prep Roasted Potato Breakfast. 

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (Single Serve)

September 25, 2018 by Lauren Schmidt 2 Comments

Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (single serve) - this microwavable clean eating muffin is ready to eat in 5 minutes
Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (single serve) - this microwavable clean eating is ready to eat in 5 minutes

Being a food blogger I am usually thinking about the next season way before it actually happens. So I will proudly say that we have been inhaling these Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (Single Serve) at our house since July. That’s right, pumpkin muffins in July. My toddler spent a good two weeks waking up and the first thing out of his mouth would be asking for a ‘Stud Muffin’! Let me translate that for you, my toddler loves these mug muffins so much they were his first thought when he woke up in the morning, me too kid me too.

So in usual Schmidty Wife fashion, I set out to make these single serve pumpkin mug muffins a little healthier for my family.

The Ingredients

Let’s start with pumpkin, the star ingredient, the star of fall for that matter! I tried to make this as pumpkin heavy as I could without weighing the muffin down. Besides having the perfect texture for baked goods did you know that pumpkin contains the antioxidant beta-carotene, plenty of potassium, and are high in fiber! Talk about some great health benefits!

Next whole wheat flour. To keep this healthy I choose to skip the white flour that is stripped of a lot of healthy goodness and use whole wheat four. Whole wheat flour holds a lot more nutritional value than white flour, for example whole wheat flour naturally contains dietary fiber. According to studies getting your daily dose of fiber can help lower cholesterol and help you lose weight! Plus whole wheat flour is packed with vitamins that have been taken out of white all-purpose flour.

For the sweetener I chose maple syrup, I think the flavor of maple syrup is the perfect accompaniment to pumpkin, plus it makes these muffins refined sugar free. How sweet is that? 😉

Of course any pumpkin baked good isn’t complete without pumpkin pie spice or pumpkin spice, whichever way you prefer to call it. Traditionally made with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and allspice there can be all sorts of variations so choose your favorite! Or if you don’t happen to have pumpkin spice handy you can use cinnamon with a dash of nutmeg.

Mix these delicious ingredients with coconut oil, milk, an egg, and baking powder and you get a perfect muffin.

The Microwave

Now on to the best part of this muffin, THE MICROWAVE! What’s better than a healthy pumpkin muffin? One you can make in the microwave in less than 2 minutes.

So call it overkill but I used all different shapes of mugs to test this muffin out. The result? It didn’t really matter but due to the size of this muffin (it’s a little on the bigger side) a larger/oversized mug works best.

Different microwaves = slightly different cooking times. Microwaves can be so finicky as far as they can all have different amounts of power so each cook times might differ slightly. You’ll want to start with 60 seconds and then if the muffin is still wet/soggy microwave anther 15-30 seconds until it is no longer wet.

As you remove the mug from the microwave the mug will be very hot, as well as the muffin so make sure you give it a chance to cool before digging in!

This microwavable single serve healthy pumpkin mug muffin is made in a mug in your microwave in less than 5 minutes

Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (single serve) - this microwavable clean eating is ready to eat in 5 minutes

a bite on a fork of healthy pumpkin mug muffin (single serve)

TIPS & TRICKS:

• This Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (Single Serve) can of course be baked in the oven if you wish! I tested it in an oven safe ramekin at 350º F for 18-20 minutes. If you choose this method ensure that you are using an oven safe container. (Also when I made this in the oven I noticed that it tastes more like cake so… a good late night, the kids are in bed treat)

• I can imagine adding a few chocolate chips would make this extra delicious!

• If your coconut oil starts to harden because of cold milk or eggs don’t fret, continue to mix it well, your muffin will still turn out delicious

Yield: 1 muffin

Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (Single Serve)

Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (single serve) - this microwavable clean eating is ready to eat in 5 minutes

a single serve healthy pumpkin muffin ready to eat in 5 minutes

Prep Time 4 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil (melted)
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

Instructions

  1. Add coconut oil, milk, egg, pumpkin, and maple syrup to a mug. Using a fork mix to combine.
  2. Add whole wheat flour, baking powder, and pumpkin spice to the mug. Mix to combine with the wet ingredients until smooth.
  3. Microwave for 60-90 seconds until batter is fully cooked and muffin has risen in mug. NOTE: Microwave times may differ, start with 60 seconds, check it, if it is still doughy and wet microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until fully cooked.
  4. Caution taking out of the microwave for the mug will be hot, let cool slightly and enjoy either straight from the mug or tip it over onto a plate.

Notes

*you can sub pumpkin pie spice for 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg


I have not tried this with all purpose flour (yet), so I cannot say what the substitution for it would be.


Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1 muffin

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 10.4gCarbohydrates: 33.6gProtein: 10.3g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Baking
 

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Love Pumpkin like my Healthy Pumpkin Mug Muffin (Single Serve)? Check out my Crockpot Creamy Pumpkin Chili or my Pumpkin Bread.

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal

September 6, 2018 by Lauren Schmidt 1 Comment

Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal - a fast healthy breakfast full of carrots, raisins, and spices

I have been on a total oatmeal kick lately. Basically oatmeal for breakfast every day, trying new flavors, adding new fruits (and vegetables), I have been loving it. So naturally when you start trying so many combinations you end up with the perfect Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal.

I have been eating my Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal like crazy lately for multiple reasons.

First. I have been trying to find ways to incorporate vegetables into breakfast. It shouldn’t be so hard right?!? Besides potatoes you don’t see a lot of vegetables on American’s breakfast’s plates. So this summer I have been challenging myself to add veggies first thing in the morning. So say hello to carrots in oatmeal.

Second. Weight loss… roll your eyes. I had a baby 6 months ago, I am ready to lose those few extra baby pounds hanging around on my tummy. Sure, in reality I could stay my current weight and no one would blink an eye but I don’t feel comfortable, and that is what is most important to me, my comfort. Anyway I have found that oatmeal keeps me full, a lot longer than a lot of other breakfasts, plus it is whole grain and low in fat. (And if you are really looking to cut the calorie count down, lessen or omit the maple syrup, I have done this before, the raisins still keep it nice and sweet.)

Third. It is EASY! Hello, I love easy breakfasts. Not only is the easy but it comes together fast, especially if you are using quick oats. I think I often surprise myself how fast I am able to get this on the table. So let’s see how easy this really is.

The Ingredients

First Carrots! I talked about my love affair with carrots in my Pesto Grilled Carrots recipe, as a reminder for those of you who did’t read it. Carrots can keep in the fridge for 4 weeks when stored properly, what a wonderful deal! So I always have carrots in my vegetable drawer. For this recipe I just grab my grater and shred one medium carrot. If you are going for real fast and convenient, you can save 30 seconds and buy carrots pre shredded.

Also to note about the carrots. This recipe is pretty carrot heavy, like you will probably add it to the saucepan and be like ‘is this too much?’. No it is not to much, carrots are good for you. Also I like to throw the carrots in the saucepan for a minute before boiling the water just because I like to take a minute just to start to soften them and take the edge off of them. Again if you are in a hurry you could probably cut this step short.

OATMEAL! Alrighty, let’s talk type of oats. I used to always buy old fashioned oats because for some reason I thought they were superior to quick oats and then I learned THEY ARE THE EXACT SAME THING! For real the only difference is that quick oats are just cut up a little bit in a giant food processor so that they cook faster. That’s it, so ever since I learned that it is safe to say I have been grabbing the quick oats at the grocery store.

So why else do I absolutely love oatmeal. So many awesome benefits, plus it is just good real food. 100% whole grain, plus it has fiber and protein to fill you up. Oatmeal also contains Iron, which is important for a healthy blood system (I have had trouble with anemia so I always pay attention to iron content).

Spices. I stick with the carrot cake classics, cinnamon and nutmeg. Just enough so you can taste it but not so much that it is overpowering.

Raisins. I love raisins. Can I pull out a Parks and Rec quote on you guys?

Chris: “I know that Ron doesn’t want us to eat anything before the meat, but I smuggled in some candy.”
Tom: “Oh, thank god. I’m starving. Raisins!”
Chris: “It’s nature’s candy. Now they’re basically grapes, so remember, pace yourself. I can’t even follow my own advice. They’re so delicious.”

Maple Syrup. Nature’s other candy? Here in the land of pure maple syrup we have so many kinds and grades of maple syrup to choose from I could go off on a tangent about what grade of syrup you should be using, but I won’t. Just stick to 100% pure and you are good. (Also like I noted above you can reduce the amount of syrup if you are trying to watch your sugar intake.)

Lastly, Nuts, if you want them. Some carrot cakes have nuts, some don’t. You can do the same with your Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal. Top your oatmeal with pecans or walnuts for a little extra pizzaz and crunch.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal Ingredients measured out

Cooking

Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal cooks surprisingly fast. Carrots soften for 1 minute, water boils quickly, and the oatmeal boils for 90 seconds and then rests for 3 minutes. So in total this breakfast from start to you eating it is under ten minutes, glorious! Like seriously look how easy these instructions are:

Heat sauce pan to medium heat. Add shredded carrots and cook about 1 minute.

Add 1 3/4 cup water, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the saucepan. Bring everything to a boil.

Add oats. Cook for 60-90 seconds. Turn off stove.

Add raisins and maple syrup and stir to mix. Cover and let rest 2-3 minutes. Divide into two bowls, top with nuts if using, enjoy!

So let’s all start adding more vegetables to our breakfast with this delicious Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal.

A big bowl of clean eating carrot cake oatmeal

Clean Eating Carrot cake Oatmeal in two bowls topped with nuts and raisins ready to eat

TIPS & TRICKS:

• you can use any kind of oats just adjust cooking time, but if you want your breakfast ready quick I recommend using quick oats

• this recipe does not use oil because if you use a non stick pan you’ll have no trouble with your carrots sticking before you add the water BUT if you don’t have a non stick pan you might want to add a little oil to ensure the carrots don’t stick while softening

Yield: 2 servings

Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal #breakfast

this healthy and cozy carrot cake oatmeal is easy to make and only takes a few minutes to cook making it the perfect breakfast for anyone

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 1 cup quick oats (old fashioned oats work too, just see note*)
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • OPTIONAL: pecans or walnuts for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat sauce pan to medium heat. Add shredded carrots and cook about 1 minute.
  2. Add 1 3/4 cup water, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the saucepan. Bring everything to a boil.
  3. Add oats. Cook for 60-90 seconds. Turn off stove.
  4. Add raisins and maple syrup and stir to mix. Cover and let rest 2-3 minutes.
  5. Divide into two bowls, top with nuts if using, enjoy!

Notes

* To use old fashioned oats or steel cut oats you are just gong to have to cook the oats longer, that's it. Check your package for instructions but it will probably be 5-7 minutes.

**Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 261Total Fat: 3gSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 6gSugar: 25gProtein: 6g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

© Lauren Schmidt
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Love my Clean Eating Carrot Cake Oatmeal? Indulge yourself and check out my Orange Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Please note that my links above may be affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. I recommend them because they are helpful, and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.

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i’m lauren

Welcome to my food blog, The Schmidty Wife. I’m all about making Real Fresh Food for Real Fun Families. Here you can find delicious recipes to bring the family together at the table. My recipes are for any home cook, they focus on real ingredients that people are familiar with. From crockpot meals, to easy chicken recipes, fun pizzas, and drinks everyone will find something to love!

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