Fast Breakfasts from the Freezer
Breakfast is an important part of the food, health, and nutrition conversation. Whether you purchase ready-to-eat foods, easy-to-use frozen ingredients, or you cook ahead and freeze your own options, the freezer can be your friend for meals and snacks that come together easily regardless of how busy your day or week get.
- Enjoy your favorites at any time of day. Cereal, oatmeal, eggs, toast, pancakes come to mind when we say “breakfast”, but why limit any option to one time of day? Mix it up. Make casseroles, chili or soup, and portion them out, freeze them, then microwave in the morning for a fast nutritious meal.
- Stock up on all the food groups when they go on sale. Frozen fruits and veggies are great for anything from casseroles to soup to smoothies, muffins, and more. Find recipes with at least two to three food groups, and don’t be afraid to use canned, fresh, and/or frozen foods to build in balance and options. Check out the chart below to mix and match food groups. Some choices are even “no cooking required”.
- Experiment with the unknown. Find recipes that freeze well. Not sure if you can freeze it? Try freezing a small portion to see how it turns out. You may be surprised how well many of your existing favorite dishes do when you freeze them.
Meals Made Easy
Mix and Match for Balance – try 3 for meals, 2 for snacks! (one from each column)
Any option in fruits and veggies you like is great; this list includes seasonal choices for March.
Vegetables
- Seasonal (spring)
- Fresh, canned, frozen
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Celery
- Collard Greens
- Garlic
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Peas
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Turnips
Grains
- Choices with at least 2 grams of fiber/serving, and/or
- Whole grains, including:
- Amaranth
- Barley
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Millet
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Rye
- Sorghum
- Teff
- Triticale
- Wheat, including spelt, emmer, farro, einkorn, Kamut®, durum and forms such as bulgur, cracked wheat and wheatberries
Wild rice
Protein
- Meat
- Poultry
- Seafood
- Beans & peas Eggs
- Soy Products
- Nuts
- Seeds
Dairy
- Milk
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- Soy Beverage
Each meal and snack is a chance to bring nutrition you and your family need to support mental and physical activities throughout the day. Make it easy to make a better choice.
What will you try this week?
