Make-Ahead, To-Go Breakfasts!

July 14, 2020

If you’re a fan of Starbucks coffee drive-throughs, you may have tried their morning heat-and-eat food offerings with your Americano. When you want to save a little time and money, here are a few tasty, make-ahead breakfast ideas that are equally easy to-go alternatives.

Eggy/Protein Make-Ahead Breakfasts

Frittatas can be time-consuming so if you make this one from Cooking Light in advance, you can heat-and-eat a wedge of it, on your way anywhere. Once made, you simply slice the round Broccolini, Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Frittata into sixths, wrap the individual slices in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container. On the morning-of, just pull a wedge out and microwave for breakfast-on-the-go.

Similarly, this Cheesy Zucchini Quiche from Taste of Home is quick to fix and freezes well, too. And you can wrap the slices like the frittata, or wrap the whole quiche and pop it in the oven when (after sleeping in!) to feed the whole family one weekend morning.

Breakfast burritos are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast and can be made with a variety of fillings: cooked eggs, shredded potatoes or tots, beans, salsa, guacamole, cheese, sausage, bacon (turkey, pork, tofurky and vegan protein). Damn Delicious has a meat-eaters’ recipe and the MO is the same as the frittata: wrap the individual burritos in plastic wrap and store in the freezer either in a freezer baggie or airtight freezer container and heat when ready. 

And these Make-Ahead Breakfast Bowls from Iowa Girl Eats, follow a similar Mexican-flavored theme, and can be topped with fresh avocado, tortilla chips and salsa.

Running across this Rueben and Rye Strata from Taste of Home causes a double take with its different flavor combos (and a change from the tried-and-true sausage, egg and sourdough breakfast casserole). It sounds like the sandwich favorite and for anyone who loves THAT, this rye bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and chopped dill pickles concoction, takes half-dozen eggs, milk and Thousand Island salad dressing!

Smoothies, Muffins, and Bars

This is one of those slap your forehead, “I should-have-thought-of-that” ideas for summertime. The breakfast smoothie is a staple in warm weather and since most recipes require frozen fruit, ice, and/or yogurt anyway, here’s a genius twist. Put all the ingredients in a baggie and pop them in the freezer. Like this one for a Citrus Sunshine Smoothie from Cooking Light. When it’s time for breakfast pull out your smoothie baggie, pop it into a blender, blitz and top with walnuts for a slurpy, crunchy to-go breakfast in an insulated cup.

When it’s time to switch gears to fruit and grains, our tastes turn to the more substantive bars and cookies like these Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from Son Shine Kitchen with oats, brown sugar, butter, milk, one egg and your choice of fruit – e.g., strawberries, blueberries, and bananas combine well. Blogger Stephanie says you can use frozen fruit – just make sure it’s completely thawed before baking. 

Stephanie adds chocolate chips and you can, too. For another little morning chocolate boost, try this Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe from Taste of Home. 

What kid wouldn’t want to eat cookies for breakfast? With these healthy Peanut Butter breakfast cookies that take less than 30 minutes to make, they can start the day with dessert! Regina at Leelalicious uses thick rolled oats, natural peanut butter, coconut oil, honey and ripe bananas, dried fruit, sunflower seeds and cashew pieces.

For 23 more make-ahead (and good-for-you) breakfasts, head over to Cookie and Kate for a variety of waffles, quick breads, muffins, pancakes and granolas, or to Sweet Pea and Saffron for more smoothies, breakfast cookies and bars. 

A Costco Alternative

While the make-ahead meals for early morning do save you time and money, if you have a Costco membership and want another quick and eggy option, consider the Costco alternative. Egg Bites, made by Three Bridges, come in different flavors but Costco only sells with bacon and cheddar eight-pack for about $9.79. They’re the perfect shape and size to squeeze between a buttered English muffin or eat with a piece of toast. They warm up in just under 60 seconds in the microwave, unless they’re frozen, then you might have to defrost first, but these are quick and tasty alternatives for breakfast — and so aptly named!

Lakeside Breakfast in Southshore

Waking up in the master-planned community of Southshore – next to the Aurora Reservoir, is a little slice of heaven, right here on earth! The lake offers summer water recreation, and the brand new homes here are built by Colorado’s top home builders –  Taylor Morrison, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers. Life at the Lake offers floor plans for ranch and two-story designs, priced between the $400s and the $700s.