This is not exactly a post about homeschooling, but more about keeping everyone at home fed during busy weeks. When my kids were younger, I made the breakfast and lunch for everyone. Now that they are older, they are pretty much on their own for breakfast and lunch. In order to not have to rely on prepacked items, I try to spend time making quick foods for the freezer at least once a week. This helps to keep food costs down and allows me to use organic and high quality ingredients.
My youngest loves sweet things, like boxed cereals, which happen to be expensive and full of sugar and preservatives. Our compromise for breakfast is frozen waffles in the freezer. I use a Mickey & Minnie waffle maker that I purchased from Sam’s Club to make Belgian-style waffles shaped like the little waffles from the Disney parks. I make up a batch of waffles, wait for them to cool completely, and then put them into a gallon size freezer bag. If the waffles are not completely cool when putting them in the freezer, the condensation will cause them to stick together. Here is the recipe that I use:
Easy Waffles
2 ¼ c flour
4 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
2 ¼ cup milk
¾ cup oil
- Mix dry
- Mix wet into dry just before baking in oiled waffle maker
- Cook according to waffle maker directions
I also use my basic bread recipe to make pigs-in-a-blanket. I have traditionally used little cocktail sausages from Hillshire Farms, however this week I found a package of nitrate/nitrite/sugar free chicken sausages at Costco, so we are trying those out. They are about twice as long as the Hillshire Farm sausages, so it did not make as many. After the first rise, I divide the dough into four balls. Each ball is rolled out into a rectangle and cut into 8-10 strips with a pizza cutter. I then wrap each sausage with a strip of dough and let rise for another 20-30 minutes before baking at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Here is the bread recipe that I use:
Easy Bread
1c + 1 Tbsp warm water
2 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp canola, extra virgin olive oil or melted butter/coconut oil
2 Tbsp honey or sugar (if using sugar, you may need to add 1-2 Tbsp more water)
3 c flour (I use 1 c whole wheat and 2 cups unbleached white)
1 tsp sea salt
- Knead together in mixer with dough hook until clean sides of bowl.
- Spray bowl with cooking spray, cover, let dough rise 45 min.
- Roll out, roll up and shape to fit pan. Rise 30-40 min. Can also make into 10-12 rolls or cut into strips to roll around cocktail sausages for pigs-in-a-blanket
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min for loaf, 15 min for rolls, 20 min for pigs-in-a-blanket. Brush with butter right out of the oven.
Today, I made a double batch of dough to make bread and piggies for the freezer. After the first rise, I split the dough in half, rolled up one half for the bread loaf and rolled out the other half for the piggies. Here is the second rise in my not-clean oven:
The bread takes much longer to rise, so I let it finish rising on the counter while the piggies were baking. Once cool, the piggies will go into a gallon bag and into the freezer. The bread will be cooled, sliced, and also put into the freezer for future toast and sandwiches. The piggies can also be store in the fridge if they will be consumed within the week. Once sliced, the bread will only last a day or two wrapped on the counter or in the fridge before it starts to dry out.
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