Tag Archives: freezer

Frozen Pancakes

frozen pancakesLooks like I’m on a breakfast roll, as my last two posts have been about the meal that starts your day. No recipe today, but just a little tip to make one of your upcoming mornings a little simpler.

My kids love breakfast. They literally gorge themselves before heading off to school. I completely don’t get this since I’m not a breakfast person! They usually eat cereal on the weekdays because getting three girls and myself ready, can get a little hectic in the mornings. Maybe I just need to get up earlier! Anyways, sometimes, I’ll make a big batch of pancakes over the weekend (or on a weekday morning if I’m feeling ambitious) and freeze whatever’s left.

Yes, you can freeze pancakes! They reheat so well, it’s like you just cooked them up!! After the first initial cooking, I let them cool and place them in freezer bags, zip and in the freezer they go. They’re super easy to pull apart for individual servings (not necessary in my house since my kids will eat the whole bag) and reheat in the microwave. I usually heat 2-3 pancakes for about 1 minute, and voila! Breakfast is served.

As for my kids’ favorite pancake recipe? Well, I’ve tried MANY. And the winner for them? The recipe on the Bisquik box! I almost always have the Heart Smart Bisquik in the pantry and for some reason, they always want those pancakes. If I had to choose my favorite pancake recipe? Cornmeal pancakes. OK, so there, you did get a recipe out of it! Just not one created by me.

So the next time you’re whipping up a batch of pancakes, double it! And freeze the rest. It will definitely make for a quicker start one day!

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Make Ahead Smoothies

Yes, you can make smoothies ahead of time! Why you ask? Well, here’s the predicament I was in. Or I should say, my husband. He recently started jogging in the morning before going to work. And after his jog, he wanted a healthy breakfast. But depending on his work schedule, he’s up anywhere from 4am to 6am, which is prime sleeping time for everyone else in our house. And I know the last thing I want waking me up is the obnoxious sound of a blender. Enter make ahead smoothies.

So you can make the smoothies just as you normally would and put them in a freezer safe container. I love my Ball plastic salsa freezer jars. I’ve had them for a couple of years and picked them up at Walmart. I use them all the time, and not necessarily for salsa. They are perfect for these make ahead smoothies. I found some plastic freezer jars over at Amazon and although they’re not the same exact ones I have, I think these are just the updated version.

smoothie jars 2Since the smoothies are frozen solid, my husband takes them out of the freezer right when he wakes up. He fills a larger cup with hot water and sets the smoothie jar inside. And when he’s back from his jog, he says they’re still a little slushy but have melted enough for him to eat AND they taste good. Make ahead smoothie success!

Use whatever smoothie recipe you like, or try out one of mine:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Healthy Oatmeal Banana Smoothie

Mango & Chia Smoothie

My husband’s favorite smoothie has peaches in it so that’s usually what I make him. I happened to have a fresh pineapple so I decided to throw that in there this time around.

Tropical Peach Smoothie (makes approximately 20 ounces)

  • 1 fresh or frozen banana
  • 1/2 c. frozen peaches
  • 1/4 c. fresh pineapple
  • 2 tbsp. ground flax
  • 1 1/2 c. almond milk
  • 1/3 c. vanilla yogurt

Blend all ingredients on high until smooth. Divide between two freezer container jars and store in the freezer.

smoothie jarsNow if you don’t have a jogging husband that you need to make these for, these would be great for family picnics. Just place them in your cooler and by the time you’ve eaten your food and the kids have played, a healthy dessert has thawed out and is ready and waiting for them. I also recommend the YP Sport pouches, shown below. They also hold smoothies or shakes very well, are freezer safe and fun for the kids. You can find them by clicking on this link at Amazon. I know my kids think they’re pretty cool.