Mix it up with breakfast for dinner! Creamy Strawberry Banana Smoothies, simple Breakfast Burritos and crispy Hash Brown Cups make a great family dinner. This meal is easy to make, and has lots to love!
Breakfast is usually the easiest meal of the day—kids (and adults!) love breakfast food! That’s why breakfast for dinner is almost always a home run.
My biggest complaint when it comes to traditional breakfast foods, however, is the unbelievable amounts of sugar that go into them. Think of pancakes and waffles drenched in syrup, or crepes full of Nutella and cream, or donuts or cinnamon rolls or muffins that are really more like cupcakes without frosting. And don’t forget to wash it all down with a tall glass of orange juice. These combinations are more like desserts than substantial meals.
So I love a good breakfast meal that’s not swimming in sugar. Eggs, sausage and a little cheese wrapped up in a tortilla make a great meal choice. Top it with your favorite veggies and salsa, and you’ve got a highly satisfying, high protein entree. And despite accusations of decades past, whole eggs are indeed an excellent healthy whole food choice!
As for the hash browns—have you ever tried to cook up crispy hash browns in a frying pan? I have never had a good experience with that. I’ve always had to drown them in oil, attempting to get them crispy, and then it only half works—mostly crispy on the bottom and edges, but more soggy (and really greasy!) in the rest. This recipe is the perfect solution. Oven-baked in a muffin tin gives you lots of surface area for crispy edges. And the whole recipe used only 2 Tbsp of butter, rather than 1/2 cup (or more) of oil most recipes call for. You still feel like you are eating potatoes rather than drinking oil. It also has a nice garlic and Parmesan flavor. Delicious!
Though I dislike an overwhelming amount of sugar in the meal—mostly because it makes me feel sick when I eat that way—I am not by any means “anti-sugar”. I’m all for a simple sweet—capitalize on the natural sweetness of fruits, or a splash of fresh raspberry jam, or a light drizzle of maple syrup. I’ve talked about this before, but sugar is an overwhelming flavor. It takes over and drowns out everything else, so you just can’t appreciate the richness of anything else!
The Strawberry Banana Smoothie is a perfect finishing touch to this meal. It’s made with frozen strawberries, bananas, milk and plain yogurt. I add a small amount of flavored yogurt as well—that translates into 2 grams of added sugar per serving. Not bad, my friends. Not bad! And to be honest—you won’t even miss it! There is plenty of natural sweetness in the bananas and strawberries.
My kids typically prefer everything separate—plain eggs, plain sausage, plain cheese. This meal, however I served up with everything on top of the open tortilla. They watched my husband and I roll up our tortillas and start to eat, and then asked, “How do I roll mine up? Can you help me?” So I showed them how to tightly wrap the tortilla around their eggs and they loved it. My 7 year old proclaimed, “This is the best meal ever! This is so good!”. I consider that a win! Lead by example, because they do want to grow up and be like you—and they are ALWAYS watching! That’s why family meals are so important!
The Meal:
Breakfast Burrito:
1 tortilla, 2 eggs, ½ oz cheese, 1 oz sausage
4 hash brown cups
1 (8 oz) Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Salsa
Ketchup
Recipe Used in this meal:
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Serving size: 8 oz
Servings per Recipe: 4
Ingredients
¾ cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup strawberry banana yogurt
1 frozen banana
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup 2% milk
Directions
Place all ingredients in a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
Divide into 4 cups, and serve immediately.
Hash brown Cups
Serving size: 1 hash brown cup
Servings per Recipe: 12
Ingredients
3 cups shredded hash brown potatoes
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Defrost the shredded potatoes in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel, then place in a large mixing bowl.
Add parmesan cheese, melted butter, salt and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
Lightly grease a muffin tin. Divide hash browns in each muffin cup (about half full), then pack down each cup.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. If desired, broil for 2 more minutes to brown the tops more. Serve hot.
Nutrition Facts Label for Entire Meal:
Nutrition Facts Label for Strawberry Banana Smoothie:
Nutrition Facts Label for Hash Brown Cups:
Nutrition Facts Label for Breakfast Burritos:
