Breakfast bowls – my new morning obsession!
Before full-time working-mom life, I recall mornings where I could wake up, take a long shower, sip on coffee, and catch up on the morning news before work. Sounds peaceful, right?
Now my mornings are filled with babies, diapers, bottles, nursery rhymes, and pets. Which gives me approximately 10 minutes of leftover time to get myself ready and out the door. Sure, I could get up earlier but it’s like the babies know I have a plan and automatically start waking up earlier too. I love them with my whole heart, but I think we all do better with a little more sleep.
This is where breakfast bowls come in. They are the perfect protein packed meal to start your day when you have limited time. These are sold in stores by many popular brands and retail for close to $3 per serving (if not more!). Depending on the size of your family, that can be quite a cost for breakfast.
Instead of wasting the money on a small portion (that we usually doctor up with spices anyway) I’ve started making them myself! The great thing about doing this yourself is that you can put whatever you like in there. It’s a great way to use the last of the veggies in the crisper or a few lonely potatoes left on the counter.
How to Make Breakfast Bowls
I like to start by dicing up a potato or two and drizzling it with oil and spices, then roasting them in the oven. You can certainly skip this by getting the frozen diced potatoes for an even easier version, but I love roasted potatoes so I go ahead and take this extra step.
While those are cooking, brown your sausage. A lot of the times I have already cooked sausage crumbles in the freezer so it’s readily available to toss in these bowls.
Next, you’ll go ahead and season and scramble your eggs. I like to cook them just under my preferred texture because they will cook a little more in the microwave when you reheat them. If you are going to add diced peppers and onions, do so at this stage so they soften up a little. I do 12 eggs for 8 bowls for the extra protein fill-up, but adjust this how you see fit for your family.
When the potatoes are nice and crisp, pull them out of the oven and let them cool – along with your sausage and eggs. You don’t want to put this together while it is hot or else condensation will build up in the bowl.
Once everything has cooled off, go ahead and start cutting your ready-made cooked bacon into pieces. You don’t even have to microwave them in advance. They’ll crisp up just fine when you microwave in the mornings. You can definitely do the real deal here, if you prefer.
Now you can begin to build your bowls! I layer the potatoes first, followed by eggs, sausage, and bacon. Give it a generous sprinkle of cheese and you are all set! Just put the lids on and throw them in the fridge and give yourself a pat on the back.
I highly recommend these bowls. They are the perfect size and the lids lock tight. They also hold up in the microwave really well (don’t microwave the lid, though). I’ve washed and reused them multiple times so it is a good mini-investment. Oh, and if someone forgets to bring it back home, no worries – there are several in the package!
These are seriously so good and much better than the kind you buy in the grocery store, both in taste and in cost! That’s what I call a win-win!
I typically make these on Sunday afternoons while the kids are down for a nap. This way they are ready to toss in my bag while I’m frantically trying to get out of the house on time during the weekdays.
The eggs will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, so keep that in mind when deciding how many you will make. I typically make 5 for myself and 3 for my husband. He isn’t as reliable about eating breakfast each morning and I hate wasting. These also freeze well up to a month if you want to make more. For me, there is something calming about this simple prep work each Sunday afternoon so I choose to refrigerate only.
DIY Breakfast Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 1 pack cooked bacon
- 1 or 2 potatoes
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp seasoning salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Wash and cut potatoes into small cubes. Add potatoes to plastic bag and drizzle with olive oil and spices. Seal the bag and shake it up to coat all the pieces. (I put less potatoes in my bowls than I put in his, so I typically only make one potato – but feel free to use more if you want to bulk this up)
- Spread potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are crispy. Stir potatoes about halfway through cooking time to crisp on all sides.
- While potatoes are cooking, brown the sausage and drain excess grease. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium sized bowl, crack 12 eggs and add whatever spices you like. Add them to a preheated pan to scramble. Set aside to cool.
- Cut up ready-cooked strips of microwaved bacon into small pieces with scissors. I choose this because it is easy and the tiny pieces of bacon turn out great when microwaving. But if the real deal is your thing, fry up the bacon at this stage
- Remove potatoes from oven when golden brown and crispy and set aside to cool.
- After sausage, potatoes and eggs are cooled off, divide them evenly among your containers and top with shredded cheese. Cover containers and place in fridge.
