Start Your Day With A Nutritious Breakfast Casserole

Wake Up Your Brain With Breakfast

We have all heard the phrase, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”  There are many reasons why it's important to start the morning with a proper breakfast.  Simply stated:  Breakfast is the fuel your body and brain needs to function.

It is especially important for children to eat a nourishing breakfast in the morning.  Young, growing brains need lots of energy to help focus and keep learning.  A child who skips breakfast is going to feel tired, restless, and irritable, possibly for the entire day.  Studies have proven time and time again that children who do not eat a healthy breakfast in the morning suffer both academically and socially.  They also suffer physically, often with obesity being the result.

You know how you, as an adult, feel if you skip breakfast.  Now just imagine if your brain was developing and growing at the rate of a child.  That empty tummy you experience if you skip breakfast is nothing compared to what a child will feel, or how a child will suffer.

With that said, we know that eating a healthy breakfast every morning is important, especially for a child.  An easy way to ensure your child gets a healthy, well-rounded meal in the morning is with breakfast casseroles. 

I can hear you saying right now; “But I can't make a breakfast casserole in the morning!”  You don't have to.  Avoid a lot of preparation in the morning by planning ahead and you won't skip a beat during the morning rush.  Design a few breakfast casserole recipes to suit your family member's tastes and make several smaller casseroles on the weekend and put them in the refrigerator.  Now, before you wake your children up for school, pop their casseroles in the oven.  Before they walk out of the door, they'll have a delightfully delicious and nutritious breakfast to wake them (and their brains!) up. 

There is so much you can add to a casserole to meet everyone's nutritional needs.  To wake up your brain you want to eat foods that are high in protein, good carbs, fiber, calcium, iron, other minerals, and lots of vitamins. 

Make a breakfast casserole that contains whole-wheat or multi-grain bread, eggs, milk, maybe some cheese, meat, poultry or seafood, and vegetables, too, for a savory nutrition-packed dish.  If your child prefers a sweet breakfast, make a breakfast casserole that contains the same hearty bread, eggs, and milk, then add fruit and even nuts to the mix. You still get the protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but this time in a sweeter version.

With a nutritious breakfast, you can boost body and brain function, helping your child feel better and think better so he or she can perform better in school and throughout the day.  All of this in one simple to make breakfast casserole!

There are many great ways to get the nutrition needed in the morning, but breakfast casseroles are definitely a great option.  They are versatile, easy to mix up and serve, and ready when you are.  How will you start your day out tomorrow?  Give your brain, and your child's brain, a chance to wake up with a hearty and healthy breakfast casserole.

How To Turn Your Favorite Breakfast Casserole Into A Dinnertime Delight

If you have a few favorite breakfast casseroles, you may be wondering how you could serve them as a wonderful dinner.  You don't just want a breakfast repeat – you want to transform your morning dish into a delightful evening meal.

A hearty breakfast casserole is a treat when you have an easy going, lazy morning to relax.  If a lazy day isn't in the cards for you, but you have a hankering for one of those filling and frugal breakfast casseroles you love, try making one for dinner.  You can enjoy the same warm feelings you get when eating a breakfast casserole, and, at the same time, get away with being more creative and adding ingredients not necessarily considered breakfast food.

Traditional breakfast casseroles are made with sausage, bacon, ham, eggs, bread, cheese, and milk. You can start with this basic recipe and add or substitute just about anything to wish to make a savory casserole that's quite delicious for dinner.

You can add more meat than you would normally use for breakfast.  Or, you can use another kind of meat altogether.  Think about dinnertime ingredients you may forget about during the morning hours.  How about trying shrimp, scallops, or even lobster for a real treat?  Chicken, turkey, and duck add an evening feel to your morning dish.  Use up leftover grilled fish like salmon for an intense flavor surprise. Saute firm tofu in soy sauce and olive or sesame oil for a vegetarian dish.  Remember, think breakfast casserole with dinner ingredients.

Once you've chosen the meat, fish, poultry, or other protein, you'll be ready to decide on the other ingredients to complement the flavors.  If you're cooking dinner for adults or young people with mature palates, think about adding a variety of ingredients like onions, celery, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus, roasted Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, jalapenos, artichoke hearts, okra, kale, snow peas, leeks, fennel, bok choy, or even Greek olives. The combinations are endless.

Perhaps you'd like to give your breakfast-turned-dinner casserole a Mexican flair by adding chorizo, carne asada (spicy grilled strips of beef), or taco seasoned shredded pork or chicken. You can add a variety of spices and peppers to make your casserole flavorful. Use well seasoned rice, beans, and tortillas as the base and you have created an entirely new twist on a classic breakfast casserole. Think about the ingredients in your favorite huevos ranchos and tweak them to fill your casserole dish for a spiced-up evening meal.

When you're looking at your traditional breakfast casserole, and you're longing for Italian spaghetti for dinner, go ahead and combine the two!  Turn cooked pasta into the base of the casserole by mixing in eggs and Parmesan cheese.  Fill up the baking dish with this pasta-egg-cheese mix, then pour on marinara sauce mixed with a combination of ingredients you like in a spaghetti dinner.  Include ingredients like oregano and basil, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and olives.  Cover with more Parmesan cheese and let it all bake together and you have flipped an egg breakfast casserole into a spaghetti dinner just by replacing the bread with pasta and adding lots of Italian dinner favorites.

Even a sweet custard style breakfast casserole can get turned on its ear and become a dinner casserole.  Apples and pecans go beautifully with big chunks of sweet sausage.  Add more interest with dried cranberries or golden raisins.  Use multi-grain bread and the casserole instantly becomes hearty. 

The main thing to remember is you can get creative and try pretty much anything that sounds good to you.  Look at the meals you like for dinner and use your imagination putting them together with your basic breakfast casseroles.  This is how some of the great recipes are created!

Breakfast Casseroles You Can Share With Everone

Tiny Breakfast Casseroles Make Everyone Happy

Breakfast casseroles are easy to adapt to almost all tastes and diet requirements.  Using mini loaf pans or muffin tins will help expand breakfast casserole horizons even further.  Creating individual casseroles for different appetites and tastes in mind is a great way to serve a variety of guests. 

Tiny breakfast casseroles are also a wonderful way to feed kids with special diets, or even to make picky eaters happier.  Using a muffin tin, you can fill each spot with ingredients that are pleasing to each person around your breakfast table.

When you plan your mini casseroles, think about mixing and matching the ingredients, starting with some basics and then building on those.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Eggs

Eggs are a breakfast standard used in most breakfast casseroles.  They are also the binding ingredient holding the casserole together.  There are many ways to incorporate eggs in your breakfast casseroles, mini or full size.  You can mix the egg in with the other ingredients, quiche style.  Or you can crack the egg into a nest of ingredients and bake it, fried egg style.  You can choose whole eggs, egg whites, or egg substitute. 

Fiber

This is the bread, biscuits, pastry, rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, or other bulk that is either laid in the dish to form the body of the casserole or is mixed with the eggs and other ingredients.  Fiber can also be vegetables.  Consider grating carrots, zucchini, or sweet potatoes.  Or try spaghetti squash as an alternative. Your choice of fiber is very flexible.  Whatever works, works.  There are no rules when it comes to adding the fiber to your breakfast casserole.

Protein

Eggs alone offer plenty of protein, but you may want to expand your breakfast casserole with added meat, poultry, fish, or vegetarian options like tofu.  Bacon and sausage are traditional breakfast ingredients, but don't stop there.  Albacore tuna, grilled salmon, shrimp, or that leftover piece of pork tenderloin might just be perfect.  Again, there are no rules.

Cheese

Soft cheese that melts well is definitely desirable.  But, any good cheese will work if it's grated well.  Cheese can be mixed in, as you would with Ricotta or cottage cheese, or you can top your mini breakfast casseroles with shredded cheese to form a nice top 'crust.'  In these individual casseroles, you don't need a lot of cheese in each one, so use a cheese that has a lot of flavor to a punch in a tiny amount.

Fruits and Veggies

Some good basic choices for breakfast casseroles would be onions, celery, bell peppers, spinach, and   tomatoes for the savory bunch, and apples, bananas, and peaches for the sweet bunch.  But, when you're making individual breakfast casseroles, you can personalize each one a bit more since you don't have to please everyone's taste buds in the same dish.  Choose savory ingredients that make more of a flavor statement like asparagus, cranberries, olives, Brussels sprouts, fennel, rutabaga, and winter squash, or pineapple, guava, apricot, and mango.

Without the Eggs

What if you or your family doesn’t like or can’t eat eggs?  You can replace the eggs in a tiny breakfast casserole with pancake or biscuit batter to hold the ingredients together.  Line a muffin cup with a paper liner, and pour some batter in, then add your other ingredients, and fill the muffin cup up about 2/3 full with more batter.  Your ingredients will cook inside the batter and you'll have a nice hearty breakfast in a muffin.

Grated potatoes (hash browns) also work to hold a tiny casserole together.  Make a thick white sauce out of flour, butter, and milk, or just use a canned cream of something soup.  Mix in the shredded potatoes or thawed packaged hash browns until you get a gluey ball.  Either mix in your other ingredients and press into your muffin cup, or form a crust out of the potato mixture and fill with the stuff you want.  When you take it out of the oven you'll have a nice muffin shaped potato breakfast casserole.

There is an infinite number of ways to build your own casserole. By making tiny individual breakfast casseroles, you can even have each guest pick out their own ingredients.  Kids especially enjoy creating a personalized meal just for them.  Also, we know that kids who help cook usually eat better.  The key is to experiment with ingredients and cooking methods.  And, making tiny individual serving size casseroles is the perfect way to do just that!

There Is More To Breakfast Than Scrambled Eggs

Are you tired of the same-old same-old scrambled eggs every morning?  Looking for something new to spice up your breakfast?  Would you like something more filling while still being healthy for you?  Are you looking to feed a lot of people a hearty breakfast?

If you answered; “Yes!” to the any of the above questions, you may be ready to try your hand at making a breakfast casserole.

Scrambled eggs are a simple breakfast to make.  In less than five minutes, you have breakfast.  That's it.  That's great.  But that's boring.  In order to make those scrambled eggs a more filling meal, you usually add hash browns, bacon, and toast, right?  But, again, that's more of the same.  And, unless you have a restaurant style kitchen, you probably aren't going to easily get that sort of assembly line breakfast going to adequately make large quantities of scrambled eggs to feed more than a couple people, let alone a lot of hungry guests.

Perhaps you have a brunch or breakfast time party planned for a group.  If you need to prepare eggs for a large amount of people, you don't want to be standing over the skillet scrambling eggs.  Breakfast casseroles are a convenient way to cook a lot of eggs in delicious ways and serve them easily to a large group.  With a wide variety of ingredients to choose from, you know you'll be able to create a breakfast casserole that will please everyone.

You want breakfast to be filling, but not necessarily filled with fat, calories, and carbs.  Breakfast casseroles are the answer to that problem.  With an endless variety of foods to add to your eggs, you can let your imagination run wild while keeping tabs on the nutritional value.  Any combination of foods you dream up, you can probably mix together to create a yummy and healthy breakfast casserole.

For the purist who doesn't want to give up their favorite scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon breakfast, you can even make a breakfast casserole out of those ingredients.  The great thing is, you can walk away from the stove and let the oven do the cooking for you.  Enjoy that second cup of coffee visiting with your family or friends while the breakfast casserole bakes slowly and perfectly in the oven.  When it's ready to come out of the oven, you'll be ready, all refreshed and relaxed, and ready to dig in.

If you're ready to expand your horizons beyond the basics, you have a world of ingredients just waiting to entice you.  Get those eggs beaten and mix in something a little different, like fresh spinach and feta cheese, or even bleu cheese.  Try a healthy mix of tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli, and top it off with Parmesan cheese.  Don't forget to add different meat to the mix.  Of course ham, bacon, and sausage are all classics, but what about some leftover cooked chicken, or shrimp, or even grilled fish?  A classic strata is always welcome, using ingredients such as bread, milk, eggs, cheese, and ham.  This makes a warm, wonderful, and filling breakfast casserole.  Use hearty, multi-grain breads or even bagels for more interest and texture, along with nutrition.

Are these breakfast casseroles still too tame for you?  Try a Creole breakfast casserole with spicy andouille sausage, okra, hot peppers, and a little cumin and cayenne to boot.  Or how about a Chili Con Carne breakfast casserole?  Throw together the makings for a pot of chili, mix in the eggs, top it with lots of Cheddar cheese and you've got a breakfast casserole that will delight and surprise your family.  Whatever combination you can come up with, a breakfast casserole takes the scrambled egg breakfast to a whole new level.  The possibilities are endless;  just take a look in your refrigerator and pantry for inspiration.

Many breakfast casseroles can be made in advance, put in the refrigerator, and cooked in the morning.  This works very well if you have house guests in the morning or a big gathering for brunch.  You can have the breakfast casserole in the oven cooking while you're greeting and chatting with your guests.  Nobody wants to be stuck in the kitchen trying to whip up large quantities of scrambled eggs while everyone else is enjoying their coffee and juice on the patio.  And, if you're like me, there have been plenty of times when a big bowl of scrambled eggs got cold.  Keeping scrambled eggs warm is a chore and nobody wants to eat cold dried out eggs.  You can avoid all that by making a breakfast casserole instead.

The next time you're having company over, or even just looking for a new twist on scrambled eggs, why not try a breakfast casserole?  It's the perfect way to go beyond the traditional scrambled egg breakfast in the morning and serve something inspired, delicious, and nutritious all at the same time.

Do Your Overnight Guests Long For The Luxuries Of A Bed And Breakfast?

It isn't an easy task hosting overnight guests.  With the popularity of quaint little inns and beautiful B&B (Bed and Breakfast) places, the bar has been set a lot higher for all of us.  Of course, we want our guests to be comfortable, but now many of us see an overnight stay as an opportunity to practice our decorating, cooking, and hospitality skills all at the same time. 

If you want to go beyond clean sheets and a plate of eggs for your guests, just think about the things that make you feel pampered when you stay away from home.  I'll bet a hearty, tasty breakfast pops into your thoughts first.  Perhaps that delicious breakfast is the reason you would go back to that little inn again.  The aroma from the kitchen wafting up the stairs wakes you up even before you smell the coffee.  It takes all you can do to get dressed before you head down to the dining room to see what's on the table.

A breakfast casserole is one idea you can take away from your favorite B&B and make at home.  You may not have lace edged linens or goose down pillows and comforters for your guests, but they'll feel plenty special when they sit down to a breakfast dish heaped with hearty ingredients coming bubbling hot right out of the oven.

Of course, you work hard to provide clean guest towels, fluffy pillows, plenty of blankets, and a cozy bed for your guests to sleep in.  You may even include special chocolates on their pillows and pretty arrangements of flowers.  Maybe those are luxuries you think any overnight guest should be treated to.  All those touches add up to a nice stay in your home.

You pull out all the stops to be the perfect host for your guest.  You have invited them into your home and you want them to feel comfortable and welcomed.  That's why you go above and beyond to provide these little pleasures for them.  There's no doubt that your guests appreciate all the amenities you have provided.  But, again and again, it's the breakfast that gets talked about later.  You want to make sure that your breakfast gets mentioned in glowing terms. 

Fluffy pillows, pretty little soaps, and chocolates on the pillow are all so pleasant, but they get left behind when the breakfast bell rings.  This most important meal of the day should go beyond what you eat on a busy day as you try to get the family off to work and school.  A box of Wheaties, a carton of milk, and a bowl of scrambled eggs will tell your guests that you just don't care and would prefer it if they didn't come back.  If that's the message you want to give, then by all means, serve that breakfast.

If you want the kind of breakfast that tells your guests that you love their company and you can't wait to have them come back, then you want to serve a big breakfast casserole.  This kind of hearty, scrumptious breakfast is 'love in a dish.'  It can be savory or sweet, filled with a variety of meat, poultry, seafood, fish, vegetables, herbs, spices, cheese, cream, bread, bagels, and even fruit and nuts.  The common denominator is eggs – beyond that, the sky's the limit.  Of course, there are even breakfast casseroles that eliminate the eggs.  Use the season and your creativity and design your own specialty.

Being the 'hostess with the mostest' can be a tiring task, though.  Morning comes early and your guests may be hungry the minute they smell the coffee brewing.  The beauty of a breakfast casserole is that many of them can be made in advance and cooked in the morning.  When you put that piping hot breakfast casserole on the table in front of your guests, you have successfully given the illusion that you got up way before they did to make this wonderful dish.  When the reality is that you just planned ahead.  A good host doesn't have to tell ALL her secrets!

Another benefit of making a breakfast casserole is you can serve a lot of people at one time.  No more standing over the skillet making omelets.  No more cold scrambled eggs.  No more over-done or under-done fried eggs.  Your guests (and even you!) can sit down and dig into a bubbling hot breakfast casserole and enjoy time together, chatting and planning the day.

Your guests will be impressed and truly appreciate the home-cooked hot breakfast that you have prepared for them.  Of course, there may be one drawback... your guests may never want to leave!  If you're willing to take that chance, then breakfast casseroles are the way to go.  Start collecting recipes now to get ready for your next overnight house guests.  What kind of breakfast casserole will you be serving?

Cooking Tips For A Healthy Breakfast

Fill Up Not Out With A Healthy Breakfast

Do you skip breakfast?  Perhaps you feel that by the time you get everyone up and out of the house in the morning, eating breakfast is the last thing you want to do.  Do you also spend time worry about weight gain?  When you skip breakfast are you thinking; “Well, I don't need the calories anyway.”

Breakfast and fitness are more related than you might think.  The fact is, skipping breakfast can actually make you gain weight.  Not eating breakfast, whether due to running out of time or a conscious effort to bypass the calories, will do more harm than good when it comes to your fitness and weight control.

You might think that by skipping breakfast in the morning you are skipping calories, too, but that's just not the case.  What happens when you hit mid-morning?  Studies show that most people reach for a snack sometime during the day, and the people who don't eat breakfast typically reach for high calorie, high carb, high fat foods during the day.  Studies also show that people who skip breakfast, whether they snack during the day or not, also eat a larger dinner and often dessert.

Right now you could be saying; “Oh, but that's not me. I never snack and I eat a small dinner.”  That may be true.  However, your metabolism should be a concern then.  Eating first thing in the morning gives your metabolism the jump-start it needs to understand that it's alright now to start burning calories and fat.  When your body is given the 'green light' to get your metabolism in action, it knows that it doesn't need to hoard fat to survive.  You are telling your body that there is more food on the way, so it's okay to burn up what you already have.  Small meals throughout the day, beginning with breakfast, triggers the brain to tell the body that you are not starving.  Skipping meals is a danger sign to your metabolism that it needs to slow down, hibernate, and store that fat.

We see now how breakfast is an important meal in our overall weight control program.  However, you have to be careful when you choose your breakfast food.  If you are grabbing a toaster pastry,  doughnut, or even a bagel, your body will have a quick spike in blood sugar and then have an even quicker fall.  This 'crash' results in more eating of the same foods.  Your body will crave sugar and this will lead to overeating.  If you're going to skip anything, skip the sugar loaded, carb loaded goodies.  That's where breakfast casseroles come in.

Protein and fiber – that's what your body needs in the morning.  Eggs give you the protein and fat you need to function and feel full.  Fiber from veggies and whole grains are great sugar regulators that offer high energy for a long time.  Good carbs like raw oatmeal, multi-grain breads, black beans, and brown rice will keep you active longer.

Breakfast casseroles are built around protein, good carbs, fiber, and healthy fat.  This is the perfect meal to fill you up and not out.  You body gets the 'wake up call' it needs to start burning fat stores, while also enjoying all the nutrition it needs to get through the day without extra calories or sugar. 

Simply put, if you want to be at a healthy weight (and who doesn't!) then you need to eat breakfast every morning.  And not just any breakfast.  It has to be a healthy breakfast.  When you look at breakfast casserole recipes, you'll find lots of healthy ingredients all rolled into one easy to make and serve meal.  Isn't that what you want in the morning?  Make a breakfast casserole at night and stick it in the refrigerator.  When you put on your coffee, put your casserole in the oven.  In no time, you'll be able to enjoy a nutritious filling meal that will set you up for energy as well as weight control.

A Good Breakfast Begins With Eggs

Eggs Win The Nutrition Excellence Award

When you think of a hearty nutritious breakfast, do you think of a bowl of cereal?  Probably not.  Even a bowl of hot cereal doesn't have the same appeal as a skillet of eggs with sides of meat and potatoes, or a omelet loaded with goodies, or a big thick breakfast casserole.

There are reasons why, other than habit, that we think of eggs for breakfast.  They are cheap, taste good, satisfy just about any appetite, and they can be cooked in so many ways. 

But, eggs have come under some criticism through the years.  Should you eliminate eggs from your diet because of some bad press?  Maybe eggs should be reconsidered before you make your final decision.  Let's take a look.

Eggs Pack a Big Punch in a Tiny Package

Just eating one whole egg provides a wide range of nutrients that your body needs to function.  As the advertising goes, eggs are an incredible food.  A whole egg is what is known as a 'nutrient-dense' food.  This means in the relatively small volume of that egg you receive a large volume of nutrients.

If you have decided to stop eating eggs because you've heard they may be bad for you, let's look at the facts.  Eggs are high in cholesterol, yes, but they are also a tremendous source of nutrients at a very frugal cost.  For this reason, families have depended on eggs to provide healthy meals when budgets are tight. 

In a nutshell, or eggshell, a whole egg provides all the basic building blocks in just the right amounts to maintain a healthy and functioning body. You'll find the entire list of essential amino acids (proteins) including lysine.  This particular amino acid converts fat to energy and helps the body absorb calcium and promotes the production of collagen.  Eggs are the perfect food for not only maintaining health, but for building strong bones and muscles. 

According to many studies, eating an egg a day will help you meet your daily protein requirements as well as other necessary nutrients.  However, there is always that question lurking in the background;  what about the cholesterol?  Let's look at the breakdown to help you understand where the nutrients come from in this super-food so you can make an informed decision.

Egg Yolks

We hear a lot about complete proteins, and this is one example.  Egg yolks have about 2.5 grams of protein which includes lysine, one protein that is not found in all protein-rich foods.  Yolks also provide a wide range of nutrients such as vitamins A, B6, B12, E, D, K, and Folate, as well as iron, calcium, zinc, carotenoids (antioxidants), and essential fatty acids. You'll find only 40 calories from fat in an egg yolk, but you'll also have over 200 grams of cholesterol.  This is where the concern often lies.  If your doctor has you on a cholesterol reduced diet, egg yolks should be discussed.  If not, egg yolks may offer a much needed source of nutrients in your diet.

Egg Whites

The great news is, if you are looking for an excellent source of protein with absolutely no cholesterol, egg whites are the perfect solution. You'll get even more protein in the egg whites than the egg yolks, about 3.5 grams.  Egg whites also have only 1 calorie from fat.  But you must consider the downside.  Egg whites offer none of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, or essential fatty acids that egg yolks do.

Best of Both

As you can see, egg yolks offer a lot of nutrients that egg whites don't.  If your diet is restricted due to high cholesterol, you need to talk to your doctor about egg yolks.  If not, you'll want to consider the nutrients in eggs, including the yolks, before you eliminate them from your diet.

If you are not on a diet restriction ordered by your doctor, but still would like to have less cholesterol in your diet, you can.  Many recipes work just fine when you substitute some or all of the whole eggs for just egg whites.  You can often remove egg yolks from recipes and get similar results.

Even one egg yolk mixed into three or four egg whites will produce a flavorful and colorful omelet.  The egg whites will provide the bulk of the dish along with the majority of the protein, while the yolk provides the additional nutrients, more protein, and a bit of color.

When you make a breakfast casserole or cheese strata, replace some of the whole eggs with just the whites and you'll still enjoy a light, fluffy dish with all the flavor and nutrition and a lot less fat and cholesterol.

That's the magic of eggs - you can separate them!  Mix and match more whites, less yolks, and enjoy eggs in different, healthier ways without losing the benefits. 

Keep a carton of fresh eggs on hand at all times so you can whip up a hearty meal in a snap with this old fashioned super-food.  A strata, quiche, omelet, casserole, or any simple egg dish can be easily suited to most diets.  Give eggs a try today and start enjoying both the healthy and frugal benefits.

Cook Breakfast Dishes For A Quick Dinner

Do A Frugal Flip And Serve Breakfast For Dinner

Is there a family out there who doesn't enjoy a little breakfast for dinner every once in a while?  I think most families have done the meal flip-flop a few times.  A simple plate of fried eggs and hash browns, or even a stack of pancakes for the evening meal just puts a smile on everyone's face.  But, I know we can do better than that!

One way to create dinner from breakfast ingredients, while keeping the meal special, is with a breakfast casserole.  The eggs provide all the protein you need, so this is not only a delicious option, but also frugal and healthy.

Even if someone in your family claims they don't like eggs for dinner, a breakfast casserole will make a believer out of them.  For this discussion, we're not going to talk about serving pancakes, waffles, or even scrambled or fried eggs.  Casseroles are a familiar, comforting dish for many people at dinnertime.  This fact may help even a picky eater warm to the idea of breakfast for dinner.

Again, we can look at the frugal aspect of serving breakfast for dinner.  Eggs are an inexpensive source of protein and other nutrients.  Another frugal factor is in using leftovers.  Making a breakfast casserole can be a great way to use up food that might otherwise be thrown out.  That last serving of broccoli is sitting there staring at you day after day from the refrigerator.  Rather than throw it out, throw it in with the eggs and you have the beginnings of a breakfast casserole.

Need more ideas?  Say you had fajitas for dinner the other night and you have some strips of flank steak and peppers left.  No one really wants to see fajitas more than once in a week.  So, what else can you do with the leftovers so they don't end up in the trash?  Toss a breakfast casserole together with the steak, peppers, some shredded carrots, chopped celery, croutons and sage, mix in the eggs and you've got a totally different dinner.  You have saved yourself from tossing those leftovers and created an original meal just by adding eggs and a few carefully chosen ingredients.

Use a variety of fresh vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, kale, zucchini, cauliflower, green beans, and sweet potatoes, to create a wide selection of breakfast casseroles.  Add a layer of hash browns,  whole grain bread, croutons, or even cooked rice to the casserole.  Think of the flavors you like together, put them in layers in a baking dish, and bring them all together in one meal just by adding eggs.

If you are looking to cut back on how often you serve meat or poultry for dinner, a breakfast casserole may be the perfect dish.  Eggs are a great replacement for meat because they are protein-rich and cheap.  Adding milk and cheese to your breakfast casserole brings the calcium level up.  There's no reason to eat meat seven days a week when you have eggs that will do just as well.  Create filling casseroles using eggs several times a week and you could save quite a bit on your grocery budget.  And, there are plenty of options for ingredients to keep the casseroles interesting.

The next time you're looking for an inexpensive, filling, healthy meal for dinner, think about turning some of those familiar breakfast foods into dinner.  Eggs are an excellent solution to the problem of  what to serve for dinner that's healthy and frugal.  But, you don't need to fry up a few eggs for dinner.  Get creative with other ingredients and create a breakfast casserole that fits right in with your family's tastes.  We talk about comfort food a lot, right?  Well, what's more comforting than a frugal yet nourishing casserole?  It's time to think... what would you put in a breakfast casserole for dinner tonight?

Kid Friendly Breakfast Recipe Ideas

Create Kid-Friendly Breakfast Casseroles

Little ones can be picky eaters.  Creating dishes that are healthy that they will love, or even tolerate, can be challenging.  If most kids had their way, they would live on macaroni and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches day-in and day-out, forever.  Trying to get something with more nutrition in their diet can be, and often is, a battle.  And, it's a battle that we have to admit we are losing.

If you think of the one food your kids don't like, the food that you find left on their plate, it's probably vegetables.  For whatever reason, many kids resist eating vegetables.  It may be the color, or texture, or taste, or simply a stubborn belief that they won't like it if it's a vegetable.  Some kids claim they will never touch an egg.  If they see an egg on their plate, they'll go run and scream and hide.  Does giving in and pouring a bowl of cereal sound familiar?  If you want your kids to eat a hot, healthy, and filling breakfast filled with good wholesome nutrition, you might have to get more creative... okay, sneaky.  Here are a few tricks to get your kids to eat a better breakfast.

Puree the Veggies

Yes, hide the veggies.  Your kids don't need to know they are eating veggies and that you have won the battle.  You just want those veggies in your child's tummy.  Use a food processor to puree your chosen vegetables to add to your casserole.  Some of the best ones to add are cauliflower, carrots, cooked sweet potato, spinach, or a combination of different veggies. Pureed veggies will hide well in an egg, cheese, and meat breakfast casserole and can be combined in lots of ways.  Experiment with a variety of veggies to see what purees the best and goes over with your kids.

Use Fruits

Whether you are making a sweet recipe or a savory one, you can add either finely chopped fruit or pureed fruit to your breakfast casseroles. Children usually warm up to the idea of trying a new recipe if it is sweet, and by combining the sweet flavors with meats or cheese, you can produce that salty sweet flavor we all love, and so will the kids!  Here is one recipe you might want to try out on your kids:

Cheddar Bacon Apple Breakfast Casserole

2 cups biscuit or pancake mix
4 eggs
1 cup of milk (add more if needed to make a thick batter consistency)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 medium apples, cored and finely chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped and cooked crisp
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil or butter a 9x13 baking dish.  Then, in a bowl, mix together the biscuit mix, eggs, milk, and maple syrup until you get a batter.  Then add the apples and bacon and stir just until combined, then pour into the baking dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until the casserole cooks through and becomes firm and light golden brown around the edges.  You can substitute a variety of fruits for the apples, or a mix of fruits and berries.  Try chopped nuts instead of cheese to make another kid-friendly dish.

Skip the Strong Flavors

Some kids don’t like the taste of onions, celery, strong spices, or powerful herbs.  It's okay to go ahead and eliminate them entirely from a casserole recipe.  It just could be the thing that will help convince your kids that it's okay to eat it.  Using milder spices and herbs will still give your casseroles flavor and may keep your kids from turning their nose up.  Find flavors your kids enjoy in other foods and incorporate those carefully into your casserole in small doses. 

Turn Favorite Foods Into Breakfast Casseroles

Most kids love macaroni and cheese, so why not make it for breakfast?  You can make it the way you normally do, but add a few other favorites to the same dish.  If your kids like bacon and sausage, throw it in.  You can puree some veggies and sneak them into the cheese sauce before you mix it all together.  Pureed cooked carrots, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes work well.  With milk, cheese, and hidden veggies, you've got a well-rounded morning meal.  Use whole wheat noodles and top it all with finely chopped nuts for a real nutrition boost.  If your child is a big chili fan, go ahead and turn your breakfast into a chili-like meal.  If your child loves the stuffing at Thanksgiving, recreate those flavors in your breakfast casserole, even using croutons instead of bread for the base. 

There are lots of ways you can create kid-friendly breakfast casseroles.  Some of the ideas will require you get a bit tricky, while other ideas will just take turning ingredients you know your kids like into hearty breakfast dishes.  All it takes is a little imagination and your kids will soon be asking for one of your signature breakfast casserole dishes you created just for them!

Healthy Breakfast Recipe Ideas

Breakfast Casseroles With A Nod To Nutrition

Many savory breakfast casseroles contain meat, cheese, and, of course, eggs.  These are all very yummy, but if you are reducing or eliminating these foods from your diet, these dishes may not appeal to you.  However, the wonderful thing about breakfast casseroles is that you can substitute pretty much anything you want with something else.

This is one dish that prides itself on variety and versatility.  Get out that baking pan and let your imagination run wild.  You don't need bacon, ham, beef, sausage, Cheddar cheese, or even eggs in your breakfast casserole.  You can choose ingredients with your particular dietary needs in mind and create a recipe that's still hearty and delicious.  Here are a few ideas for ways you can make any breakfast casserole work for your personal dietary needs:

Leave Out the Meat

Or, rather than leave meat out entirely, you could reduce the amount of meat you use, or choose substitutes and varieties that suit your diet. If you still want the taste of meat and sausage without the fat, substitute turkey sausage and bacon for a leaner choice.  You'll also find plenty of veggie and soy based products on the market these days.  Fish and seafood are excellent alternatives.  Portobello mushrooms offer a texture similar to meat, and a lot of flavor, too.  Add herbs and spices to replicate the flavors you find in sausage and no one will complain.

Replace Egg Yolks with Egg Whites

We know that egg yolks are high in cholesterol, but did you know that yolks are also high in fat?  You can tweak your breakfast casserole recipe to substitute a couple egg whites for whole eggs.   You can even use all egg whites if you wish, or just throw in one yolk to get the color and the nutrients that the yolk has to offer.  Keep in mind that the egg whites actually have more protein than the yolk has.  Choosing to use more white than yolk will be a balancing act, so just decide according to your family's health needs.

Hello Veggies

Vegetables are a tasty, nutritious addition to breakfast casseroles. They give bulk, substance, and lots of color without adding a bunch of calories or fat.  Some people enjoy biting into nice chunks of  vegetables in their breakfast casserole.  But, if you’re trying to sneak vegetables past your picky eaters, throw the veggies in the food processor before you add them to your casserole and no one will be the wiser.

Good Bye White Bread

Many recipes call for bread as the base to a breakfast casserole. Skip the white bread and substitute whole wheat or multi-grain bread instead. Take it a step further and replace the bread with brown rice or quinoa.  Quinoa is an ancient seed that has gained popularity today because it is a gluten-free complete protein with lots of vitamins and minerals, as well as being a great source of dietary fiber.  Just about any breakfast casserole that calls for bread can be made with any of these healthier options.

Choose Cheese Carefully

Goat cheese, feta cheese, cottage cheese, and ricotta cheese are some of the best choices when it comes to choosing a cheese that is lower in calories or fat content.  Parmesan cheese is usually higher in fat content, but you have to consider it adds a lot of flavor in a tiny amount, and the calcium content is desirable, too.  Mozzarella cheese made from skim milk is lower in calories, but most of those calories come from saturated fat.  Of course, Cheddar cheese is delicious, but its buttery rich flavor comes with a high fat and calorie price tag.  But, again, a little sharp Cheddar goes a long way flavor-wise.  You have trade-offs to consider whenever adding cheese to your breakfast casserole.  The added nutrients of the cheese may be a good exchange for the fat and calories.  Review your family's dietary needs and then do the research and decide.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but not just any breakfast will do.  You don't have to turn to the old standbys for breakfast, either.  Try your hand at these healthier ideas for breakfast casseroles.  Throw one together tonight, stick it in the refrigerator, and tomorrow morning you and your family will be enjoying a filling, delicious, and healthy breakfast to start the day.