Having a hot breakfast on a busy weekday morning is not a luxury. It can actually be much more affordable than cold cereal and instant waffles, and way more sustaining. You’ll no doubt hear more of this in days to come, but our household is paring way down on our grocery bill, learning to feed four growing boys on a tight budget…and enjoy it too.
A crustless quiche is great to have on hand, as it freezes well, and is versatile for a variety of ingredients. I like to make mine in full and mini size muffin tins, which in turn leads my family to call them quiche pucks. Appetizing, I know. But, they do make super portable, easy to heat breakfasts for the whole family. Oh, and it’s low carb and gluten free!
18 eggs, beaten
3 cups half and half
6 cups shredded cheddar and jack cheeses
1 tsp. basil
2 cups ham or other meat (This is a great way to use up leftover ham!)
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
*Some additions to consider:
Tuna:
4 cans of drained tuna + 2 (20oz) packages frozen peas (thawed and drained) + 2 tsp. horseradish + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
(leave out ham, but keep the basil)Spinach and Feta:
2 (10 oz.) pakceges frozen chopped spinach, (thawed and drained) + 3 cups feta cheese
(leave out ham, take out 3 cups shredded cheese, keep basil)
Combine all ingredients, and fill *greased* muffin tins 3/4 full. The quiches will rise substantially in the oven, but fall once cooled. You can check with a toothpick to be sure the quiches are done and set.
375F for 25 minutes in full size muffin tin.
375F for 20 minutes mini muffin tin.
Makes 3 dozen muffin size quiches or 9 dozen mini muffin muffin size quiches.
*Quiches can be stored in a single layer in container and frozen or refrigerated. Reheat in microwave or oven. (It helps to defrost the night before!)
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so timely! I was just telling my husband that I needed some more quick, protein-rich breakfast ideas. When kids are home for school, it is not fun to hear, “I’m hungry!”every 20 minutes! Thanks!
Mmmm, trying this! Thanks for sharing:)
Noel and I find making a grocery budget to be like a ‘game’. We seriously get excited when we underpurchase and get to put the money towards the next week:).
Eggs (in all their variations), oatmeal (also varied) and homemade waffles (which also freeze very nicely and toast up perfectly) have been great standbys for us.
Frozen waffles is something we just started doing too! I love when saving money is fun and not a chore.
Made ahead mini quiches got me through my most recent pregnancy. Why did I stop keeping them on hand? I don’t know! I need them now more than ever because breastfeeding a baby demands a lot from a busy mama!
Oooh, I like the first pic! Gonna make these soon…I was needing some breakfast ideas.
What a great idea! We have 5 hens that we got last spring so we have eggs galore around here. I’ll have to try this soon.
Mary-I’m so envious that you have fresh eggs all the time!
I love that you posted about this…we started making mini quiche’s this winter to add a dose of protein to our high carb breakfasts. And I’m excited to try your recipe…sounds yummy! If I ever get around to posting pics/recipe from months ago I’ll be sure to pass it your way
Great idea! I need lots of good protein ideas for these hungry boys. These would make great snacks too. I just used my eggs for 36 breakfast burritos, but next shopping trip I’ll be putting these on my menu. Thanks for sharing!
Ruth-
You’re brilliant! We love eggs but this is a great idea for making them portable and also a fun twist on an old favorite. Miss you guys!
Thanks, Ruth! And I’m excited to hear about the budget thing! We really want to cut down on our grocery bill!
Hi Ruth – these sound great! This may sound like a funny question, but do you grease the muffin cups first? I would hate to not ask and find out the hard way that I should’ve…
Yes! Yes! I’m a terrible recipe writer. You GREASE the muffin cups first! Thanks, Susan!
Thanks for posting this Ruth. I needed a good breakfast idea to have on hand on the weekends when the boys are home. Please keep us posted as to your grocery budgeting as I could use some MAJOR cut backs with my 4 boys.
This morning I made just a few (only had a dz eggs) but these were a BIG hit. All my guys were exclaiming and wanting me to “keep that recipe”. To make it easier for me I just put the cheese in the greased muffin cup, topped it with bacon, and poured the egg/cream mixture over it. Worked great! Next time I’ll make the ham and cheddar and some bacon, swiss, and onion. Oh yum!! Thanks my dear friend!
Keep posting your money saving tips, I think lots of us are trying to manage our grocery budget a bit more carefully. Hugs to you and all of yours!
Linda–bacon, swiss, and onion sounds amazing!! Yes, alternatively, I have spooned the egg mixture over the cheese and fillings. It works well, too!
I’ve recently gone wheat-free due to digestive problems…and having been a cereal girl all my life, it’s been a bit hard to find other easy breakfast options. I LOVE your idea of doing the eggs in the muffin tin…will definitely try it!
I am so excited to try this! I feel like making and cleaning up a hot breakfast can take half the morning. This sounds like a great way to have hot breakfast ready to go a day or two in advance.
This is great I was just gonna make a huge 18 egg quiche and pick at it throughout the week as a snack the cup cake style just blew my simple primal mind
Made these (finally)… used green chili sausage, peppers and onions and also roasted red peppers and ham. They are being referred to as man piea. Delish!
Oh that sounds delicious, Toni!