Kid-Friendly Freezer Breakfast Burritos

We are in our second week of distance learning for the boys and I have found that I need to change my expectations. My days won’t provide as much independent time. We will all be exhausted and need more/longer breaks from screen time. And maybe the things we expect the kids to learn will have to shift a bit from strictly academic to more about how to take care of and be at home…a lot. As I’m making these shifts in my thought process, I’m finding that my quest for slower living just might be the silver lining I’ve been looking for.

One thing that hasn’t changed is my desire to streamline our morning routine. Starting the day feeling rushed or scattered always leaves me feeling exhausted before we’ve even eaten breakfast. Now that the boys are older, it has become clear that they 1) need a lot more than just a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and 2) can handle a little more independence in the kitchen. These freezer breakfast burritos are perfect because they offer a good, protein packed breakfast that they can simply pop in the microwave and eat!

Here are a couple tips:

• DO NOT wrap in foil! It is too easy for kids to forget to remove it and cause some kind of microwave disaster. Instead, wrap them in parchment to keep them from sticking together in the freezer and they are microwave safe!

• Let the kids pick what goes in the burritos. For us, the simpler the better (bacon, egg, and shredded cheese for one; just bacon and egg for the other).

• Don’t over fill! It can be tempting to fill the burritos until they are packed, but this will make it hard to wrap them and it is unlikely that younger kiddos will finish them.

• Don’t over cook your eggs before adding them to your burrito. They’ll be cooked a second time, so they should be a little wet and not completely cooked through when you assemble these, otherwise the egg filling will be super dry. Yuck.

This isn’t much of a recipe, but I hope it helps you spend some time with your kids in the kitchen! We love making these in the morning and enjoying them with a delicious smoothie. This one is a current favorite! I hope these make your mornings a little smoother, no matter what your school year looks like!

Kid-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

Makes 12 burritos

• 12 burrito sized flour tortillas

• 12 large eggs, beaten

• 6 slices thick cut bacon

Toppings (use any of them that appeal to you and your kiddos!):

• 1 cup shredded cheese

• diced peppers and onions

• green Chile sauce

• hashbrowns

• salt + pepper

1. Begin by heating a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp (but not burned!), about 4-5 minutes per side. (Timing may vary depending on the thickness of the bacon.)

2. While the bacon cooks, wrap your tortillas in a dish towel and microwave them for about 30 seconds to just warm them through. Keep them warm while you prepare the rest of your ingredients. This will make them easier to work with so they don’t tear. (this is a great task for kids of any age!)

3. Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate and set aside. When cool, cut or crumble the bacon and return to the plate. (kids are great bacon crumblers once the bacon is cool- but beware because they like to snack on it while they work!)

4. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Return pan to medium heat and add the eggs. Gently push the eggs around the skillet with a spatula until they are about 2 minutes from being cooked through. They should hold their shape but still have a bit of a glossy look to them. Do NOT overcook! The eggs will finish cooking when the burritos are heated in the microwave. (My 8 year old is a master egg scrambler, so he does this part.)

5. Transfer the eggs to a large plate and set alongside the bacon. Take out any additional toppings you plan to use and line everything up in this order: tortillas, eggs, bacon, cheese, peppers/onions, hashbrowns, green chile sauce. (kids can help here as well!)

6. Assemble the burritos by spooning some scrambled eggs down the center of the burrito, followed by any other ingredients you are using. To roll, the burritos, I found this tutorial to be helpful! (Let the kids pick their toppings but be sure to label them! I like to make separate bags for each of my boys so they know which ones are theirs.)

7. When the burritos have been rolled up, wrap them in a piece of parchment (I just wrap the middle, like a thick belt) before placing the cooled burritos in a gallon-sized freezer bag. When ready to eat, simply take a burrito out and set it on a plate. Microwave for 1 minute, then flip and microwave another 30 seconds. Let cool for a couple minutes and dig in! (Make sure to teach your kiddos how to safely use your microwave if you are giving them control over this part. AND teach them that the center of the burrito could be hot and that they need to wait before taking a ginormous bite!)