Tag: Recipes

Prepper Pantry Egg Muffin Bites
Prepping · Recipes

Prepper Pantry Egg Muffin Bites

Sarah

I was thinking about go-to breakfast meals for the boys this fall that I could make in advance. Then, they could grab and heat them up. But as I thought more about it, I decided to make them with prepper pantry staples to see how they turned out before I made them with fresh ingredients. Getting ideas in before fall and winter storms come is always good (with our generator, I can do quick baking if needed when the power is out).

But it also meant I didn’t have to go to the grocery store. I am 6 weeks today out from my arm injury, and while I am healing well, I still have issues with driving our truck. So, I have relied on Kirk to drive me to the store. It’s much better if I go “shopping” in our pantry, right? It’s a relief to know I have what we need on hand and that it’s shelf-stable. All our freeze-drying has been huge for me the past 6 weeks. I haven’t had to worry about getting most “fresh” products, such as cheese and vegetables.

Harvest Right is having a sale through August 2024. The prices are Black Friday worthy on Small, medium, and large models. Now, the freeze-dryers come with a starter pack of Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers as a bonus. Freeze-dryers are not cheap; they are a real investment. But as I often tell people, Prepping isn’t about the apocalypse. It’s more about weathering issues. An injury, a job loss, or even the high cost of food due to inflation. It’s having a more resilient life.

I have included links to our published freeze-drying tutorials in the recipe below.

If you don’t have a handy freeze-dryer, you can buy #10 cans of these items on Amazon, of course! Sausage, cheddar cheese, and dried eggs (follow the can’s directions for rehydrating, as dehydrated egg is different than freeze-dried, and uses more water).

Prepper Pantry Egg Muffin Bites

Ingredients:

Directions:

In separate bowls, soak the sausage in ½ cup of warm water for 20 minutes and the potatoes in ¾ cup of warm water for 20 minutes. Add ¼ cup water to the cheese, and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain any remaining water off.

If using freeze-dried or dehydrated eggs, rehydrate as noted, using a fork or whisk to mix well; add in the cheese and let sit for 20 minutes to hydrate fully. If using fresh eggs, whisk eggs and cheese together.

Lightly oil a 12-count non-stick muffin tin, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400°.

Sprinkle the potatoes evenly between the cups, then the sausage over it, pushing down gently.

Pour the egg mixture over.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top.

Enjoy warm, or pop out and chill for future breakfasts. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave.

Makes 12 muffins.

Notes:

Freeze-dried sausage is handy to have in the long-term pantry. As it is a fattier meat, you must cook it fully and then drain the grease when freezing-drying it. As with ground hamburger, I suggest a quick rinse with hot water to remove more fat. Then drain on paper towels. Then proceed for freeze-drying. If you don’t remove the grease, your freeze-dryer will need a major cleanup. I learned this the hard way so that you don’t have to…

To make instant hash browns at home, dehydrate bags of frozen or fresh ones sold in the dairy aisle. They don’t need to be freeze-dried, as they quickly dehydrate in hours. Store tightly sealed in a mason jar or mylar jar.

Use a bamboo or nylon spoon to pop the muffins out to avoid scratching your pan.

Protein Mini Cheesecakes
Recipes

Protein Mini Cheesecakes

Sarah

These protein-rich mini cheesecakes will help keep you full and satisfy a craving for dessert. It also works as a breakfast choice when you crave something creamy.

I used Choc Zero’s sugar-free maple syrup. Not only does it have no sugar added (it uses pure monk fruit sweetener), it is an excellent source of fiber, with 16 grams of it per serving.

Protein Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

  •  2 cups 4% cottage cheese
  • 5.3-ounce 5% unsweetened plain Greek yogurt*
  • ¼ cup sugar-free maple syrup
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, and place four 8-ounce ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

Place all ingredients, except for blueberries, in a blender. Process until smooth.

Divide equally between the four ramekins. I found it was about ¾ cup per ramekin.

Divide the blueberries between the bowls and gently stir in.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until just starting to turn golden and pulling back from the side of the ramekin.

Let cool on a rack, then chill in the refrigerator.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional stats per serving:

236 calories / 9 grams fat / 16.5 grams protein / 16 grams fiber / 8 grams sugar* / 28 grams carbohydrate

Notes:

For best results, use Greek yogurt that has no thickeners added. Fage is usually a good choice for a brand. Thickeners can break down in the baking and not work as well.

Use only fresh berries, not frozen, as they produce too much water while baking. You can leave the berries out if you wish. I had picked a big basket an hour before I got cooking, and the eggs, laid last night by my hens. Summer can be a good time on the homestead.

You can use real maple syrup; I did this for our sugar-free goals.

The sugar in the nutritional stats naturally occurs in dairy and blueberries. There is no additional added sugar.

~Sarah

Vintage Recipes: Apple Coffee Cake
Recipes

Vintage Recipes: Apple Coffee Cake

Sarah

We don’t use many processed foods in our house, but Bisquick baking mix is one item I keep on hand. I use it mostly for prepping purposes, but cycling through is a good idea, so periodically, I bake with it. With my arm injury now at a month out, I am able to work on the homestead again (with the boys helping me), so I have had less indoor cooking time. It’s probably a good trade-off, though. I’ve enjoyed getting sun once again, and working my plants. A quick cake sounded nice for dessert.

I came across a vintage recipe from the Mid-Century period. The flavors were not huge back then, so this is a basic recipe. I’d say it would have been improved by adding a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake. Maybe with oats in the crumble topping. It’s a good start, though, and the cake is moist due to the apple. It’s quick and easy to mix up; I quartered the apple, grated it to speed up the process, and left the peel on. I used a Honeycrisp apple as they are crisp and juicy.

This can be made with sugar alternatives, such as sucralose, to lower the sugar in the recipe. It won’t affect the flavor or texture.

Apple Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Bisquick Mix or similar
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 apple, grated

Topping:

  • 2 Tbsp Bosquick Mix
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly oil an 8×8″ glass baking pan.

Add the Bisquick, sugar, egg, and milk in a mixing bowl. Stir for 30 seconds, then mix in the apple.

Spread in the pan evenly.

In a small bowl, mix the topping, stirring the Bisquick, sugar, and cinnamon. Work the butter in with your fingers till crumbly.

Sprinkle over the cake.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, till a knife comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack.

~Sarah

Bread Machine No Sugar Sandwich Loaf
Recipes

Bread Machine No Sugar Sandwich Loaf

Sarah

My daily sandwich loaf recipe, which I use most days of the week, has one thing I do not like. It has sugar, and it’s not a small amount at ¼ cup per loaf. Yes, I know that isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but it adds up with each slice consumed.

I started poking around, trying to see if I could make life easier for myself and find a Zojirushi recipe I could use. Well, it was shocking there wasn’t one for the standard bread machines they make. I did find a recipe for what would have been a 1-pound loaf for their miniature bread machine. Looking at the recipe, I decided to try it and double the ingredients. It seemed solid, and the ingredients were cheap, so there was no loss if it failed.

It turned out great, as I figured it would since the ingredient ratio was close enough to my standard recipe. The only change is that I’d set the crust slightly darker next time. That had me wondering how much the sugar plays into the browning.

Without sugar, the bread has a nice tang from the yeast. It reminds me of simple peasant bread but with the softness of a sandwich bread.

Bread Machine No Sugar Sandwich Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 1½ cups water
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces (or avocado oil)
  • 530 grams of all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tbsp dry milk
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp dry yeast

Directions:

This bread recipe requires a bread machine that can make a 2-pound loaf. Some smaller machines don’t go this big, so be sure to check. Zojirushi bread machines warm the ingredients for you. Other brands use warm water instead, at the manual’s desired temperature, and stack the ingredients as called for the machine.

Add ingredients in the order listed.

Set a loaf on for standard white bread with a medium crust.

Check during the first kneading cycle to ensure everything is mixing and to see if you need to add a bit more flour (if the dough appears too sticky).

Once baked, remove it promptly and let it cool on a wire rack.

Once fully cooled, store in a sealed bread bag and use within two days for best results.

This slices well for freezing. We take out slices at night, put them in a sandwich box, and let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight for sandwiches.

Makes one 2-pound loaf.

~Sarah

Zojirushi Bread Machine: Chocolate Bread
Recipes

Zojirushi Bread Machine: Chocolate Bread

Sarah

It’s not a sweet bread but a fun take on the traditional sandwich loaf. Spread butter, peanut butter, and such on top for a lovely breakfast bread. Or get out of your rut and have a savory sandwich on it.

Chocolate Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1¼ cups milk*
  • 1 large egg, beaten*
  • 2½ Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 520 grams of all-purpose or bread flour
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Add to a Zojirushi bread machine in the order listed, starting with water and ending with the flour. Sprinkle the yeast on top, ensuring it doesn’t touch the liquid.

Set a loaf for standard white bread with a medium crust and, if needed, a 2-pound size.

Check during the first kneading cycle to ensure everything is mixing so the dough is slightly tacky to the touch.

Near the end of the kneading cycle, a set of beeps will alert you to add the chocolate chips. (Most bread machines have a setting to alert you for adding in items like dried fruit, nuts, and such,)

Remove after baking, and let cool on a rack before slicing.

Once fully cooled, store in a sealed bread bag and use within two days for best results.

Makes one loaf.

Notes:

Zojirushi bread machines warm the ingredients for you, while other brands use warm water instead, at the temperature called for, usually around 110*, and stack the ingredients as called for in the manual. Follow your machine’s manual. Items with * should be warmed up if using a standard machine. Let the egg come to room temperature before using.

~Sarah