Localicious: Gather the Troops for Quick Meal Prep

Home Sweet Home is the place where we share our laughs, our tears, our meals and of course our perpetual messes. If you’re anything like me, there’s at least one day each week that gets away from you and whatever plans you had for dinner slip away with it. The family is gathered ready to eat, the babes are on the verge of a meltdown, and a scramble to get food on the table ensues.

It’s days like these that I turn the day upside down, and we have breakfast for dinner. This switch-up lightens the mood and gets everyone excited. Breakfast foods go from zero-to-ready in a pinch, and everyone can pitch in to help.

Keep these recipes pinned to the fridge. The next time there’s no dinner in sight gather up your troops and have some fun with quick meal prep. Family members who can crack eggs and chop veggies can get to work. Activities like stirring, peeling bananas and sprinkling chia seeds are perfect for little helpers. Before you know it, the stress has disappeared, and dinner is on the table!

Scrambled Eggs

• 2 eggs per adult, 1 egg per child
• 1/2 cup chopped veggies per person
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 1 tsp olive oil for pan

Heat an electric skillet or put a frying pan on the stovetop at medium-high.

Crack eggs into bowl and whisk, mix in veggies and seasoning. Pour into skillet or frying pan. Stir until all egg whites cook and eggs become desired consistency.

If a mouthful of something delicious can bring a smile to your face, you have a lot in common with Erin and her daughters. Renata tries everything, and even seven-month-old Emilia gets a spoonful!

Blender Pancakes

• 2 eggs
• 1 banana
• 1 Tbsp fat (coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, nut butter)

Optional

• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• “greens” (These pancakes hide greens well! We use spinach, kale or microgreens.)

Heat an electric skillet or put a frying pan on the stovetop at medium-high heat.

In a blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour by the 1/4 cupful into the skillet or frying pan. Once bubbles start to appear on the surface flip pancake and cook until golden brown.

Alternatively, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the batter into a bar pan and bake for 15 minutes.

Fresh Fruit

• Any fresh fruit on hand, chopped

Top liberally with chia seeds, nut butter, cinnamon, pie spice, yogurt or anything else your family deems tasty. In general, I try to pair fruit with a fat or protein to balance out the sugars and make it a little more filling. My toddler loves to add the toppings herself, and I’m always sure to tell her what a good cook she is. Little things like this go a long way when your children are learning to explore new foods. Something as simple as letting them shake cinnamon over their meal gives them ownership and a much greater likelihood of eating a food item they might have been wary of previously.

Avocado Toast

• sliced bread
• avocado, 1/4 avocado per slice of toast
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Toast bread. Mash avocado with sea salt. Spread mashed avocado on toast. Eat as is or top with anything else that sounds good.

Also, as we enter spring, we’re coming into prime egg season. Try to make it a point stock up on local eggs if you can. Eggs purchased locally and fresh will store in the fridge for three to five weeks according to foodsafety.gov. Local eggs are more likely to come from chickens with a diet rich from foraging outside. These hens will pass the extra nutrients on in their eggs. Here are just a few of the egg raisers in Northern California:  Nickler Acres (Red Bluff and Chico Farmers Markets and Enjoy the Store in Red Bluff), Brush Arbor Farmstead (Cottonwood and Gather Redding Farmers Market), Pyramid Farms (Chico) and Olive View Farm (Anderson).

Localicious is a monthly column celebrating food in the North State. If you would like to suggest a food-related business or organization, email us at  localicious@northstateparent.com.