FREEZER FRIDAY - Breakfast Burritos

I have four kids, three of which participate in various sports and church activities. We try to keep their activities to the minimum but even so, they are plenty busy. With busy kids, it is very helpful to have something waiting in the freezer that is filling, nutritious and ready to go in minutes.

This is why, one day a week, I pick a recipe, triple it, prepare it and freeze it. It feels so good to have something that I can heat up in a hurry that isn't packaged and filled with additives. Not to mention the money I save versus all those pre-packaged snacks.

Family dinner is a priority in our house, but even so, these freezer snacks really come in handy to fuel them for their sports and tide them over until we can all meet up again for dinner. I notice a big difference in their performance when I give them a good snack before practice.

I found this Breakfast Burrito recipe in my friend Brenda's family cookbook. It was written by Jan McInnes whom I've never met but "THANKS JAN" for this recipe. I've tweeked it just a tad but I never would have thought to add the hash browns, yum!

Ingredients:

Tortillas at room temperature (burrito size) I use whole grain.
onion
one pacakge Canadian Bacon (or to your liking)
One package Frozen Hash Browns (thawed)
18 eggs
1-2 Cups Cheese (to your liking)

This makes about 24 small burritos

Directions:
Saute chopped onion and Canadian Bacon until onions are soft. Add the thawed hash browns, cook until dried out a bit.

Pour that mixture into a large bowl. Cook 18 scrambled eggs until dry (so they don't get soggy when frozen) and add them to the mixture. Let cool partially. Add grated cheese.

Whole grain tortillas tend to tear if you don't heat them up first. I heat up a stack of three or four on low in my cast iron skillet as I cook, flipping them occasionally and adding more as I work through the stack. You can also warm them in the microwave following package directions.

Roll into tortillas, place into a freezer ziploc bag and freeze. TA-DA!
To serve, cook in the microwave for one minute on each side.

Do you know how to fold the tortilla into a burrito?

Near where I grew up there was an awesome little burrito stand called Juanitas. People would be line up in the hot sun, 20 deep for a chance to buy these delicious burritos. I loved when it was my turn at the front of the line because it was fun to watch them fold the burritos. There hands flew over the tortillas and created this perfect little package of food. I would watch their hands like a kid watching the hands of magician, trying to discover their secrets so that I could make my own burritos. I never did completely master it, but I did pick up a few tips for folding a burrito:

• Don't over-fill, that is a rookie error we all make. The ratio of filling to tortilla is smaller than you think.

• Don't place your filling in the center of the tortilla. Place your filling slightly off-center so that you have room to fold over twice.

• Fold the tortilla over the filling, toward the center of the tortilla, tuck in the sides (tucking in the sides is where the advanced artistry comes in, when using extremely large tortillas, you form a bit of a "pleat"). Fold again in the same direction and you are done!

My husband and I like to add Chipotle Pepper Tabasco Sauce after we heat it up. It is yummy and is reported to boost your metabolism. (Whoop-whoop) I also add a handful of organic mixed lettuce leaves to mine, to up the nutrient content. I try to fit in my leafy greens anywhere I can. Juanita would probably not have approved.