Coconut Caramel Smoothie

This smoothie was for breakfast, but definitely suggested dessert. The coconut was light and the caramel felt like a treat. Whenever bananas are on their way out I chop them into chunks and freeze them. They make smoothies so creamy. I kept it as simple as possible for a breakfast, but would also love this with a touch of chocolate or coffee.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie

Coconut Caramel Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 serving

1 frozen banana
1 1/4 cup coconut almond milk
1 cup ice cubes
6 oz coconut Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons caramel ice cream topping + 1 teaspoon for garnish

Directions:

In a blender, add in the banana, coconut almond milk, ice, and yogurt.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Add in the caramel sauce. Blend again. Pour in another drizzle of milk, if needed.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Pour into a cup, and drizzle with caramel. Enjoy!IMG_6135

SO good! It was sweet, but so delicious. The banana, the yogurt and the almond milk made it filling while the caramel made it delightfully special. And if we’re being real, sometimes that’s exactly what a Tuesday needs.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie

Blueberry & Cream Cheese Pastry

I pretty much always want savory for breakfast but on the eve of a snow day, I flipped to the other side and made this super easy breakfast pastry. I saw this lemon-cherry one on Pinterest and thought: sign me up, I’m no baker, I do not need to make pastry dough. Puff pastry sheets for the win! I also had a ginourmous bag of frozen blueberries, so it seemed a great use for the frozen ones.

The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry

Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry (for 4-6 servings)

adapted from Peas & Peonies
Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted to room temperature
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water
6 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice (or orange juice)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees, and bring cream cheese and puff pastry to room temperature. (I put my cream cheese on defrost in the microwave for a minute to speed it up).
In a medium pot, heat the blueberries, honey, and a splash of water (about 1/4 cup) to a simmer. Then add in the cornstarch and water mixture. Cook for a few minutes until thick, then remove from the heat.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
In a mixer or with a hand mixer, whip the cream cheese and sugar together. Scrape the sides down and ensure it is well combined.
Roll the puff pastry a bit so it is 1/4 inch thick, or a little less and lay it onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, or onto parchment paper. Spread the cream cheese onto the middle of the pastry. Mine had been folded in 3rds and I used the lines as a reference.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Make cuts into the puff pastry on either side of the cream cheese. I made mine about 1″ wide from the exterior edge towards the filling. Spoon the berry filling on top of the cream cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Fold the puff pastry cuts across the filling, alternating sides at an angle.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
When you’ve gotten almost to the other end, repeat for the 4 end-most pastry “tabs” then resume from the other direction to overlap and close it all. This means that 3/4 way down the pastry there will be some overlap, but otherwise it won’t be closed.
The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Bake for 25-minutes, or until fully golden brown. Let it cool before icing.
While it cools, mix confectioners sugar, milk, and lemon juice with a fork for the glaze.
When the pastry is cool, drizzle the glaze over the top. The Three Bite Rule - Blueberry & Cream Cheese Breakfast Pastry
Slice & enjoy!

I loved this! I only took a few liberties from the other recipe. I made my filling partly to have it less sweet, a bit less sugar, and because it felt easy-enough. I used a little less cream cheese filling as I wanted the ratio to be more 3:1, fruity with a touch of creamy. Also, I have no idea what crescent dough sheets are. It sounds delightful but I’ve never seen that in the store before.

Let’s chat microwaves. Do you have a good defrost function? My current microwave has an excellent one called “inverter turbo defrost” (said with a deep, deep voice). It was great to gent-ly soften the cream cheese. Otherwise, breakfast might have taken forever! I’d whip this up again. It was quite easy and looks cute. I could have made the berry filling, cream cheese mixture, and glaze in advance for an even quicker assembly, but slow and un-rushed is what snow days are for, right?

Hashbrown Bake

This weekend was another family holiday get together and the food was endless. I mixed up these hashbrowns so I could prep ’em in advance, and pop ’em it into the oven when we got breakfast going. These are ideal before hosting breakfast or brunch! It was perfect to be out of the way while Mr. J whipped up eggs for our party of 5 adults and 3 kiddos.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake
I made one in a 12″ circular pan and another 9×9 for the freezer. A 9×13 would work too!

Ingredients:

1 pound of hashbrowns (defrosted only for a few minutes, able to be broken apart a bit)
1 small white onion, diced
1 can cheese soup
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups cornflakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees (if serving immediately).
Saute onions in a little olive oil until translucent and cooked through.
Stir together the soup, sour cream, and 1/4 cup of the butter.
Add in the hashbrowns, cheddar, and onions. Then stir well.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake
Pour into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Press down a little to make it even.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake

(If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate. To serve, add the topping and bake in the next few days, or cover and freeze.)

If baking and serving right away: melt the other 1/4 cup of butter, and mix in the cornflakes. Stir and spread over the top of the potatoes.
Bake for 40 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Hashbrown Bake
I liked this for the cheesy factor and the crunchy topping. I’m glad there’s one stashed away! This 12″ dish was more than enough for the 5 adults. This would be fun in a bunch of individual ramekins for each person.

Pumpkin Filled Cinnamon Rolls

November passed before I got to eat enough pumpkin foods so I kept it going into December. This was super fast…unless you were to make your own cinnamon roll dough. If you’re likely do that then you can just skip past this. If a 5 ingredient bfast is up your ally then, you’re in the right place!! Welcome. Grab some coffee. Snuggle up.

The Three Bite Rule - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Roll tube with frosting
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees (according to your cinnamon roll packaging.
Mix together the pumpkin, cream cheese, and pumpkin pie spice.
The Three Bite Rule - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Mix well using a hand mixer or spoon.
The Three Bite Rule - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Spoon into a plastic bag into one of the corners. Snip off the tip and squeeze down. Squirt into the cinnamon rolls nudging the point to get the filling really into the cinnamon roll. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and add the filled rolls in.
The Three Bite Rule - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Bake 10-12 minutes, according to the package.
The Three Bite Rule - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Frost & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
These were delicious! The pumpkin cream cheese filling was light, but so much more than regular cinnamon rolls. I almost mixed some apple cider into the frosting. Would that be too much? I don’t know. I could easily be convinced.

Nutella & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

This was pretty fun for a Friday breakfast. To be honest, I reallllly wanted to pick up a bagel on the way to work but ate this instead. It didn’t quite hit the spot since I was trying to make myself want this sweet breakfast. Nutella does a pretty good job at making me forget other ideas, but it just wasn’t a toasty everything bagel. I know, I know, this was a better choice so let’s meet it where it is: this is a healthy-ish breakfast with some fun toppings.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats with Nutella & PB

Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup coconut almond milk
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1-2 tablespoons peanut butter, melted
1 tablespoon nutella
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Mix together the oatmeal, milk, yogurt, and flax seeds. Then divide into 2 bowls or containers with covers.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Slice banana and lay over the top.
Refrigerate overnight.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats with Nutella & PB
In the morning, top with melted peanut butter, nutella, and walnuts.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats with Nutella & PB
Enjoy!

I might not add the banana overnight again…that’s personal preference. The melted pb with the oats and the crunchy nuts was a good combo.

 

Overnight Oats with Blueberry Sauce

I’m jumping on board the over-night oats bandwagon- it might have been pulling out of the station but I caught it just in time. I saw some tips to make better overnight oats and was thinking I should give them a go. Who doesn’t need a fool-proof healthy breakfast? Also, this is all about the toppings which I can totally get on board with- despite never getting jazzed about oatmeal.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

It has to be Old Fashioned Oats and you need 2x the liquid as the oats. I made 2 servings to see how it was. Spoiler: loved it. I foresee all the possibilities. I also might mix up some mini ones to be dessert for when I’m craving that sweet-treat.

Ingredients:

Serves 2
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons flax seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup yogurt
1 cup coconut almond milk (or any milk you like)
1 cup blueberries (+more for topping)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Toppings: a few blueberries, chopped fresh pineapple, coconut, nuts, or whatever you like.

Directions:

Mix  together the oats, flax seeds, honey, brown sugar, yogurt, almond milk, and divide into 2 bowls/jars/containers and cover.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Let sit overnight.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
In a small saucepan, cook blueberries, honey, and cornstarch over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes. Cool and store until serving.
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats
Top with blueberry sauce, blueberries, pineapple & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Overnight Oats

I loved these! I think 2 was a good start. I don’t always want a million servings to eat the same thing every day. I was very into the alternating textures of the oats vs the blueberry sauce vs the fresh blueberries vs the acidic pineapple. I think my next one might be more nut/toasted coconut/nutella.

I know mason jars are cute, but bowls or containers seem way easier to eat out of. I also fully endorse mixing it all up and then letting it sit. The mason jar & the layers would be more instagram-able but the ratio and texture is better when mixed.

See ya after vacay!

Biscuit Cups & Sausage Gravy

There are so many breakfasts to share with you! This one is a few weeks old but I was trying to spread them out (there’s still another to post!)! For Dad’s bday I made sausage gravy with biscuit cups. They were so fun and there’s very little cooking involved! I made mini ones to join the many other brunch items being served. They were tasty and just so cute! Make the biscuits in advance and the sausage can be made ahead too!

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage Gravy in Biscuit Cups

Ingredients: Makes 20 mini biscuit cups

1 package of 10 biscuit Juniors
1 package of breakfast sausage, with the casing removed
1 package country gravy
(milk according to the gravy)
1 cup coffee

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Flip a mini muffin tin upside down and spray with non-stick spray.
Pop the biscuits open and carefully divide each in half. Lay each half of a raw biscuit onto an inverted muffin well and skip every-other one so they don’t run together.
Bake for 4-5 minutes in two batches.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage Gravy in Biscuit Cups
Pan fry the sausage. Cook through and drain the grease.
Prepare the gravy according to the package in the pan from the sausage. Reduce the milk called for by 1/4 and substitute with coffee. Add in lots of cracked black pepper then the sausage.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage Gravy in Biscuit Cups
Serve and enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage Gravy in Biscuit Cups
They were really cute! I liked the gravy to get spiced up a bit since I didn’t make it from scratch. Keep an eye on those biscuits! As halfsies they cook quickly. They’d work well with jumbo ones on a regular size muffin pan too.

What I Ate: Breakfast Sandwich on Texas Toast

I took my Mom for a birthday breakfast at a spot between us and knew I couldn’t turn down their breakfast sandwich special. It was on Texas toast which seemed so fun! I kept these quite simple as egg & cheese for a meat-less weeknight dinner with some tots in the toaster oven.  I’d totally make these bfast sandwiches again and load them up with tomato, bacon, spinach, or whatever.
The Three Bite Rule - Texas Toast Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients: (per sandwich)

2 pieces of Texas toast
1 egg
1 slice cheddar
(add in bacon/sausage/spinach/sliced tomato/etc)

Directions:

Toast the Texas toast according to the package.
Fry and egg. Flip it and add the cheese. Reduce the heat and cover with a pot cover to melt.

The Three Bite Rule - Texas Toast Breakfast Sandwich
I like the yolk to run and this doughy toast is perfect to soak it all up. Tots in the toaster oven meant dinner was QUICK and didn’t heat up the whole house. The little one gobbled some up for his 2nd dinner. The babe is a carb-lover so he’d be happy with bites of Texas Toast the next time I toast up the remaining pieces. One would be plenty so an open-faced one would be nice too.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Stuffed French Toast

I lean savory for breakfast 99% of the time but then I got this pb + nutella + french toast in my head and just couldn’t shake it. “I mean I could but why would I want to” . Sorry, that part of the song gets stuck in my head so I figured I’d stick it in yours.
The Three Bite Rule - PB Nutella French Toast

The easiest way to stuff french toast is to make a sandwich, and french-toast-ify it. Yup, that’s a thing. I made this for breakfast on Father’s Day..though it was just Mr. J and me for bfast. The little guy slept until 9:45am that Sunday. We’re so lucky. Normal is a bit more like 8am, which is also lovely. This was such a fast breakfast to make. It doesn’t even need to be a special occasion!

Peanut Butter & Nutella Stuffed French Toast (for 2)

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread (I used oatmeal bread)
4 tablespoons of peanut butter
3 tablespoons of nutella
2 tablespoons of butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup (plus more for serving)

Directions:

Assemble the peanut butter and nutella sandwiches.
The Three Bite Rule - PB Nutella French Toast
Preheat a large skillet or griddle pan to medium heat and add in the butter.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, extract, and maple syrup.
Dunk each sandwich into the egg mixture, flipping once, to fully saturate.
The Three Bite Rule - PB Nutella French Toast
Pan fry in the butter, flipping once to fully cook each side.
The Three Bite Rule - PB Nutella French Toast
Serve with more syrup and enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - PB Nutella French Toast
We enjoyed this on the deck with coffee (and the baby monitor) on a beautiful morning. I love these two flavors together and thought it was a really great treat. It fueled us up before an adventure to pick strawberries. Yum.

The Three Bite Rule - PB Nutella French Toast

Sleepy Pigs in Blankets

These are pigs in blankets minus the hot dog. This hardly warrants a recipe, but these are easy, delicious, and fun to serve. What else is there? Serve with some fruit and you have instant breakfast.
The Three Bite Rule - Sleepy Pigs in Blankets

Ingredients:

maple breakfast sausage links
crescent rolls

Directions:

Pan fry the sausages until cooked through. (Do this prep the night before for an even faster breakfast!)
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Pop open the roll of crescent rolls. Gently unroll the triangles and lay a sausage link onto the wide end.
The Three Bite Rule - Sleepy Pigs in Blankets
Roll the dough around the sausage and keep rolling to the point.
The Three Bite Rule - Sleepy Pigs in Blankets
Bake according to the crescent roll package, 9-12 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup for dipping. Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Sleepy Pigs in Blankets
I love these. I made them awhile back for a group brunch and loved them for the a) ease and b) crave-ability factor. I made these again and they were a hit. The little one had already had breakfast and then sat with us and gobbled a few bites and then ate a whole one himself.