A few month’s ago, I was at Sam’s Club when I saw this new product call Just Crack an Egg. They came in a 4-pack for what felt like kind of an ungodly amount of money and I thought the name could have used a little more workshopping (Them: “What are you eating?” Me: “Just Crack an Egg.” Them: “Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you…”), but as someone who struggles with breakfast and also loves Denver omelets, I decided to try them.
They were tasty.
Clunky name and cost aside, I had some reservations–the little pouch of vegetables looked and felt pretty slimy and gross, but tasted just fine (this is not an ad or review, by the way–just doing a public exploration of my feelings here). But I couldn’t get over how this little mix of veggies, ham, and cheese could possibly go for $3 a cup.
So I decided to make my own. And they were so easy and delicious and ridiculously cheap. My kids love them and my older kids can make their own (after going over appropriate safety measures like hand-washing, using hot pads, and not putting metal in the microwave–please don’t send the McJudgy Mommy Task Force after me. Although I am using a microwave, they’ve got me there.)
You’ll need shredded frozen hashbrowns, chopped onions, chopped green peppers (check the freezer section–I found them for $1 each at my Kroger!), shredded cheese (cheddar or pepperjack work great), and ham or cooked bacon or sausage.
Combine all the ingredients except the eggs in a small freezer-safe container (a snack-sized Ziploc bag works great) and freeze until ready to use.
When ready to use, grab two eggs
crack them into a microwave-safe bowl (or 1 egg and 1 egg white), season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk.
Add the potato/cheese/meat mixture
and stir to combine. Heat in microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring each time, until fully cooked (mine take about 2 minutes total cooking time) OR cook in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the eggs are cooked through. Serve immediately (if you use a microwave, be careful because the bowl will be hot.)
If you want to avoid the microwave and the microwave faction of the McJudgys, feel free to cook these in a skillet (non-stick sprayed with some non-stick cooking spray or with a little butter or olive oil, or a little more butter or oil in a cast iron skillet.)
Quick and Easy Meal Prep Egg Scramble Bowls
Description
You can make several of these pouches ahead of time and freeze them–when you’re ready, just crack a couple of eggs, stir in the pouches, and cook for a few minutes in the microwave or on the stove!
Ingredients
1/4 cup frozen shredded hashbrowns
1 tablespoon chopped onion (check the freezer section)
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper (check the freezer section)
2 tablespoons (1 large pinch) sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped ham OR crumbled, cooked sausage OR 2 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
2 eggs
Instructions
IMMEDIATE INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk 2 eggs in a microwave-safe bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the potato/cheese/meat mixture and stir to combine. Heat in microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring each time, until fully cooked (mine take about 2 minutes total cooking time) OR cook in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the eggs are cooked through. Serve immediately (if you use a microwave, the bowl will be hot.)
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients except the eggs in a small freezer-safe container (a snack-sized Ziploc bag works great) and freeze until ready to use.
When ready to use, whisk two eggs in a microwave-safe bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the potato/cheese/meat mixture and stir to combine. Heat in microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring each time, until fully cooked (mine take about 2 minutes total cooking time) OR cook in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the eggs are cooked through. Serve immediately (if you use a microwave, the bowl will be hot.)
Notes
You can make several of these pre-made pouches ahead of time–I made 10 for about $5 in ingredients, with potatoes, onions, and peppers left over!
I may be late to the game, but do you use fabric napkins? I love using mine, but I am crazy and sew my own up with fun fabrics for my kids. Have a nice day.
Gotta try it for breakfast tomorrow! Thank you for sharing!
Ok, have you heard of the boiling method? Super yummy and fun too! Take your baggie of cheese/veggies/meat and place the cracked eggs IN the bag, seal, and mash it around with your hands. Place in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Done! This takes a little more parent involvement and the McJudgers prob won’t jive with eating eggs out of a boiled Ziploc bag, but it’s so fun for camping! Plus… No dishes.
Great idea! I saw those at Walmart and thought they might be good for my kids and now I’m thrilled I can just make them myself!
Brilliant!! I’ve been looking for ways to stock my freezer and get more creative than just oatmeal every morning, so this will be perfect, thank you. Also? I totally laughed out loud at your publicly exploring your feelings comment ?
Awesome, thanks for sharing this!! I will put it to good use! I, like yourself, can not see spending the amount that they want for the “Just crack an egg” . Been wanting to try it, just can’t bring myself to spend that kind of money when I’m on a budget. Once again, thanks for sharing!! 🙂
★★★★★
Great idea! And I would hope no one would judge you, good grief. None of their beeswax. And how will their kids grow up to be self efficient and responsible if they don’t learn to cook and clean? Kudos to you! Great idea for a quick and nutritious breakfast!
★★★★★
These sound great… but the real gem of content here is your hilarious humor! I chuckled all the way through! Can you just send me a little humor nugget every morning to get me going??
This sounds like a perfect summer breakfast for my kids (along with microwave oatmeal and cereal) so I can lay around in bed and eat bon bons all summer. Judge away McJudgy moms. ?
Totally making these this week with the kids!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
My husband’s grandma taught me to make cheesy eggs that way. I’m allergic to eggs so it’s an easy way to make single servings for other people.
And I laughed about the McJudgy Mommy Task Force–they are sadly all too real, but they finally have a name!
This is genius!! Thank you SO much! I love this idea and I also appreciate the very entertaining commentary as well. You have a delightful sense of humor. Thanks for everything!
Can I just say that I love this!! I’m trying to come up with ideas for summer cooking lessons for my 6 and 8 year old, and this is perfect!
Now would be a good time to start saving recipes to a separate file for each of them, too! I made recipe books for my (now young adult) kids when they moved into their college apartments filled with their favorites (with extra detailed instructions). They loved them and still use them.
I LOVE this idea! Brilliant! Thanks!
Brilliant! Why did I never think of this? Thank you!
Fantastic idea! You know those packages of pre-cooked bacon? Could you just chop that up and then let the microwave (good grief do people actually have a problem with using the microwave??!) do the rest of the work when everything is combined?
Yep!! I used precooked bacon (2 slices per bag) when I ran out of ham while I was prepping these!
Or even faster, those bacon crumbles from
Costco! They are delicious.
Brilliant!!! ❤