My name is Sarah and my blog is Will Run for Pasta which I started in July. I am currently saving up for a blog design because that will take less time than learning code myself, ha! I blog from beautiful Portland, OR about our life, our dog, my running, my husband not running (Mr. Won’t Run), and whatever else I feel like sharing. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (my favorite), Pinterest, and BlogLovin‘.
Hello Clark’s Condensed readers! I am so happy to be helping Katie this month and am excited to share something for her Copycat series. I got to know Katie through a blog conference Facebook group in October and then I had the fun chance to meet her in person in February. She really is just as sweet in person, as well as Forrest, and Jack is even cuter in person if you can imagine that! Thank you so much for letting me be here with you today!
To say that I am NOT a morning person is basically the understatement of the century. My husband, Mr. Won’t Run, would agree 110%. I will hit snooze as many times as possible, and then once or twice more after that.
It makes for a very rushed morning which is stressful and I’m really not sure why I do it, it’s not like I get good sleep during those additional 9 minute increments. There’s hardly enough time for a shower let alone time to come up with a cute outfit or do my curly hair the way I should.
Makeup? Barely. As in Bare(ly there) Minerals.
Breakfast? Coconut creamer with a little coffee as I rush out the door.
Makeup and Breakfast are each important in their own ways, and I personally feel better when I have done both. I’m not a fan of stress and drama so these rushed mornings day after day are starting to annoy me and it’s something I’m trying to change.
Why is so hard to change things even when you want to? Do I not want it bad enough? Do I just need to woman-up? I’m an adult; I should be able to just do it, right?
Well, until I become the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed type at 5am, I need some breakfast options of the grab-and-go variety; something I can eat on the way to work or when I get to work. I don’t realistically see myself getting up early to cook, and if I tried to use the stove before the coffee kicked in I’d probably burn down the apartment building and my neighbors wouldn’t like me very much after that.
There is a McDonalds nearby and I do love their breakfast sandwiches, but that would mean leaving earlier which means getting up earlier and I think we all know that’s not going to happen! Swinging by the drive-thru can also start to add up in the way of money AND calories so it’s not the best option for my wallet or my health.
So what’s a girl to do? Homemade Egg McMuffins, that’s what! I started making these a few years ago and we love them. A little bit of advance planning and you can have grab-and-go breakfasts prepared for the week. These are so easy to customize any way you want to, and can work out to be pretty cheap depending on what ingredients you use and where you buy. I have a hard time calling this a recipe since it’s mostly just assembly, but here’s my Copycat version of the McDonald’s Egg McMuffin:
Homemade Egg McMuffins
What you need:
· 12 Eggs
· 12 English Muffins
· 12 Slices of Cheese
· 12 Slices of Canadian Bacon
· Butter (Optional)
· Jelly (Optional)
· 2 Muffin Top Pans
What you do:
Split the English Muffins and butter one or both halves (I did one side on this batch), lay them out on a baking sheet and broil about 5-10 minutes to toast them – ovens vary so watch closely so you don’t burn them all in one shot! (Butter is optional but if you want to use jelly I recommend it, see jelly notes below.)
While those are toasting, crack an egg into each spot on the muffin top pan. You can leave the egg whole if you want to, scramble it up first, or just break the yolk to flatten it which is what I prefer.
Once the English muffins are toasted drop the oven down to 350°F and then bake the eggs for 10-15 minutes (see pan notes below). Look how cute the eggs are!!
They pull away from the edges and slide right out so it’s a breeze to clean. I did use some coconut oil cooking spray but I’m not even sure you need that with these pans.
While the eggs are cooking I get the meat and cheese ready. If you’re using Canadian Bacon they come in nice round slices, but for this batch I had ham from Costco so I used a cup to cut out rounds. My Tillamook cheese is square and I cut that into rounds as well. You don’t have to, but I like to so it’s neater. I typically use the leftover pieces of ham and cheese for a scrambled egg dinner that week.
Once the eggs are done it’s time to build your sandwiches:
Yep, I ran out of jelly. But how adorable are these? Something about all those same sized circles stacked up makes me so happy!
I wrap each one in a paper towel and stick them in a Ziploc bag and into the fridge. We just grab one out each morning, microwave it for 25 seconds or so and then eat it in the car on the way to work.
Notes:
Pans – You do not have to use the muffin top pan but I find it to be the perfect size. A whoopie pie pan works well, and lots of people use a standard muffin pan, you could also bake them in ramekins. Baking times will vary depending on what pan you’re using and how thick the egg ends up being so feel free to play around with whatever pans you already own.
Jelly – We love adding jelly to our sandwiches for that sweet/savory combo. If you do though, be sure to butter that side of the English muffin before toasting it. It helps create a barrier so the jelly doesn’t soak the bread. Some of you may have noticed that I messed up my assembly on this batch and the buttered half went on the bottom. It made for some soggy bread. You could also layer it differently and put the jelly between the meat and the egg, or just add jelly when you eat it if you’re feeling like it. Be careful when re-heating, the jelly can get hot and make the sandwich slippery so if you’re eating it in the car on the way to work, bite with caution!
Quantity – You can make however many you want, it doesn’t have to be 12. I do 12 because that is breakfast for both of us Mon-Fri and then we usually eat one freshly made so it just works out perfectly to do a full dozen.
Freezing – I just make a week at a time and keep them in the fridge so I have never tried freezing these but others have. They typically say to assemble them all and stick in the freezer for an hour to flash freeze and get rid of some moisture, then wrap them up and stick back in the freezer. They also say that re-heating them in the oven is tastier than the microwave.
I typically have an audience when I make these. I feel bad eating it in front of Koko so she usually gets a little treat. How could I resist, right?
So what do you think? Would you make these? Do you already make them?
Leave a comment below to let Katie and I know, I would also LOVE to hear about your other favorite to-go breakfast solutions, I need all the ideas I can get!
Katie is a Colorado-native, BYU graduated, and most importantly, wife to one and mother to three beautiful boys. She is passionate about sharing her experiences with others - especially about pregnancy, breastfeeding, cooking, and crafts. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She loves spending time with her family and helping others find joy in family life.
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Thanks, these turned out great!
So glad!!
Great recipe, Sarah! Will be making this soon. I love the idea of freezing them. If I have to eat another bowl of oatmeal I think I will puke!