Make and Freeze Breakfast Burrito

Working moms know one of the best ways to save some money  through the week is to pack your own lunch.  It's not glamorous and can often get repetitive but it beats forking over $12 for tacos from the food truck or $8 for a sandwich from the sandwich place around the corner on a regular basis.   I am a fan of packing leftovers for lunch but a recent change to my work hours is making packing my lunch a tiny bit more challenging. 

I've started working an earlier shift (like most people are still in bed kind of early shift).  The hours work great for me, I'm an early riser already and it gives me plenty of time at home in the afternoons to get stuff done (especially important with a spouse that works on a shift rotation of several weeks away at a time).    The downside is lunch - my lunch break takes place mid morning, too early (I have discovered) for me to have dinner left overs every day - my body just isn't prepared to handle dinner left overs that early in the day.   This means I need to develop a whole menu of make and freeze meals to prepare on the weekends.  My most recent make and freeze meal:  Breakfast Burritos

This idea actually came from buying a couple of  frozen burritos at the grocery store to have on hand for those early mornings where I am running behind.  The store bought ones were ok, and made me realize I could easily make my own. 

Make and Freeze Breakfast Burritos

Here's what you need  

• 1 cup (approx), I used a mild italian sausage it comes unformed (not in a patty or link) so it is great for burritos
• 2 cups of frozen hashbrowns, I like the ones that are cut into tiny squares 
• 6 eggs 
• 2 tbsp (approx) 
• 1/4 grated cheese
• salt and pepper (season potatoes or eggs as desired)
• 5 tortillas
• 5 squares of tin foil (for wrapping the burritos)

Here's what you do:

In a large frying pan cook up the sausage, when cooked remove from pan and let cool on a paper towel to absorb the extra grease and fat.  Using the same pan cook the hashbrowns.  My pan had enough grease from the sausage to prevent sticking but you may need to add some butter or oil to the pan to prevent that.  I added some cut up green pepper to my potatoes as well for extra flavour.  Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the pan and let cool. 

In a bowl mix your eggs and milk.   Add extra grease/butter to your pan and then add the eggs.  Scramble, season with salt and pepper if you want.   It's best to make sure your eggs are not liquidy  or runny.  They need to be very dry so that your tortillas aren't soggy.  Let your eggs cool in the pan. 

Once everything is cool, it is time to prepare. 

Burrito Prep Station!

Place your tortillas on the tin foil and dived the potatoes, sausage, and egg evenly between them.  Top with cheese. 

Rolled, and Ready to Roll.

Roll tortillas.  It's best to look at the back of your tortilla package to get the rolling right (if you don't already know how).  Once your burrito is rolled, wrap tightly using the tin foil.   You could probably roll using something else, like waxed paper but I find the foil helps keep the roll together and keeps the burritos fresher in the freezer. 

Store your burritos in a ziplock bag in the freezer, if you are making a few batches use a sharpie to write what kind of burrito it is or don't label and let it be a surprise! 

Ready to Freeze: Labelled so I know what I am grabbing!

At work, unwrap the burrito (obviously as a working mom you know not to put tin foil microwave).  Reheat in a microwave for about 2 minutes.  

Breakfast burritos are customizable - add some chopped veggies to your potatoes, use black beans or bacon instead of sausage, add salsa (this can make the burrito a bit wetter though so play around with the amounts, or maybe just serve with salsa on the side).  Be creative!