Picture this: it’s a quarter before 7 a.m. The bus leaves in 15 minutes, give-or-take. The kids’ lunchboxes sit open on the countertop, half-filled with necessary vittles for the school day. The dog stands skittishly next to the front door, repeatedly barking to be let out for his morning potty-break. The hallway next to the bedroom is a maze of discarded pajamas and sweaters, khakis, and t-shirts, since it took multiple tries for the kids to decide what to wear today. You’ve found your keys, wallet, work laptop, and even the bills you planned on mailing (yesterday), so the car’s been packed and is now running to clear that late-winter, early-spring frost or fog from the windshield. You’re just confident enough to think “I’m ready”—when you feel a tug on your sleeve.
“Daddy, what can I eat for breakfast?”
Oh, the full-body sigh of sudden realization! No cereals or yogurt until the after-work grocery run. No pastries or pop-tarts to quickly distribute as they walk out the door. Not even one measly packet of instant oatmeal remains in the pantry. What to do?
Moments like these have been all too familiar for me. My wife and I both commute to work, running in different directions around the same time, so it can be a bit hectic managing meal prep in-between the other morning chores. We have our system to make things easier, sure—leftovers for lunches, travel-ready foods for the car/bus—but even these can fail us sometimes. And that’s not even counting the after-school rush, either. No time for a sit-down meal in between Kindergarten recitals & rec soccer practice!
For these moments, we need something that beats our system. Something tasty. Something easy. Something FAST.
We need some SnackHacks!
These are a set of recipes we’ve used for quick, easy-to-make meals that win over our kids (and ourselves!) while staying on schedule. Some make great breakfasts, while others are more general on-the-go foods for any time of day. Best of all, each can be made with a few of our favorite Presto gadgets alongside standard kitchen gear.
Sunrise Surprise Muffins
Right off the bat, the Sunrise Surprise Muffin is my kids’ favorite recipe of the bunch. We can make this easy-bake pastry in record time by using the SaladShooter®, one of my personal favorite Presto tools. With a medley of shredded walnuts, coconut, raisins or cranberries, apple slices, carrots and lovely spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, these muffins are a soft, chewy treat that can give your morning the kick-start you need. Again, time-saving is the best part of the deal. Since the SaladShooter shreds through all the ingredients in seconds, you can have this huge hodgepodge of goodness ready to mix into your batter bowl in less than a minute. From there, it’s just about greasing up a muffin tin and baking for 20 minutes. You can load these into the oven, go do your morning workout & shower, then step out to the fruity, nutty aroma of freshly baked muffins. You can even sub in orange peel & almonds for some extra zest, too!
Mexican Breakfast Wraps
Another simple but oh-so-satisfying morning staple, the Mexican Breakfast Wrap takes a ton of the usual breakfast foods like bacon and eggs & puts a new, portable twist on them. The Presto star of the show this time is the Slimline® skillet, which gives us plenty of space to cook up our eggs, bacon, and green onions with melty Monterey Jack cheese. I like adding a bit of mild salsa and green chiles to the mix as well, though my kids usually keep the spicier toppings out of their wraps. What can I say, not all of us enjoy the same kick in the mouth early in the morning! From start to finish, you can use this recipe to mix up 4 wraps of wonderfully savory protein to enjoy at home or out the door.
Chocolate-Butterscotch Drizzle Popcorn
Here’s an easy winner for after-school snacking! All you need for this mix are some varieties of chocolate and butterscotch chips, a couple of plastic sandwich baggies (a near-constant in my home thanks to school lunches), and a popcorn popper with popcorn kernels. For volume and speed, you can’t beat the PopLite® Plus hot-air popper, able to pop up to 18 cups in less than 2 ½ minutes. While you pop, you can mix your chips with shortening in separate bowls, then microwave them in 30-second increments. Once both mixtures are finished, pour them into your sandwich bags and seal them shut, then cut off a corner of each bag with a scissors to form piping funnels. Now that your popcorn’s hot and ready, simply drizzle your chocolate-butterscotch topping all over the kernels and let cool for a sweet, crunchy treat.
Parmesan Zucchini Bites
For a change of pace, these veggie snacks pack quite a savory punch, and cook up quickly in an unconventional way. With 2 or 3 zucchinis, some olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt, you have everything you need to make this easy finger food in a traditional oven on a baking sheet. But we’re looking for fast solutions, not just tasty ones—so let’s kick things up a notch. For starters, we can slice those zucchinis with our SaladShooter slicing cone, then arrange them for baking on the Pizzazz® Plus rotating pizza oven. Since this device has upper and lower heating element controls, you can fine-tune your heat and timing to get your zucchini slices nice and crispy on top while not burning them on the bottom. The rotating tray of the Pizzazz Plus also cooks the slices evenly, meaning you’ll get consistent crunchy texture with every bite. Try these out for an easy, healthy, and portable meal alternative.
Nutty Chicken Bites
A twist on homemade chicken strips might seem a bit “nutty” as a choice for speedy meal prep—but bear with me here, because these chicken bites are fantastic. All you need is a simple oil deep fryer like the Presto FryDaddy®, some boneless chicken breast, peanuts, and some other simple kitchen ingredients. Once the oil heats up to 375 °F, you can fry each strip in merely a minute! Try these the next time your kids need a nugget fix.
Tasty Suggestions for Another Time
We've covered five of our favorite quick-and-easy recipes so far, but there are plenty more to be found over on the Recipes page. From soft and chewy Apple Zucchini Bread to delicious fried Seafood Pinwheels, Chicken with Cracked Pepper to Corn-on-the-Cob, you're sure to find a new favorite there. But for now, i'm out of time--gotta grab one of these meals and hit the road!