Pumpkin French Toast Bake with Cream Cheese Glaze #BrueggersBunch

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Bruegger’s Bagels, but all content is 100% my own.

Fall is in the air and pumpkins are everywhere! Pumpkin decor is lining the store shelves, and pumpkin-flavored foods and drinks are in every aisle of the grocery store and in every restaurant. It’s a booming business, and consumers are loving it!

I am not one of those people who obsess over all things pumpkin flavored. I prefer just a hint of pumpkin flavoring with minimal spice, but it seems like most things are more heavily flavored. When I can’t find what I want, sometimes it’s just easier to make it myself!

French Toast is one of our favorite breakfast foods, so I came up with a delicious pumpkin french toast bake with a pumpkin cream cheese glaze, inspired by the pumpkin bagels and pumpkin cream cheese that Bruegger’s Bagels is currently offering through Thanksgiving. Both are lightly flavored, which is exactly what I like. The end result is delicious pumpkin french toast that tastes just like a freshly baked pumpkin roll!

I promise. It's THAT good!

Pumpkin French Toast Bake with Cream Cheese Glaze

INGREDIENTS:

French Toast Bake

• 1/2 dozen Bruegger's Bagels pumpkin bagels
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tub (6.5 oz) of Bruegger’s Bagels Pumpkin Cream Cheese, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp vanilla almond milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.

3. Chop the 6 pumpkin bagels into 1 inch pieces and place in the baking dish.

4. Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla almond milk, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

5. Pour the egg mixture over the bagel pieces, and gently mix to make sure all pieces are covered.

6. Place in fridge for 15 minutes.

7.Meanwhile, mix the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and softened butter until it is blended and crumbly.

8. Take the baking dish out of the fridge and spoon the brown sugar mixture over the top.

9. Bake for 50 minutes.

10. While it’s baking, prepare the glaze. Mix the softened pumpkin cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla almond milk until blended.

11. When the french toast bake comes out of the oven, immediately spoon the pumpkin cream cheese glaze over the french toast bake.

ENJOY!

Not only is Pumpkin French Toast Bake quick to prepare, but it’s also a crowd pleaser! It has the perfect hint of pumpkin flavoring, and the cream cheese glaze is a delicious alternative to syrup. If your family loves pumpkin, this recipe is destined to be a hit!

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Breakfast Made Easy On Busy Mornings #BrueggersBunch

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Bruegger’s Bagels. All thoughts expressed here are 100% my own.

Mornings in my home during the school year can only be described as incredibly busy! We have six family members waking up and eating breakfast at five separate times, and leaving the house at four different times. From the time the first person wakes up until the last person runs out the door, it’s a whirlwind!

Quick breakfasts are the only way to go, but relying on cereal, instant oatmeal or frozen waffles each day gets boring. There’s a simple and delicious solution that all of us can agree on: bagels! Our favorite bagels come from our local Bruegger’s Bagels, which has bagel and cream cheese flavors that we all love!

Finding time to run extra errands in a family of six is often a struggle, so I have even ordered the small bagel box online from the catering menu, and asked my husband to pick it up when he leaves the office. It has enough bagels for two days and comes with plain and honey walnut cream cheese, and it’s waiting for him ready to go when he arrives.

I’m the first person awake each morning, bright and early at 6 AM, but preparing breakfast for our busy morning ahead is an easy job with Bruegger’s on the menu. I simply slice each bagel in half, sit out our favorite cream cheese flavors and add a few pieces of fruit. Thanks to Bagels A La Carte, each family member can choose exactly what they want!

At Bruegger’s Bagels, there is a flavor that everybody in my family loves, but most of the time we stick with plain, so we can jazz them up with our favorite toppings. My 12 year old son Dylan is the first to leave on school mornings, his bus picks him up at a painfully early 6:43 AM. He’s not always in the mood for a full breakfast but willingly eats bagels, so we purchase them often. Although he is our most creative eater, he usually opts for a plain cream cheese bagel sandwich and a piece of fruit to start his day!

My husband leaves for work about an hour later. He eats his breakfast during his long commute or at his desk, so his breakfast has to be simple. An egg and cheese bagel sandwich along with fruit and almonds makes for a healthy, well-balanced breakfast that satisfies his hunger until lunchtime!

Lexie and Lily are the only ones who have the same schedule, they wake up and eat breakfast together every morning! Lexie likes to keep things simple, so she usually chooses a half of a bagel with plain cream cheese, however Lily still needs a smile to start her day! (Sometimes it really is fun to play with food!)

Liam is the last person to wake up each morning. He likes to spend some time playing before devouring his breakfast! Eating a full bagel is still a bit difficult for Liam, so I slice it into small wedges to make it easier for him, then give him a spoonful of softened cream cheese for dipping. Serving it with a side of fruit and a yogurt drink gives him a healthy start!

Mom, of course, is always the last person to eat! I used to have a bad habit of skipping breakfast, and I would only remember when hunger pains hit in the afternoon, but now I make sure to grab an easy breakfast to take with me as I run out the door. I prefer a bagel with Strawberry, Honey Walnut or Greek Blueberry (the summer special at Bruegger’s Bagels) cream cheese, some almonds and a yogurt drink! And my breakfast is literally eaten on the run!

Getting used to our new morning schedule has been an adjustment, but (I think) we’re rocking it! Thanks to the help of our Bruegger’s Bagels breakfast, our mornings have been easier. As a busy mom of four kids, I’m a fan of ANYTHING that saves me time!

We are really looking forward to a break over Labor Day Weekend! Starting today, visit http://bit.ly/2v3vEoy and head to your local Bruegger’s Bagels to enjoy $3 off their Big Bagel Bundle!

Simple & Delicious Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits

DISCLOSURE: I received some of the products featured in this post free for review. Content is 100% my own.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but during the school year we have very little time to eat. Fruit and yogurt breakfast parfaits are the perfect option for those rushed mornings! Not only are they simple to make and absolutely delicious, but they are packed with protein and nutrients!

Juggling the schedules of four kids, a husband and myself is enough of a struggle, so I need to keep things easy and find ways to save time. These simple fruit and yogurt breakfast parfaits can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until it's time to eat. All I have to do is sprinkle on the topping (so it doesn't get mushy) and hand them over to my kids with a spoon!

Ingredients:

• Strawberries
• Vanilla Yogurt
• Oats and Honey Protein Granola
• Sugar

Make:

1. The first step is the secret to making these Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits taste so good! Wash and slice the strawberries (I use 10-12 large strawberries) and put them in a food storage container.  Sprinkle on 1 TBSP of sugar, put them in the fridge and let them sit for a half hour. This gives them the perfect amount of sweetness and softens them!

2. Fill a dessert cup halfway with vanilla yogurt. Spoon on a layer of the sugared strawberries.

3. If you are making these ahead of time, cover the dessert cups with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. If not, skip ahead!

4. Just before you are ready to eat, sprinkle the protein granola over top of the fruit and yogurt parfait. If you do this any earlier, the granola gets too mushy! 

Alternatives: 

• If you're feeling adventurous, add another layer of yogurt, fruit and granola. I have done this before for myself!
• These can be made with ANY fruit. My kids love them with bananas, sliced peaches, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, too!
• There are so many toppings you can add. Try chia seeds, wheat germ and almonds!

Enjoy!

Lily loves to eat them as a snack, too. I try to make a bunch ahead of time and they are usually gone within a day or two!

I love these Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Parfaits, too! It pairs well with my morning tea and is a great breakfast before I go for a run (I don't like to feel too full).

Liam, my sweet toddler tornado, gets his Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Parfait served in his own bowl!

Although his manners are improving, he still tosses his bowl overboard at times! The Nuby BPA Free Sure Grip Suction Bowl prevents this from happening. This 100% silicone bowl suctions strongly to most flat surfaces and prevents the bowl from tipping, sliding, and being thrown. This mama, who cleans up MORE than enough messes, is thrilled with any product that prevents them!

No matter how much Liam eats, he seems to always be hungry! His new favorite cup is the Nuby Snack N' Sip!

This 2 in 1 cup holds 9 ounces of liquid and 4.5 ounces of food. It's so convenient because Liam can snack and drink from the same container. It's perfect for car rides and life on the go, thanks to the No Spill flexible soft silicone straw, and the lid that seals to prevent spills and keep food from getting stale.

Liam loves this cup because he can take it outside...

...take it with him when we leave home...

...and snack and sip while he swings!

BUY IT: 

Nuby Sure Grip Suction Bowl // Nuby Snack N' Sip

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This delicious and easy to make Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Parfait is one of our favorite things to eat. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Easy Breakfast Hack That Saves Time and Money

As a mom of 4, I'm always looking for ways to save time and money!

Feeding a family of 6 can be expensive and very time consuming! I go to the grocery store AT LEAST 3 days a week, and that includes the big weekly shopping trip.  The amount of food my kids consume in the summer is astounding!  

Let's talk time. Time? What's that?!? Most days it seems like I finish cleaning up from one meal and have to start all over again.  I always joke that I'm constantly feeding little humans! And just when I think I'm done for the day and can relax, someone needs a snack!

That's life in a big family, and although it can be stressful, I wouldn't trade it for anything!  However, I do have one little trick up my sleeve that saves time AND money!

Right after Lily was born, Dylan started first grade and Lexie started Pre-K.  Our mornings became rushed chaos, and I found myself shoving bowls of cereal and store-bought frozen waffles at them. One day, while I was making Sunday brunch, it hit me that I should make EXTRA pancakes, and freeze them for the week! 

Everyone in our family loved pancakes, and they could be reheated very quickly and even eaten on the go! I immediately started that method and it turned out to be the best breakfast hack!  

Making freezer pancakes has been a part of my weekly routine for almost 4 years. Now, I'll share my "secret" with you! 



EASY FREEZER PANCAKES

Ingredients:

• Boxed Pancake & Waffle Mix (Our favorite is an organic one, but it's almost always sold out. This whole wheat mix is the next best thing! If you want to step it up a notch, make your own homemade version!)
• Blueberries, Chocolate Chips, Strawberries, Bananas, Wheat Germ, Chia Seeds, and/or Granola. (My kids requested blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes this week!)
• Banana (or apple) Baby Food   

 

My "secret" ingredient is baby food.  Lexie refuses to eat most fruit, so I started sneaking in Lily's homemade purees for extra nutrition. It blended in well and gave the pancakes a bit more flavor.  Lexie had NO idea so I just kept doing it!  

Making the pancakes is so simple and quick, especially if you have an electric griddle!  It's an absolute must for a bigger family! (Seriously. I love ours!) The first step is to choose your ingredients and prepare the mix:

• Decide how many pancakes you want to make, then prepare the mix according to the directions.
• Mix in a large container of banana or apple baby food.
• Add your chopped fruit or other ingredients and stir. 

Once your mix is prepared, it's time to grease the griddle (I use olive oil) and decide if you want to make large pancakes, mini pancakes, or a combination of both! I always make mini pancakes, but I usually make a batch of large pancakes, too.  The mini pancakes are so easy for Lily to eat and Liam can just pick them up!

To make the mini pancakes, drop the mix onto the griddle using a 1/2 TBSP measuring spoon.  It works perfectly, and makes a lot at once! And, obviously, bigger spoon=bigger pancakes!



Give them a flip, allow them to cook on the other side, then stack them on a plate to cool! Repeat the process until all the mix is gone.



Once the pancakes cool down, put them in a freezer storage bag, label the bag, and add the date they were made.



I always make two varieties of pancakes, so I just repeat the process with the next batch!



It only takes about 15 minutes start to finish and the pancakes last the entire week! 

They're perfect for my entire family! They can be heated up in the microwave in just seconds. Grant doesn't have time for a meal before work, so he can heat one up and eat it in the car. (This also applies to me as I'm running out the door to take the kids somewhere!)  Dylan and Lexie know how to microwave them, so they can prepare their own breakfast if necessary.  The mini pancakes are the perfect size for Lily and Liam, and I don't have to cut them up.  



This method is a win for everybody!  It saves time, and, if you compare the cost to a box of store-bought pancakes, it saves money, too!

Oh, and of course, on the days I make the pancakes, we have them for breakfast!  




And on those busy mornings when there isn't much time to eat?  Quick AND easy!



What are your favorite breakfast hacks to save time and money?

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