Phenomenal Tips for Faster Breakfast Prep

For several years now, my husband and I have been starting our days with a breakfast date. I don't really remember when this started, but surely it was borne in the early years of our marriage when it was such a major production to leave the kids and schedule a date night.

Now, our daily breakfast dates are a part of our routine already that we cannot do without. My husband loves to eat, and he appreciates that I make an effort to "style" his breakfast plate. I'm not really good at styling, but it makes me want to continuously improve because I can see that he really appreciates the effort I put into it. Right after I prepare the kids' baon in the morning, I usually take a quick break for some quiet time, and then I'm back in the kitchen to fix up something quick for our breakfast.

Don't be mistaken, our breakfast dates are not elaborate. We just take about half an hour to eat and talk about matters which concern the family, our schedule for the day... just about anything. We just use the time to reconnect with each other, before we go about our own.  It's just the best way to start the day!

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Make sure to read on until the end of the post to find out how you can be 

one of three winners of this 12-piece plate set.

Through the years, I have gotten the hang of prepping breakfast, so much in fact that I already have a system in place that allows me to work quickly.  Allow me to share with you some tips on how I make my breakfast prep better and faster.

Phenomenal Tips for A Better And Faster

Meal Preparation:

1. Make sure you've got a well-stocked pantry. 

One of the keys to prepare quick healthy meals is to have a well stocked pantry. With a well stocked pantry full of healthy ingredients, the quality of your meals is going to get better and the time you need to prepare is going to be less.

2. Make enough food for leftovers 

Leftovers are always a good back-up plan in case you don't feel like cooking or need an extra meal during the day. You can even do a leftover makeover. Cook once eat twice

There are times that I double my recipe and set aside a portion for another meal. Cooking at once for two meals is very simple, tipid pa sa gas!  But you have to plan your meals in advance what to make out of the second meal or your family will complain that they are always eating the same food.

3. Always have lettuce on hand

Some standby lettuce from the ref + leftover bacon + freshly grated Parmesan + mangoes

I make it a point to buy lettuce once a week.  I serve it as a salad or use it in sandwiches. Click here to find out how I make my salad greens last longer, usually for 3-5 days. As long as there's salad greens in the ref, I am confident that I can serve something decent for breakfast.

4.  Keep Bread In The Freezer 

ciabatta + cold cuts + avocados + finishing salt + freshly cracked pepper

I love ciabatta, so I buy in bulk and keep it in the freezer. In the morning, when I want one, I just get and thaw for a few minutes, then toast.

5.  Prepare ingredients the night before. 

overnight oats + minatamis na saba

The easiest breakfasts are the ones that can be prepared the night before. When I know it's going to be a busy day tomorrow, the night before I mix chia seeds and milk, mix and put in ref overnight. in the morning, I mix in with sweetened saba. Tada, breakfast is served!

I also sometimes mix uncooked old-fashioned oats with milk, then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, I mix with sweetend saba, and that's it!



Here are some breakfast food that I serve on rotation:

plain congee + dried pork floss 

whole-wheat pandesal + scrambled eggs + avocado + sriracha mayo

"The setting for a meal should be as joyous 

as the sharing of it." 

Through the years, and this is really a sign of getting older, I have accumulated a collection of Japanese plates. I am particularly attracted to plates that are a combination of white and indigo.

It makes a lot of difference to serve breakfast on these plates as they really beautify our breakfast table.  Makes it seem like I took more time and effort to set up the table. And it does make my husband feel extra special that I'm using all my "prized collections" for our daily breakfast dates.

Look at the photos below, and you will have to agree that it looks like I took the entire morning to prepare, when in fact I usually take less than 30 minutes. Truth!

chicken arroz caldo 
I buy the Dona Maria congee rice at the grocery. It's a mixture of different kinds of rice, but broken down into bits. It makes for faster lugaw.

Sunny side eggs + leftover bacon.

get the recipe for the homemade bacon here. 

 gluten-free waffles + vanilla sauce

get the recipe for the gluten-free waffles here

lettuce + leftover chicken + freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Di ba? My family feels extra special to come down to a table looking like this.

I want more people to feel the love so The Crockery Den and I collaborated to come up with an Instagram giveaway!!! 

#TPMxTCDInstagramGiveaway

The IG giveaway is open only to those who have purchased from The Crockery Den and are Metro Manila residents.

3 winners will be drawn by The Crockery Den. The criteria for choosing will be: #flatlaywithTCD, #myvignettewithTCD and  #mytabletopwithTCD

All three winners will each receive a 12-piece plate set of indigo stripes and big dots, 

consisting of the following:

- 4 pieces saucers (5.5" diameter)

- 4 pieces bowls (5.5" diameter x 1.5" deep)

- 4 pieces shallow bowls (6.5" diameter x 1.3" deep)

Mechanics:
1. Make an Instagram post using pieces from The Crockery Den. Creativity is encouraged! They can be vignettes, flat lays, table settings, curated counter tops, photos by the counter while food is being prepared, etc.

2. ALL plates/bowls/platters/cups MUST BE from The Crockery Den only.  No other plates/bowls/platters/cups from other brands/sellers must be used in the photo.  Other props or materials (like table cloth, cutlery, condiments) can be used with the items from The Crockery Den.

3. Use the hashtags: #curatedsnapshotswithTCD and #TPMxTCDIGGiveaway.

4. The following hashtags must be used, as well, whichever is applicable to the photo - #flatlaywithTCD, #myvignettewithTCD, #mytabletopwithTCD 

5. Customer must follow and tag @The_Crockery_Den and @thephenomenalmama for the photo to be considered an entry to the giveaway.

6.Customer can send as many photos as she/he wants, but each photo has to be different from the entries that have been submitted. No double posting. (1 layout/photo = 1 entry).



~ Raffle period is from September 18 - October 2, 2015 midnight.
~ Winners will be chosen by The Crockery Den on October 11, 2015 and announced at The Crockery Den’s Instagram account.
~ All winners will be requested to send their details to The Crockery Den via Viber, SMS/iMessage or DM.
~ If no message from the winner is received one week after IG announcement, The Crockery Den will automatically draw another winner.
~ Prizes will be sent out week of October 19. Shipping cost will be c/o The Crockery Den.

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