I was thinking about go-to breakfast meals for the boys this fall that I could make in advance. Then, they could grab and heat them up. But as I thought more about it, I decided to make them with prepper pantry staples to see how they turned out before I made them with fresh ingredients. Getting ideas in before fall and winter storms come is always good (with our generator, I can do quick baking if needed when the power is out).
But it also meant I didn’t have to go to the grocery store. I am 6 weeks today out from my arm injury, and while I am healing well, I still have issues with driving our truck. So, I have relied on Kirk to drive me to the store. It’s much better if I go “shopping” in our pantry, right? It’s a relief to know I have what we need on hand and that it’s shelf-stable. All our freeze-drying has been huge for me the past 6 weeks. I haven’t had to worry about getting most “fresh” products, such as cheese and vegetables.
Harvest Right is having a sale through August 2024. The prices are Black Friday worthy on Small, medium, and large models. Now, the freeze-dryers come with a starter pack of Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers as a bonus. Freeze-dryers are not cheap; they are a real investment. But as I often tell people, Prepping isn’t about the apocalypse. It’s more about weathering issues. An injury, a job loss, or even the high cost of food due to inflation. It’s having a more resilient life.
I have included links to our published freeze-drying tutorials in the recipe below.
If you don’t have a handy freeze-dryer, you can buy #10 cans of these items on Amazon, of course! Sausage, cheddar cheese, and dried eggs (follow the can’s directions for rehydrating, as dehydrated egg is different than freeze-dried, and uses more water).
Prepper Pantry Egg Muffin Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 cup freeze-dried sausage*
- 1 cup instant hash browns
- 12 large eggs or 1½ cus freeze-dried eggs + 1½ cups cold water
- ¾ cup freeze-dried cheddar cheese
Directions:
In separate bowls, soak the sausage in ½ cup of warm water for 20 minutes and the potatoes in ¾ cup of warm water for 20 minutes. Add ¼ cup water to the cheese, and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain any remaining water off.
If using freeze-dried or dehydrated eggs, rehydrate as noted, using a fork or whisk to mix well; add in the cheese and let sit for 20 minutes to hydrate fully. If using fresh eggs, whisk eggs and cheese together.
Lightly oil a 12-count non-stick muffin tin, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400°.
Sprinkle the potatoes evenly between the cups, then the sausage over it, pushing down gently.
Pour the egg mixture over.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top.
Enjoy warm, or pop out and chill for future breakfasts. Eat cold or reheat in the microwave.
Makes 12 muffins.
Notes:
Freeze-dried sausage is handy to have in the long-term pantry. As it is a fattier meat, you must cook it fully and then drain the grease when freezing-drying it. As with ground hamburger, I suggest a quick rinse with hot water to remove more fat. Then drain on paper towels. Then proceed for freeze-drying. If you don’t remove the grease, your freeze-dryer will need a major cleanup. I learned this the hard way so that you don’t have to…
To make instant hash browns at home, dehydrate bags of frozen or fresh ones sold in the dairy aisle. They don’t need to be freeze-dried, as they quickly dehydrate in hours. Store tightly sealed in a mason jar or mylar jar.
Use a bamboo or nylon spoon to pop the muffins out to avoid scratching your pan.
