Savoury Mini Muffins – 3 Ways!

How did everyone’s first week back-to-school go!? Hopefully your little ones have settled in well and you’ve had a chance to come up for air in all the CHAOS!! I know for us, this is our first time getting a feel for what the years of school to come with Emma will be like now that she’s in preschool and it can be stressful! She had a bit of a rough go in her first week, missing mom and dad, I mean it’s ALL so new and can be a lot to take in the poor girl. But, going into this week I feel so much more at ease, we’ve had a chance to connect a little bit with her teachers and I think she will have an easier time joining in on all the fun!

Now to ease the tension of back-to-school lunches and snacks for you mamas!! I would like to think that I came up with the idea of these, but I know there are several variations of these tasty bites out there. I live for quick and easy make ahead meals and snacks for my family, so if you have any tried and true recipes please leave them in the comments!

I love these recipes for how versatile they are. You can use pretty well anything you have in your fridge, they freeze well and it’s a great grab and go snack as you’re running out the door with you littles, to throw in a lunch or a great appie for a get-together.

Quinoa Bites 

Yields 20-24 mini muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 tbsp crumbed feta (any cheese will do)
• 1/2 cup spinach , finely chopped (if using frozen make sure to drain well!)
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato, finely chopped
• Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh or dried herbs your family will love
• Extra cheese to place on top of each mini muffin
• Optional: Substitute 1/4 cup of the veggies for diced ham or turkey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Celsius.
2. Beat eggs together in a large bowl.
3. Finely chop your veggies and meat of choice and add to the egg mixture. *I like to give them a quick saute to soften and enhance the flavours of the veggies.*
4. Coat the mini muffin pan with your choice of oil and fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full with the mixture.
5. Add an extra sprinkle of cheese on top of each muffin and bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Enjoy!

I would definitely recommend doubling up on this recipe!! I had to make a whole batch of quinoa anyways, so it was a great opportunity to make two different kinds one batch for me and one for the kidlets 🙂

Note: If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, moulding the mixture with your hands into bite size balls or patties and placing them on a baking sheet will do just the trick.

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Recipe yields 20-24 Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp ketchup (optional)
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional)
• 1 1/4 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 8 cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 small zucchini, finely chopped

If you don’t have one, ya’ll need a food processor in your life! This thing saves me so much time when meal prepping!! My husband had purchased me the Kitchenaid Food Processor as a gift to prep baby food for our first born and now I find a way to use it in most meals.. evening baking!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Celsius.
2. Finely chop all your veggies or place them in a food processor until everything is in tiny pieces.
3. Saute the veggies in a large skillet with oil and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes or until liquid from the veggies has evaporated.
4. Transfer veggie mixture into a large bowl and stir with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
5. Once cooled, add the breadcrumbs, egg, and mix well. Add the turkey along with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and again mix well.
6. Coat the mini muffin pan with your choice of oil and fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full with the mixture.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are cooked through (centre reaches approx. 170 degrees Fahrenheit).
8. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce and enjoy!

Note: This recipe can also be baked in a 9×5 inch loaf pan and baked for 50 minutes. Accompanied with your family’s favourite salad or side dish this is a great dinner recipe!

Crustless Mini Quiche

Yields 20-24 Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup broccoli, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice. We used a combo of feta, parmesan and cheddar cheese.
• 1/4 cup diced ham or cooked bacon (optional)
• 1/3 cup milk
• Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Celsius.
2. Coat the muffin pan with your choice of oil.
3. Finely chop the veggies or give them a quick pulse in a food processor if you have one on hand.
4. Optional: I like to quickly saute the veggies to make these a little easier for my toothless baby to enjoy 🙂
5. Add your choice of veggies, meat and cheese to the bottom of each muffin cup. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt & pepper and cayenne and pour over the veggie mixture.
6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
7. Enjoy!

These are a quick and easy breakfast or great to throw in a lunch and a BONUS toddler approved!! My daughter isn’t a big egg person, but once these came out of the oven she was itching to try them! Pair with a little ketchup or your favourite dipping sauce and you’re set!

To Freeze: After baking, let bites come to room temperature, place in a zip loc bag or food storage container, label and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost over night in the fridge or place in the oven at 300 degrees Celsius for 5-10 minutes to reheat.

What are some of your family’s go-to lunch or after school snack ideas!? Leave me your tried and true recipes for quick and easy or make ahead meals and snacks in the comments!!

Andreana xo