Speedy pancake lunch: freezing pancakes

Morning prep time: less than 5 minutes. The other weekend I made blueberry buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, so I made some extras in mini sizes at the same time and froze them for easy breakfasts and packing in lunches. Bug’s lunch also includes cream cheese in a little container with spreader (for the pancakes — probably better for a toddler than maple syrup), a strawberry with slits cut into it so Bug can eat it easily, grapes and a cheese cube. Little cheese cubes are great gap fillers that stabilize the lunch for transport. Packed in his 270ml Thomas the Tank Engine box, so it was a little small according to the bento box size guidelines — I shared some of my lunch with him.

 

For best results freezing pancakes, first cool them thoroughly after cooking. Wrap each pancake individually in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag, and use a straw to suck the excess air out of the bag before sealing. To eat: If you allow these to thaw naturally they can lose fluffiness and collapse, so first remove the plastic wrap from the pancake, wrap in aluminum foil, and reheat in a toaster oven or oven. (source: Shufu no Tomo) EDIT: I microwaved a couple of these recently until warm and these particular pancakes didn’t collapse.

READ MORE:

• Need for speed: A mommy’s lunch manifesto
• Food safety for packed lunches
• How to pack a bento lunch and use “gap fillers”
• Choosing the right size bento box
• Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews