Friday, January 23, 2015

Waking up My Creativity with Bigelow Tea

 This Bigelow #AmericasTea shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias



Motherhood is a 24/7 kinda job and it seems like there are never enough hours to get everything done, let alone squeeze in some moments of creativity for myself. 2015 is going to be my year to carve out a few minutes in each day to spend with my thoughts, ideas and creative pursuits.

Since the baby no longer wakes me up in the wee hours of the morning, I set my alarm to go off 30 minutes earlier. In the early morning the house is all mine. My only distractions are the cats looking for their breakfast.


One of my goals is to get more of time to finish a few in-progress knitting projects that have been haunting me for over a year and also tackle the crochet hook. I do better when I can concentrate and focus on the clack of the needles and rhythm of knit and purl. It is a refreshing way to start the day.

This week as I sat down to the Basketweave Baby Blanket pattern with a cup of American Breakfast from Bigelow Tea and an Egg and Sausage Breakfast muffin. I made a whole batch of breakfast muffins I froze ahead for quick fuel for the ahead. 

The tea is a new find, an enjoyable way to greet the day with 50% more caffeine in every tea bag. Because it contains the natural compound Theanine, I not only start my day with a little caffeine boost, but I also feel relaxed and ready to follow my creativity.


I was already a fan of Bigelow Tea, but the American Breakfast Black Tea and Black Tea and Honey are a new fun alternative to my morning cup of coffee. It was a great find at my local Walmart in the tea aisle. Just look for the red, white and blue packaging. 


Tea is my favorite way to start the day, but now I can also get that little extra boost my morning needs. Just enough to help me be ready when the kids start coming downstairs and my "Me Time" is over.

And as added incentive, Bigelow tea is giving back a portion of the proceeds from their American Breakfast Tea line purchase to support our U.S. service men and women. That is something my morning cup of inspiration usually can't boast. Learn more about the Tea for Troops program Bigelow has.


Of course, having a ready-made breakfast to go along with that perfect cup of tea also helps my morning run more smoothly. I make these Egg and Sausage Breakfast muffins at home in a big batch to pull out of the freezer as needed.


I like to cook my eggs fast, but keep them uniform. I used a whoopie pie pan and broke the yolks on each egg. You could also use ramekins or jumbo muffin tins, whatever you have on hand is fine. Bake them for around 25 minutes, or until they are cooked through.


After the eggs have cooked, I remove them from the pan and use the same pan to portion out and mold my sausage patties. I like a nice spicy breakfast sausage to add flavor to my breakfast muffin.


Then I toast the English muffins and lay them all out, assembly line style. I folded in the cheese corners so it doesn't make too much of a mess. Can you tell I like cheese? These breakfast muffins have both Provolone on the bottom and Colby Jack on top.


Egg and Sausage Breakfast Muffins

You will need:

  • 12 eggs
  • non-stick spray
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 12 English Muffins
  • Breakfast Sausage, formed into 12 patties
  • 12 slices of Provolone Cheese
  • 12 slices of Colby Jack Cheese

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a whoppie pie pan with non-stick spray. Crack one egg into each well and break the yolk with the tip of a knife or fork. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the egg is cooked through.

Toast the English muffins and set the bottom halves out on a baking tray. Set the tops aside. Place a slice of Provolone Cheese on each muffin half. 

When the eggs are done, remove them from the pan and place on the muffins Use the pan as a guide to form your sausage patties. Cook the sausage patties through and place onto the muffin halves.

Top with Colby Jack Cheese and the other half of the muffin. 

Wrap each breakfast muffin in a deli sheet. The Deli sheets come in a handy size for wrapping, or cut parchment paper will also work. Wrap by folding over one corner, then the sides, and last fold over the front. Place all wrapped breakfast muffins in a freezer bag.

To reheat, microwave a sandwich for about a minute wrapped. Then open up the wrapper and open the sandwich in half and heat for another 30 seconds, or until the egg and sausage are warmed through. 

Enjoy!


Now with those extra few minutes and added focus from my morning caffeine, I decided to make myself a new mug for 2015. Have you seen the cute Sharpie dot monograms on Pinterest? Well, after looking at a few of those I wanted to make myself a "Mom" mug for the morning.

The first things I grabbed were a blank white mug and some oil based Sharpies. 


With the Silhouette Cameo I cut "Mom" out of stencil material and then began dotting all around my cut-out. Really, does it get any easier?


I used 4 colors of the Sharpie oil markers. Then peeled off my stencil and baked the mug at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I let the mug cool for a few hours before washing and using it. I am not sure that craft projects get much easier than this.

I just love how it turned out! You better believe people in my life will be getting their own Sharpie dot mug this year as a gift.


Can one cup of American Breakfast tea make me more productive? Only time will tell... So far, at least, I have a freezer full of breakfast muffins and a new mug to enjoy my Bigelow Tea favorites in. I consider that a win.



What would you do with more time for creativity?
Andrea

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