Over Thanksgiving weekend, my mom heard about a fun way to make breakfast for the 14 of us staying together. She described this “Ziploc Bag Omelet Method” from a dear friend and amazing cook, who had just recently done it for a group of adults visiting. Being a bit of a breakfast snob, I was somewhat skeptical of the directions she was telling me from memory, however, as it always ends up…. my mom was right. These omelets were the perfect mix of fun and deliciousness for both young kids and adults and I wanted to share this family cooking activity since it is the perfect time of year when your children will soon be off from school and you will have a little bit more time in your morning routine for something that will make everyone smile.
It’s Easy & A Lot of Fun!
1. Turn a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Cut up any ingredients you can imagine – ideas: cheese, bacon, turkey, ham, red and green peppers, mushrooms, onions, avocado, spinach, tomatoes. (Any thing goes in an omelet!)
3. Scramble enough eggs in one bowl for the group – we did, on average, two eggs per person. ( I added a little milk to make fluffier.) You might want to use a bowl that has a lip to make it easier to pour into the Ziploc bags.
4. With a permanent marker, proactively label each person’s name on a quart sized FREEZER bag and pour in about two eggs. I would not recommend using the super thin and lightweight snack bags as I wouldn’t want them to open up during the cooking time. (For children, I would recommend holding the Ziploc bag so they don’t drop it.)
5. This is the fun part! Let everyone use a spoon and put whatever ingredients they want in their bag, zip it up and have fun mixing it all together.
6. Once the water is gently boiling, carefully drop the bags into the pot of water and let boil for 13 minutes. (We did 4-5 bags at a time.)
7. Remove the bags (with tongs) out of the water and allow to cool for a few seconds, unzip and shockingly, a perfect omelet will roll out onto the plate, ready to be adorned with any additional toppings of cheese or salsa.
Ingredients:
1. Quart sized thicker freezer Ziploc type bag – one for each person
2. Permanent marker to write names on bags
3. Enough eggs for 2-3 per person
4. Random assortment of ingredients for omelet, sliced.
Directions:
1. Turn a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Cut up any ingredients you can imagine – ideas: cheese, bacon, turkey, ham, red and green peppers, mushrooms, onions, avocado, spinach, tomatoes. (Any thing goes in an omelet!)
3. Scramble enough eggs in one bowl for the group – we did, on average, two eggs per person. ( I added a little milk to make fluffier.) You might want to use a bowl that has a lip to make it easier to pour into the Ziploc bags.
4. With a permanent marker, proactively label each person’s name on a quart sized FREEZER bag and pour in about two eggs. I would not recommend using the super thin and lightweight snack bags as I wouldn’t want them to open up during the cooking time. (For children, I would recommend holding the Ziploc bag so they don’t drop it.)
5. This is the fun part! Let everyone use a spoon and put whatever ingredients they want in their bag and zip it up and have fun mixing it all together!
6. Once the water is gently boiling, carefully drop the bags into the pot of water and let boil for 13 minutes. (We did 4-5 bags at a time.)
7. Remove the bags (using tongs) out of the water and let cool for a few seconds, unzip and shockingly, a perfect omelet will roll out onto the plate, ready to be adorned with any additional toppings of cheese or salsa.
Please see this website to see why this recipe may be yummy but could be very bad for you because of toxins leeching into your food from the heated plastic:
http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/plastic
Thanks for the great idea, Megan! We are having a Bacon Birthday Party (sleepover) for my son’s 9th and I think this will be perfect for the boys’ breakfast…with lots of bacon of course ;).
This is such a fun idea, Megan! We take family trips during the summer and we will have seven young children among us. Definitely suggesting this one as a breakfast that doubles as a fun activity!