Family Day is this Monday, what are your plans for this holiday?
Some like to plan special activities on Family day {sledding or going to the movie, perhaps?}, while others take it easy with a pyjama day at home. Whether your day is full of fun events or with nothing at all, having brunch together is an emerging family tradition.
In actuality, brunch is one of my favourite things about holidays like Family Day. This relaxed mid-morning meal which takes the place of two, means that I have one less meal to cook that day – holiday indeed! As well, the brunches I like to make are most often casserole-type meals which are generally easier to prepare, the option of making them ahead of time, and their clean-up is a breeze.
One of my current favourites is this Ham & Cheese Brunch Strata. With classic breakfast ingredients like bread, ham, cheese, eggs and green onions – it’s a balanced meal that screams brunch. Honestly – chances are you will scream ‘brunch’ to get your family’s attention at some point while making this.
When serving this Strata dish, you’ll most likely cut it into slices and eat with a fork and knife like a like a casserole. Yet this meal could be a finger food, as my cheeky daughter pointed out. The whole grain bread layers which cuddle the other ingredients does make this dish resemble a grilled cheese sandwich – THE ultimate grilled cheese sandwich, that is.
I used whole grain bread in this recipe, which aligns perfectly with my ‘eating better this year’ promise {a resolution I made last Fall, actually}. The inspiration for this recipe was after looking at the Healthy Grains Institute’s website.
I love when I’m introduced to new websites that are a great resource of information, and offer delicious recipes as well! I bookmarked their Apple Strata recipe, which would also make an amazing brunch dish.
The Healthy Grains Institute’s mission is to inform and enhance Canadians’ knowledge and understanding of the health benefits of grains, and providing the benefits of grain-based foods as an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.
If you need clarification on anything from grain types, serving sizes or nutrition information – this website is for you. A great place to start is learning about the 10 reasons to choose whole grains!
Now that I’ve shared my Strata recipe, a very tasty way in which we get those grains into our diet – What is your favourite meal for brunch?
- 12-14 slices Whole Grain Bread
- 200 g thinly sliced cooked ham
- 2.5 cups cheddar or marble cheese
- 6 eggs
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 3 green onions sliced
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 cup corn flakes
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Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with your preferred cooking spray.
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Lay bread slices to cover the entire bottom of the dish, cutting if needed and removing crusts if you don't want crispy crusts in your final dish.
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Place a layer of ham on top, and then sprinkle with 2 cups of cheese.
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Add another layer of bread.
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In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, dry mustard, and green onions.
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Pour the mixture evenly over the bread layer.
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Place any extra ham on top, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
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Cover and refrigerate overnight if desired.
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When ready to bake - sprinkle the top with cornflakes and pour melted butter on top.
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Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, until golden. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Enjoy!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, yet as always, all opinions are my own.
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Oh yum! That looks absolutely delicious, and I love that you topped it with Corn Flakes. Awesome.
I love the idea of pouring the eggs over the ham and letting the flavors blend together. I bet the corn flakes add the crunch to really make it satisfying.
Wow! That looks AMAZING!! I love that you incorporated Corn Flakes into the recipe. Makes it very “breakfast-y!”
This looks really tasty. I like that you can make this the night before. I tend to serve casserole-like dishes for brunch.
What a great way to add grains into our diet! Plus, this looks so delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
This looks so delicious and easy to make. I am excited to try this recipe. My kids are going to love it. I will have to get the ingredients i need to make this on the weekend.
This looks like an amazing brunch dish! My family would love to eat this!
What a cool use of corn flakes! I have never tried this but it sounds great!
This looks awesome. I love the crunchy texture on top, gotta have texture. 🙂 Great way to get your grains in.
This looks perfect! I JUST ran out of cornflakes. Better buy more 🙂
What a great recipe! I love it! Its great for a crowd too!
GREAT RECIPE
Oh boy that looks delish, thanks for sharing.
Eager to try this! 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing and something that my son and I would enjoy! Thanks for sharing the recipe 😍 looking forward to trying it.