Let us take a page from Christmas. Don’t panic; we still have a few months to go before we start worrying about that. But summer vacation is almost over. And school is about to start. What are you going to have for breakfast Monday morning?
I suggest that a little of the planning, much like holiday prep can be applied to our everyday, real life breakfast experience. On Christmas morning we always have a couple of favorite breakfast casseroles pre-cooked and sitting in the fridge, waiting to be re-heated. And while you might not want to prepare a casserole or a sheet of sausage rolls every night, you don’t need to panic every single morning about breakfast, especially now that school is starting.
You can start off small, with a batch of Scrambled Egg Muffins (courtesy of Food52: https://food52.com/recipes/24818-scrambled-egg-muffins) that you bake on Sunday afternoon. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. By Thursday you’ll feel confident enough to toss frozen, home made pancakes into the microwave. On Friday you’ll enjoy revving up the blender for a healthy, brainy avocado smoothie.
There are no more leisurely summer vacation breakfasts spent contentedly reading the local newspaper at a picnic table overlooking a lake from your summer rental. You can’t look for the perfect sunrise to immortalize on Instagram any more, either. You are back in the saddle, like it or not. And some of you have young folk who need to be stoked up and filled to the brim with healthy brain food every morning.
There’s a lot going on in those growing brains, and we know that we should be doing better than a bowl of Cap’n Crunch. We want them to concentrate, remember what they are learning, and keep their energy levels up until lunchtime. It is a daunting task, particularly when we are trying to eat good, healthy food.
A lot of the prepared foods are full of sugars, fat and salt; all the scrummy things we human beings adore. But they are not very healthy for us, I’m sad to say. And look at that fourth grader, staring moodily at you across the counter. Does he really want a bowl of heart-healthy oatmeal. Again? Not likely. So consider your audience as you peruse my handy dandy sheet of breakfast ideas.
I love repetition. I can eat a turkey sandwich every day for a week. But you might be a little more normal, and like to shake things up. When you bake a sheet of twelve muffins, that might seem like money in the bank. But only for a couple of days. Don’t plan on foisting off muffins on your first grader for the next twelve days. Even if he really seems to like them on Monday, by Thursday it will get ugly. Maybe you can consult with said child, and see what his take is, and maybe the two of you can make a plan. Rapid rotation is probably key!
Most mornings I have about enough energy and enthusiasm for a slice of cold pizza and the funnies. But given the proper motivation (this list) and a calming trip to the grocery store, even you can have a variety of healthy ingredients on hand to make some tempting make-ahead, back to back breakfasts. And then you can devote your worrying to charging the iPhones, signing permission slips, finding the sneakers, getting the laundry out of the dryer, putting the dog in his crate and finding your car keys.
Maybe the two (or three, four, five) of you can make it a weekly family event. Family Breakfast Prep Time might only last for the first couple of weeks of school before it comes crashing back down on your shoulders, but it could be a pleasant time for you all. Instead of sinking onto the sofa with HGTV after dinner, maybe you can whip up a little batch of granola – which can then be a cereal base, an ingredient in a yogurt parfait, or tossed into a smoothie or made into snack bars.
I have some great memories of times in the kitchen with our children. You can’t expect every minute to go smoothly, and you have to keep in mind that their attention spans can be short (it’s all that Cap’n Crunch they used to eat). Consider it a moment of triumph when someone learns to measure a cup of whole wheat flour, or lines the muffin pan with cute, crimped paper cups without first being asked. You can teach some life skills, like how to bake bacon, or wash blueberries or peel carrots. And first aid!
You are saving time from chaos and drama in the morning, and exercising those potentially sizable and vulnerable little brains. And it is time spent away from the electronic screens! Maybe after you figure breakfast out you can all go read a little Harry Potter. Magic!
Muffins,
smoothies,
eggs,
granola and muesli,
oatmeal,
pancakes,
fruits,
pizza,
bagels and breads
Muffins
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/blueberry_maple_muffins.html
https://www.theseasonedmom.com/what-were-eating-two-ingredient-pumpkin-spice-mini-muffins/
https://wellnessmama.com/1084/breakfast-egg-muffins/
https://www.marthastewart.com/1047458/avocado-smoothie
https://www.rd.com/slideshows/8-healthy-fruit-smoothies-for-breakfast/%20
https://www.rd.com/food/breakfast-berryflaxseed-smoothie-recipe/
Eggs
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/quick_breakfast_taco.html
https://www.superhealthykids.com/breakfast-egg-cups-recipe/
https://www.marthastewart.com/344419/breakfast-burrito
https://food52.com/blog/13227-the-hole-in-one-egg-in-the-hole
Granola and Muesli
https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/03/25/granola_without_measuring_a_template_for_delicious_homemade_cereal_video.html
https://www.chow.com/recipes/30062-basic-granola
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/homemade-muesli
Oatmeal
https://www.marthastewart.com/315903/strawberry-oatmeal-breakfast
Pancakes, waffles
https://www.superhealthykids.com/breakfast-egg-cups-recipe/
https://weelicious.com/2010/04/06/banana-bites/
https://www.marthastewart.com/334877/cinnamon-oat-pancakes
Fruits
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/grapefruit-with-chile-and-rosemary
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2554641/grapefruit-agave-and-pistachio-salad
Pizza (I had to include it!)
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/breakfast_mini_pizza.html
https://www.food.com/recipe/amazing-breakfast-pizza-134470
https://www.thedailymeal.com/recipes/sunny-side-breakfast-pizza
https://food52.com/blog/category/195-breakfast-of-champions
Bagels & Breads
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/banana_peanut_butter_bagel.html
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/smoked-trout-salad
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/recipe-of-the-day-recipes/article/best-ever-bread
More reading…
https://www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/healthy-easy-breakfasts-your-kids-will-love#.mvX97QpqE
https://www.epicurious.com/archive/everydaycooking/family/backtoschoolquickeasyhealthybreakfast
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.”
― A.A. Milne
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