We've talk about what to feed our kids here all the time, but even with all those ideas, my morning routine still consists of walking downstairs and try to figure out something healthy for breakfast. I think I reinvent the wheel ever day!. So I asked Steph Dunkle, a blogging mom from problemsolvinmom to...well, solve this problem, and give me some yummy go-to breakfast ideas!
Mornings can be the most hectic time of day, particularly if you have to be out of the house at a certain time or are trying to stick to a schedule. It helps to have a breakfast plan in advance, in order to keep things moving more smoothly. I keep a few convenience items from the grocery on hand that I know my family likes, and I try and prepare a few things throughout the week as well. The trick for me when cooking breakfast is to do as much of the prep work beforehand, so that I’m only placing something in the oven or reheating while I’m trying to organize the troops.
Our favorite prepackaged breakfast items include granola bars, fruit and grain bars, yogurt cups, and toaster waffles. Every once in a while we might have those less healthy yet delicious flaky crusted egg, sausage and cheese deals, but I try and keep that to a minimum. I like to prepare that kind of food myself – that way I know what’s going into them and they are as healthy as possible.
Speaking of making that kind of food, one of our favorite homemade breakfast foods is an omelet casserole. If you’re interested in trying my recipe, you can find it on problemsolvinmom . The recipe calls for this to be made in a baking dish, or if you (or your children) prefer, it can be made in muffin tins so that each “casserole” is serving sized. We bake it for a weekend treat and reheat it several mornings throughout the week.
Another make-ahead breakfast item I like to reheat during the week is pancakes. We never make a single batch of pancakes on the weekend – there are always extras made for during the week or to be frozen for future use. To freeze pancakes, allow them to cool and store them between layers of parchment paper in large freezer bags. To reheat, just pop them in the toaster or microwave until the chill is off. Pancakes might be a way to get a picky eater to enjoy fruit or vegetables as well – banana, pumpkin, blueberry, and applesauce pancakes are all favorite flavors to add to the pancake mix at our house.
Muffins are the ultimate one-handed breakfast food – you can nosh on one while still leaving a hand free to pack that diaper bag. They can be made ahead and stored for the week, or you can mix up the batter the night before and serve them fresh out of the oven. There are many muffin mixes available at the grocery store that just require milk or water, or for something new from scratch try searching www.allrecipes.com.
With all that is going on each morning, the last thing I want to think about is what we’re going to eat for breakfast – I hope these suggestions can help take some of the guess work out of your mornings and make things run a bit more smoothly!
They sound smart to me. Kevin makes pancakes on Sundays. I'll have to encourage him to make a double--or triple batch! What great ideas do you have for go-to breakfasts?