We’ve all heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” but the reality of trying to get the family ready and out the door in the mornings can make getting a well-balanced meal into your kids and yourself feel close to impossible. Worry not! I’ve got 5 tricks that will help to make breakfast a breeze!
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We’re a family of breakfast eaters—some out of passion for the meal (my youngest and my husband) and some out of necessity (my eldest and me). For my eldest and me, breakfast is not our favorite meal, but we both fall apart without it so we’ve had to figure out ways to make it work for us.
Even on the best of mornings, though, our family rarely has more than 15 minutes to make breakfast happen, so over the years I have come up with different ways to make the process smoother. But of all of the different things I have tried, there are 5 tricks I have found that make breakfast a breeze that I wanted to share with you.
5 Tricks to Make Breakfast a Breeze
1) Make-ahead
One weekend morning a week, I try to prepare a big batch of a make-ahead breakfast of some sort. My family gets to enjoy the breakfast that morning and we freeze the leftovers for upcoming weekday mornings.
When things are going smoothly, by using this approach I am able to stockpile a selection of breakfast items in the freezer. This means that then everyone can pick and choose what they want on a given morning without my having to cook four unique breakfasts. Favorites in our house include:
Need inspiration to make this happen? Did you know that The Scramble’s includes a make-ahead breakfast option as part of our weekly meal plans?
2) Quick proteins for the win
When I was in first grade, my mom and dad got called into school for a conversation with the teacher about my behavior. It turned out that I was getting into fights with all the boys at morning recess every day because I was super cranky. My parents wondered if I wasn’t getting enough sleep or if something was psychologically wrong, but then the real reason for my crankiness suddenly occurred to my mom: I was hungry. From that day on, she insisted that I have protein with breakfast every morning… and like magic, the fighting stopped.
Because protein was so pivotal to my breakfast success, I have always prioritized it with my kids and have come to depend on some quick protein options to help make breakfasts easier.
Scrambled, fried, and soft-boiled eggs are go-tos in our house, as is bacon cooked in the microwave or breakfast sausages in the skillet. These paired with toast or a muffin and some fruit, give us a complete breakfast and we are ready for the day.
3) Granola is good
We all love homemade granola in my house. I love it because I can make a big batch over the weekend to use in place of boxed cereal, ensuring that everyone gets whole grains and healthy fats. My boys love it for its sweetness and crunch.
The trick: I pack it with nuts and seeds and serve it with yogurt so that we get protein in, too (topping it with fresh fruit is also a must)!
4) Think outside the box.
As I said, I’m not a big breakfast person, so when I’m not having granola, I usually go for something a little less conventional. Sometimes I’ll enjoy leftovers from last night’s dinner, sometimes a sandwich. The point is, just because it’s breakfast time doesn’t mean you need to have traditional breakfast foods.
Some of my favorite quick options are:
- leftover frittata wrapped in a corn tortilla
- avocado toast with feta
- an apple with a Babybel or Laughing Cow cheese
- rice cakes with brie, bell peppers, and cucumbers
5) Take it with you
While a sit-down breakfast is always preferable, sometimes it isn’t possible. But skipping is never an option in our house, so we have been known to take breakfast on-the-go.
To make it easier, we will often use Lunchskins reusable sandwich bags or Yumbox bento boxes for quick and easy packing.
Do you have favorite breakfasts? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
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[…] baked goods are always in the freezer. I have written before about how I like to make a double (or these days triple) batch of baked goods over the weekends. […]