Take a breath from school supply organizing because rise-and-shine meal help is on the way! Keep reading for my top three back-to-school breakfast ideas that your little ones (and not so little ones) will love.
Along with the obvious excitement of kids going back to school (read: kids getting out of the house again!), is the synchronous dread of trying to cajole them into eating a balanced breakfast before the bus comes (or, in our house, before I start a 15-minute warning cycle of redundant calls: “come on!” and “let’s go” and likely, “mommy is going to lose my mind if you don’t get into the car!”).
Being a mom of twin 7-year-old girls, plus a picky-eater 4-year-old boy, I pride myself on on making as much as I can, as efficient and organized as possible (sidenote: I am and always have been a type-A, schedules-are-my-jam, meal-prepping, organization nerd). But breakfast is a toughie.
Whether you’re type-A like me, or type B, C, or D, I imagine you too could use some more morning meal ideas in your superpower arsenal. So… without further ado, below are my family’s Top Three Easy-Peasy, Preppable, Grabbale breakfast ideas:
- Cinnamon toast with butter and fruit: First of all, we basically love all things Trader Joe’s over here, but lately my girls especially love their Cinnamon Swirl Bread, thick pieces of cinnamon-swirled, cinnamon-crusted bread that I top with a thin spread of grassfed butter. I up the color quotient of the meal with fruit (oranges for one of my girls, and blueberries for the other because #youknowkids).
- Granola with milk or with yogurt: My sister turned our whole family onto My New Roots’ Simple Gourmet Granola, a ridiculously easy, four-ingredient basic granola recipe that tastes far from basic. The recipe makes a huge batch, so I store it in an air-tight container and serve it mixed with whole-grain cereal and milk, or atop yogurt (current fave: Two Good vanilla).
- Maple-sweetened banana muffins: I stumbled across this Healthy Maple-Sweetened Banana Muffin recipe when searching for a low-sugar, all-natural use for a bunch of overripe bananas. I typically make two batches of these babies at a time and then freeze them in individual Ziploc bags. At night, I take out however many I’ll need for the next day and let them defrost overnight. Done and done: a grabbable and super-healthy option your kids will, hopefully, gobble like mine do (hint: add a ⅓-½ c. chocolate chips for an added draw).
Some honorable, additional mentions:
Egg Muffins: To note, I make breakfast for dinner almost every week (i.e., eggs and turkey or chicken sausage) and my kids don’t seem to crave or want more savory fare in the morning time, but if your kiddos do, I love this how-to, all-the-things egg muffins article from Well Plated.
“Green Cakes”: Like the maple-sweetened banana muffins, these Sweet Spinach Muffins with Banana are a simple and all-natural, sweet but back-to-school breakfast. I used to make and freeze these a lot too, but my kids like the other aforementioned fare better. I haven’t whipped up a batch in awhile, but try ‘em and let me know what you think!
Trader Joe’s Five Seed & Almond bars: for the mornings when you just can’t stomach the thought of making breakfast (#punintended), then these filling bars are a great store-bought option. They’re packed with superfood goodies and omega-3s, but my kids just think they taste good.
Whew! There you go. For even MORE ideas, read Nikki’s awesome 2017 post, “Easy On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas for School Days.” In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful back-to-school time, and I invite you to add your go-to breakfast ideas below.
