Breaking out of the Breakfast Rut

It is the last Friday of summer; are you ready? Well, no matter what, we hope that the weekend ahead will be a pleasant combination of relaxation and preparation. And speaking of preparation, we have for you some easy breakfast ideas that will hopefully help make your first week back into the school schedule just a little bit simpler.

I (Sharon) don’t know if it is the hazy skies, the long, unusual summer, or just the effects of time on my brain, but I can’t seem to hold a thought in my had these days. How are you doing? Do you need to write everything down? I am a big fan of lists and writing things down, just ask my family. Meal planning is one of the ways I keep myself sane and my family fed, but I usually only bother planning dinner. Lunch and breakfast are thought up on the fly and often result in repetition. (There’s nothing wrong with PB & J four days in a row is there?) Breakfast is usually a rotation of oatmeal, cereal, or scrambled eggs. Well, today we are going to attempt to break out of the “Breakfast Rut”. Don’t worry, we are not doing anything super fancy, we’ll save the complicated breakfasts for the weekends and special brunches. We just wanted to give you some ideas.

Make-Ahead Breakfasts:

With a little planning, you do not have to worry about breakfast when you are trying to get the family moving for the day.

• Overnight Oats | Make the night before, simply take out of the fridge and serve. They can be made in individual containers for taking on the go. And the flavor combos are practically endless.
• Egg Muffin Cups | Cook and store them in the freezer. Reheat and enjoy in the morning. Lots of options for ingredients to include. This recipe is chock-full of veggies.
• Waffles | Do you own a waffle maker? We often make waffles or pancakes on the weekend. Why not make a double batch and freeze some? Heat them up in the morning and top with some protein-packed nut butter and fruit for a complete breakfast. Try this healthy recipe for Whole-Wheat Greek Yogurt Waffles.
• Baked Oatmeal | This recipe is a family favorite in our house and is viewed as a treat due to the brown sugar topping, but aside from that, it’s a pretty healthy breakfast. Make the night before and simply pop in the oven in the morning. If you don’t like this recipe, search “baked oatmeal” and you’ll find tons of options.
• Pumpkin Pancakes | We are getting to the time of year where you can find pumpkin-flavored everything. These pumpkin pancakes are super filling. If you double the recipe you can use up a full can of pumpkin and it should make plenty for a weekend breakfast and leftovers to freeze for easy weekday breakfasts. (I substitute whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and coconut sugar and they come out just as yummy. Non-dairy milk would work as a substitute too.)
• Southwest Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos | Make-ahead and freeze. Reheat and enjoy. Fillings are endless but this recipe sounds good.

Quick Breakfast Ideas:

Sometimes you just need a list of possibilities. Many of these older kids can make themselves.

• Avocado Toast
• Egg in a window (an egg cooked in a piece of toast)
• Yogurt and fruit and/or granola
• Smoothies (an excellent way to get a lot of fruit AND veggies into your family)
• Açaí Bowls (Here are some easy recipes. *Trader Joe’s sells açaí in their frozen fruit department)
• Apples and nut butter
• English Muffins (add an egg and cheese and you’ve got a breakfast sandwich)
• Bagels and cream cheese
• Toast with nut butter
• Oatmeal
• French Toast (Sounds fancy, but it usually can be made pretty quick.)
• Protein Bars, granola bars, Lara bars, etc. If your family are not ones for sitting down for breakfast, make sure you have a selection of nutritious grab and go bars on hand.
• Hardboiled eggs

Looking for more?

Check out these websites for even more ideas.

• 60+ Easy Kid-Friendly Breakfasts
• 70 + Healthy Breakfast to Start Your Morning Off Right
• 60 Make-Ahead Breakfasts 
• 20 Kid-Made Breakfasts

What are your go-to easy breakfasts? Please — share with us in the comments below. Let’s help each other broaden our breakfast horizons.

SLO Classical Academy is not affiliated with any of the above-mentioned websites, businesses or organizations.