In my circle, it seems that every few months, a weary mom asks for before school breakfast ideas. I can’t say that I haven’t had this same struggle and lack of inspiration and ideas. I thought I would share with you how we have done and currently do breakfast at our house.
My breakfast philosophy boils down to the fact that I really don’t care what they eat so long as it contains protein in some form and has limited simple sugars. Some mornings I cook for them, and some mornings they are completely on their own while I supervise in a “haven’t had enough coffee yet” trance.
When I cook:
When I am involved in cooking breakfast, these are some of the things I prepare. If the entree doesn’t involve a protein, the kids have to add one of their preference.
- Pancakes (I will share the recipe I use soon!)
- Waffles (of the frozen variety). Sometimes I make a bunch from scratch and freeze them. Other times, I wait for the meijer brand to go on sale for a dollar a box and stock up.
- Scrambled Eggs
- Sausage links
- Fried eggs
- French toast
- Breakfast sandwiches (Toasted english muffins, pre-cooked, frozen sausage patties, heated at the same time that I fry some eggs, add a slice of cheese)
- Breakfast burritos (Cooked ground sausage mixed with scrambled eggs, top with cheese and roll in a soft tortilla)
Not all of my kids like each of the above, so if they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it, but they are on their own for breakfast and must include a protein. They will usually eat a bowl of cereal or whole grain toast.
Easy proteins that my kids pick from:
- Cheese sticks (pre-packaged string cheese, colby jack sticks, cheddar sticks) or slices of cheese.
- A spoonful of peanut butter
- Sunflower seeds
- Cashews
- Yogurt or go-gurts
- Hard boiled eggs
- Deer sticks or salami
Maybe your child needs even more protein?
I have one child who drinks a protein shake every morning. He struggles to maintain/gain weight and was feeling “sick” almost daily at school. He had lots of stomachaches and headaches. We started making a blended protein shake for him every morning with 30+ grams of protein. Not only have most all his stomachaches and headaches stopped, he is also better focused and making huge strides in school. His shakes consist of a scoop of chocolate protein powder, 4 ice cubes, a tablespoon of peanut butter and lastly, whole milk to fill to the 2 cup line on our blender. I still can’t believe the difference he has experienced with changing his breakfast routine.
Hopefully this gave you some ideas, but I am sure there are many I didn’t cover. Let me know what you do at your house!
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