The morning rush of getting ready for work, getting kids ready for school, and trying to get breakfast on the table can be a bit overwhelming. Starting the day with a healthy and delicious breakfast is important to help your body prepare for what the day holds. When you begin the day with a healthy breakfast, you are giving your body the ability to attend to academics, improve digestion, and impact your ability to socialize. Here are some amazing nutritious meals you can make to help ease the morning routine.
Egg Muffins
You can make these ahead and freeze them!
Ingredients
¼ cup of milk
⅛ tsp teaspoon salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 medium red bell pepper
¾ cup of spinach
1 ounce of shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F
Spray a muffin tin with cooking, spray and set aside
Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Add a little salt and pepper for taste
Dice the bell pepper into small pieces. Slice the spinach leaves thin
Add the pepper and spinach and cheese into the egg mixture
Fill the muffin tin (leave a little room about ¼ from the top)
Bake for 20-25 minutes
Cool before serving
Toast Time
Prepare the toast and cut it into fun shapes. Offer your child a fun variety of peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, or sunflower butter. Slice up various fruits and allow them to make their own toast. Spreading their choice of Butter lets them work on their fine motor skills while feeling independent. They can be creative and make faces out of the fruit or layer it. This is a quick and easy breakfast that provides nutrition and is fun.
Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
2 ½ cups of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
½ cup of chopped almonds
⅓ cup of honey
¼ cup of unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
¼ cup of packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup of dried cranberries (chopped)
¼ cup of mini chocolate chips
Directions
Heat oven to 350
Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and set it aside
Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper. Place oats and chopped almonds, bake for 5 minutes, mix and then bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Place the oats into a bowl. Place butter, honey, vanilla brown sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan. Make sure to mix until everything is dissolved.
Pour your melted ingredients into the bowl containing the oat mixture.
Next, add the dried cranberries, and mini chocolate chips. Mix well.
Place into a prepared square pan and put into the fridge for 2 hours.
When cool, remove from the pan and cut into bars. This delicious and nutritious breakfast can be prepared the night before to make things easiest in the morning.
Smoothies
Smoothies provide a quick and easy breakfast for those parents on the go. You can make the smoothie and put it in a travel cup for them to take to school. I remember when I was in Graduate school 25 years ago I learned about a girl who was struggling in school. She felt she had to be the class clown because she didn’t have the attention to focus on her classwork. She started eating protein smoothies with probiotics and her attention improved as well as her self-esteem. She went on to become a doctor and shared the importance of a healthy breakfast!
Smoothie Recipe
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup frozen blueberries
½ cup of frozen strawberries
1 cup ice
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
I have added a few slices of frozen banana to make it thicker and sweeter
You can make variations of the recipe to see what you like. Some people add yogurt or even peanut butter. Play with the recipe and see what you like. You can add veggies as well for a different taste. For children who prefer stronger tastes, I have added freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Yogurt Parfait Place a bowl of yogurt and various toppings out for your child. Allow them to alternate layers of fruits, granola, and yogurt. This breakfast is quick and nutritious as well as visually stimulating so they are more likely to eat it. The crunch of the granola mixed with yogurt tart and the natural sweetness of the fruits is a great way to have your picky eater get all the textures and tastes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, try to prepare these over the weekend when you have a little more time. Bring your child into the kitchen to help you. Having your child eat is so crucial for setting their day on the right path for optimum success.