4 Yummy Ideas for Beating the Breakfast Blues

I’m sure we can all agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially with little ones – as parents, we know that if we don’t get them out the door in the mornings with a properly full belly we will have some grumpy littles on our hands later on! Unfortunately, many of us neglect breakfast – I am the absolute worst for getting the kids fed and then getting busy with other tasks. And there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that your body and mind will suffer unless you have a healthy breakfast each morning.With the increase in GMO foods racing onto supermarket shelves, I have begun to spend a lot less time at the general supermarket and much more of my shopping dollars are going into our local health food store! This makes me happy.

Most of us spend (on average) six to eight hours sleeping.  After that time, of course, your body needs fuel to keep going.  Without breakfast at home, your options for on the run nutrition may amount to too much fat, too much sugar and too many carbs.  And, that convenient run to the fast food joint is not as convenient and time saving as you think if everyone else has the same idea.

The fifteen or twenty minutes spent in line could have been used to fill your belly with something good at home.  I have begun also to implement homemade yogurt into my children’s breakfasts, see my post on how to make that here.

If you are the type to skip breakfast, here is a solution to starting the day with a good breakfast which will help you keep hunger in check as well as give you the natural energy boost to start your day.

Opt for Old Fashioned Oatmeal & Porridge

This food makes a good hot meal that contains lots of filling fiber to keep you from getting hungry later on in the morning.  Depending on your taste, you can take five minutes to fix it on the stove or use the microwave for instant oatmeal.  Kids tend to like the variety of flavors that come with instant oatmeal.  The night before, put together a container of add-ins like blueberries, strawberries and bananas that can be tossed on top for a bit of antioxidant power.

Whip Up Some Tasty Fruit Smoothies

These are good any morning but particularly on a hot day.  You’ll have to blend the ingredients together in the morning, but the prep work can be done at night.  Cube your fruit and place it into a container.  Instead of frozen yogurt in the morning, use a cup of plain yogurt.  Add ice cubes, a little water and blend. For added nutrition, we add goji berries to almost every smoothie in order to up the superfood intake! If your kids love a more chocolatey taste to their smoothies (and I have yet to encounter a child that doesn’t love chocolate in their smoothies!) then you might want to try adding some cacao nibs. More superfood wonderment!

Try a Classic Egg Sandwich

The eggs can be cooked the night before and placed in a sealed container.  In the morning, warm up the eggs in the microwave.  If you want, add some chopped veggies or shredded cheese.  Serve on toasted wheat bread.  The night before, place two pieces of bread into a Ziploc bag for each family member.  They can toast their bread as they get up and place the sandwich in the bag for easy transport in the car to work or school.

Everyone Loves Some Nutritious Yogurt with Granola & Fruit

We love yogurt in this house. We even make our own using this handy little machine! We just add one part yogurt to five parts milk, and set it for 12 hours to be ready for the morning. Generally though, yogurt by itself won’t keep you from being hungry.  Add some granola and a few blueberries to the mix.  This makes a great breakfast idea for those mornings when you are running late.  Keep small bags of granola and blueberries in the fridge next to the yogurt so you can grab them and run.

Are you fighting the breakfast battle?  To get a filling meal you don’t have to opt for too much fat, calories or carbs.  These quick and easy breakfast ideas can be made within minutes and are a much healthier alternative to skipping breakfast or grabbing a high fat alternative.

I have also started to add Bob’s Red Mill muesli in the mornings, allowing it to steep for a while in some homemade yogurt before serving.  Yum!