Yesterday for Ingredient Spotlight we shared egg recipes. Many of those were for breakfast foods and I mentioned that we usually eat meals like that for dinner, rather than first meal of the day.
We keep things simple for breakfast. It’s rare that I fix one breakfast item for all of us to eat. In our house, the usual order of the day is that everyone fixes their own. When the kids were younger, I helped them get their food ready, but learning to fix their own breakfast was a good step toward independence.
My goal is that no real cooking goes on during breakfast. We’ve got places to go and things to do, so I don’t want us spending time fixing breakfast.
Here are 6 ways we keep breakfast simple:
Make it the same every day
We are boring breakfast eaters, eating the same thing nearly every day. We each have our favorite and stick to it. This makes fixing breakfast a breeze. By making the same thing each day, it’s easy to time the coffee with the toaster, while tag-teaming juice pouring.
Toast it
Most of us eat toast, bagel or English muffins for breakfast. This is easy for the kids to fix. It also works well for eating breakfast in shifts. We’ve got a 4 slot toaster, that keeps the waiting to a minimum.
Freeze it
If you like muffins or waffles for breakfast, try making a big batch and freezing them. We’ve also done this with homemade bread. It’s much cheaper, healthier and better tasting than the store-bought versions.
Microwave it
A few of us like oatmeal for breakfast and most days that means quick oats in the microwave. Sometimes, someone will have hot Grape Nuts cereal, which we also microwave.
Slow cook it
During the winter, we crave a hot breakfast. I often make a batch of slow cooked oatmeal one day, with enough to microwave for leftovers. Try Peaches & Cream, Pumpkin Spice or Apple Oatmeal – all in the slow cooker.
Add protein
There are times that we need a protein boost at breakfast. A scrambled egg is quick to fix (use a non-stick skillet to make clean up quick too). Peanut butter on toast or a glass of milk add a boost of protein without adding time to breakfast prep.
What do you eat for breakfast?
Great tips. I am a boring breakfast eater too. It’s always Cheerios with some sort of berry on top. I like to keep it simple in the morning as there are usually a million things going on and if I eat too much I feel sick.
We are having a lot of smoothies for breakfast that I make in large batches and freeze. Also snack bars (like your Grab and Go bars) or muffins that I make ahead and freeze; with a glass of milk they make a good and reasonably healthy breakfast – http://calmhealthysexy.com/feel-calmer-and-be-healthier-in-the-morning-grab-and-go-breakfasts/
Gaye
Smoothies make a great fast breakfast. Yum!
We eat a lot of sausage, that’s my boys’ favorite, and most times we microwave that. They have started getting into sausage sandwiches (McMuffins) and so now we micro the sausage, toast the muffin, and top with cheese – done! They also like cereal, and toast, and PopTarts (I know, too many preservatives) and we set up a buffet in our dining room so they can access all those things themselves. The sausage & cheese are the only things to go to the kitchen for!
Great blog, I love reading your tips & emails,
Emily
Cinnamon raisin toast, oatmeal with dried berries and nuts, yogurt with fruit and granola.
Well I used to eat scramble eggs with frozen spinach and cheddar cheese mixed in (or sometimes other leftover vegetable) but I just landed a job and need to speed up my breakfasts. I will probably make 5 frozen egg burritos ahead of time on Sunday and pull one out the night before and warm it up in the morning in the microwave. They will be scrambled eggs and cheese and some sort of vegetable. I will make as much of my lunches that I can the night before too.
Generally it’s an apple with peanut butter. Kids like pancakes (make ahead and freeze between waxed paper just nuke to heat up) I also make crust less quiche muffins with spinach and cheese. Also easy reheat in the microwave.
Crustless quiche muffins sound intriguing!