It’s back to school and for some families the epic Breakfast Wars have begun. It could mean a melee in the cereal aisle… bran verses frosted flakes. Maybe this is the year your teen has forsaken all things edible in the a.m. hours. Or perhaps breakfast is just lost in the morning shuffle. One thing is for certain, to win the Breakfast Wars you’ll need a tasty, healthy, portable plan of attack.
Here are 6 breakfasts your kids will love!
The Art of Toast
This is the best thing since sliced bread. Cut out aluminum foil designs (your kids can do this the night before). Arrange the foil pieces on bread and place in the oven on broil for 1-2 minutes or the toaster oven. Add a splash of color with jelly or chocolate spread for a toaster creation that’s fast and fun to eat.
Granny’s Quesadilla
This warm and gooey quesadilla is perfect for eating on the go. Sprinkle sharp cheddar and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples between tortilla shells and fry or just microwave. Cut into wedges and you’ve got a portable breakfast just like Granny used to make, if she made quesadillas.
No Bake Cereal Bars
When you don’t even have time to pour a bowl of cereal you can grab one of these bars and go. All you need is four cups of ingredients and a syrup binder. You can mix cereal, nuts and even dried fruit or yogurt chips. Brown rice syrup is extremely sticky and great for binding dry ingredients. Maple syrup also works when reduced down in a saucepan. Mix cereal and syrup, then spread over a pan lined with parchment paper. Chill and enjoy.
Cookies for Breakfast?!
The trick is to cut out the sugar. Follow your favorite chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie recipe but swap the sugar for pureed dates or all-fruit jelly. You can cut out some of the gluten with soy, coconut or quinoa flour but you’ll want to mix it with white flour too keep your cookies from being too dense. Try carob chips as a chocolate substitute or sprinkle in nuts for added protein.
Chicken in a Basket
Use a cookie cutter or small cup to cut a hole in a slice of bread, then butter and throw on a skillet. Crack an egg in the hole and cook both sides until over medium or hard. Now you’ve got eggs and toast without the plate.
Breakfast Pops
Choose any mixture of yogurt and fruit to pour into a Popsicle mold. You can even throw in some granola. If you have an ice cream maker try a frozen custard with cream, egg yolks and pureed fruit in place of sugar. Churn until it’s about the consistency of a smoothie, pour into your Popsicle molds and freeze. No more messing with the blender to make a smoothie, you’ve got all the ingredients you want packed into a Popsicle that’s ready to go anytime.
With your fridge stocked and your kids happy you can finally put an end to the back to school Breakfast Wars!
About Selena:
Selena Reder is a mother, writer and part-time video producer living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her son Dorian and husband Tim. Dorian loves chasing Selena and Tim’s tailless cat, making messes for dad to clean up, squealing loud enough for the neighbors to hear and staring at strangers until it’s uncomfortable. Tim loves Dungeons and Dragons, Margaret Atwood and writing meticulous grocery lists.
Selena loves washing cloth diapers, binging on British TV (Top Gear, Only Fools and Horses, Doc Martin, etc) painting and knitting super fancy baby sweaters. She also loves working part-time with her video editor husband (special shout out to her parents and in-laws for being great babysitters!).
If Selena were stranded on a desert island with only one thing to do for the rest of her life, she would nurse her son in their favorite chair. It’s the best thing in the world right now.
