Seven School Day Breakfasts to Make Weekday Mornings Magical

Lillian’s new backpack arrived in the mail this week. When I opened the box I felt the strangest mix of elation and total panic. She starts “Pre-K” (a weird middle step between preschool and kindergarten that didn’t exist when I was a kid) in September and will be in school from 9 until 12:30 five days a week. A new chapter is beginning and my bright, confident little girl is excited. I’m excited for her –frankly, she needs the structure and I need the work hours. All the same, our days of lazy mid-week mornings exploring the library or the zoo are coming to an end.

Instead of mourning the loss of our mornings, I’m preparing to infuse a little fun into the time we will have: Breakfast Time. I’m stocking the fridge (and freezer) with everything we’ll need to make breakfast nutritious, easy and fun. Read on and get ready. Happy Back to School!

1. Yogurt Parfait Breakfast Popsicles

Photo courtesy of JT Andexler

When Cuisipro asked me develop some recipes for their new Mini Popsicle Molds, I knew right away that one of them needed to be a breakfast pop. These are packed with whole grains, protein and fruit from Greek yogurt, fresh berries and granola. On busy weekday mornings, they take all the fighting out of breakfast. Running late? Eat a popsicle.

2. Kale and Bacon Quiches with Hashbrown

Photo courtesy of A Calculated Whisk: http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/

Max is egg-averse. He doesn’t like scrambled, sunny-side or any other version… with one exception. Eggs in muffin format tend to pass his muster. I guess if it looks like a cupcake it must be ok, right? Plus they’re easy to eat on the run. I can’t wait to try this version with a crispy hashbrown crust. Double bonus.

3. Kale, Apple & Banana Smoothie

Photo courtesy Belle of the Kitchen: http://belleofthekitchen.com

My children love smoothies in any color. Something about straws I guess. If they can sip it, they like it. I’ve tried about a million combinations, but a simple mix of kale or spinach, apple, banana and OJ is always a hit. And I get to feel smug that they’re ingesting kale willingly.

4. Overnight Oats

Photo courtesy Obsessive Cooking Disorder: http://www.obsessivecooking.com/

My kids love oatmeal. My kids love cereal. I can’t wait to try cold, overnight oats! I love that this requires almost no work. I love the idea of making it in little single serve jars and simply dumping some fruit on top in the morning and off we go. I suspect the kiddos will love it too.

5. Fruit and Nut Granola Bars

Photo courtesy of But I’m Hungry: http://butimhungry.com/

My kids love granola bars. Don’t even think about opening a store-bought granola bar anywhere within earshot unless you plan to share. They will hear that wrapper and they will RUN like zombies towards the living. I love that this version is packed with nutrition and (again) super portable. I think I’ll make a double batch.

6. Southwestern Quinoa and Poached Egg Bowl

Homemakers Habitat

Not the best food photography but Lilly LOVES this. She requests this breakfast all.the.time. I buy bags of frozen steam-in-bag quinoa specifically for this purpose. Toss a bag in the microwave, Poach a couple of eggs using my Cuisipro Stainless Steel Egg Poachers and top with some jarred salsa and fresh avocado. Delicious, nutritious and different.

7. Baked Banana Nut Oatmeal

Photo courtesy of Sweet and Spicy Monkey: http://sweetandspicymonkey.blogspot.com/

Its oatmeal, its a baked dish, its a custard of sorts. Its very, very intriguing. I’m keeping this one in my back pocket for the first Fall frost.

Now, when does school start?