The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Emily at So Damn Domestic.
My baby is here. (Yay!)
And – simultaneously – I’m no longer pregnant. (Yay!)
So I get to snuggle this little soft smooth delicious-smelling thing. AND I don’t have back pain, pelvic issues, reflux, or a super grumpy mood anymore. It’s the best!
I’ve gained a whole person in my family.
My other kiddos have gained a sibling to love and look after (and I LOVE seeing them dote on him). My heart grew an extra size.
What I didn’t gain? Extra hands. Or extra hours in the day.
So getting my big kids ready for school is going to be a challenge each morning.
It has been AWESOME when my husband has been able to take that on, but now that he’s back to work, his schedule doesn’t always allow for it… and he is going to be doing a lot of travel for work soon, too. So it’ll just be me and all of the kids.
Lunches are simple enough to pack the night before. No problem.
But breakfasts often end up a little chaotic, with each kid wanting a different thing, or the same thing prepared slightly differently (one wants “flipped eggs” and the other wants an “empty omelet”, for example).
And while I’m nursing a baby and then pumping – long story, not relevant to this post – and making myself semi-presentable to the public, helping Joey get dressed, filling water bottles, and so on… elaborate breakfasts just aren’t on the menu right now.
As much as I love cooking them, I just can’t right now (on weekdays). And that’s okay.
So I’m making some things ahead of time, on the weekends, or in the afternoons or evenings, when I have a bit of time here and there. That way, we can have easy-to-grab real-food breakfasts on school mornings, and I can hold onto the bit of sanity I have left to my name.
5 Make-Ahead Breakfasts to Streamline Your Morning
1. Homemade Granola – I made a huge batch of granola and it’s so easy to pour a little bowl with milk, sprinkle it on yogurt, or just serve it dry. And it’s healthy, filling, and quick to clean up after.
2. Muffins – Make some healthier muffins, and grab a couple for breakfast. Zucchini muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon poppyseed muffins… you can’t really go wrong with muffins, and it’s so easy to double or triple a recipe and pop some in the freezer for later, too.
3. Something with eggs – Yes, you can pre-cook egg stuff to make your morning smoother. I know a lot of people like to make big batches of breakfast burritos with things like scrambled eggs, cheese, and hot sauce in them, and freeze for later. I have made little individual breakfast quiches before in muffin tins, as well as quiche-like breakfast bars with veggies and cheese in them.
4. Fruit – Having easy to grab fruit is so helpful! Bananas or clementines are great single-serving pieces that are easy for kids to “open” themselves. But cutting up melons, washing berries and grapes, cutting stone fruits, cutting pineapples, or preparing other fruits ahead of time is great too.
5. Pancakes, Waffles, or French Toast – These can be made ahead of time and put in the fridge for the week, or frozen for longer than a week. If you freeze them, make sure to do it in a single layer first before putting them into a freezer bag or container. That way, they won’t stick together. You can reheat all three of these easily in a pan, toaster oven, the oven, or microwave. My kids like to eat made-ahead pancakes cold, right from the fridge!
We often have a few of those things on hand, so my kids might get a couple of cold pancakes along with some fruit, or granola (and maybe yogurt) and an egg thing.
I’m still avoiding the 3 Major Morning Routine Mistakes, but my list of Prioritasks (#3) is a bit different these days. It looks more like “Keep kids alive and happy and fed,” “Eat something,” “Remember to pick up big kids from school.”
With so much focus (and TIME) on baby stuff right now, making some breakfasts ahead of time has been a life saver. I’ve added it to my Simple Weekend Actions to Improve My Week for the time being, but it may stick around permanently because it’s so helpful!
What are your favorite make-ahead breakfasts? Comment to share your ideas or recipes!
Emily Chapelle offers motivating guidance to busy women who are ready to make changes that last. Why? So they can spend more time on the things and people that really matter. She shares home organizing tips, decluttering your life, time-management for homemakers, and other homemaking topics at So Damn Domestic.Click here to join her FREE 30 Day Decluttering Challenge – it will change your life!
Lauren @ Oh Hey, I Like That! says
Congratulations on the new little one in your life! And I love the idea of make-ahead breakfasts, since I never want to take the time to prepare something in the morning and then arrive at work hungry!
Lexie Robinson says
I also like making oatmeal in the crockpot! You fill the pot with water and put the oatmeal, milk, raisins in a glass bowl. Put the bowl in the water and when you wake up 8 hours later, it’s ready! We love this, let me know if you try it!
Laura Wittmann says
That sounds awesome (and easy!), thanks for sharing!!
Mariele says
Pueden creer que en mi país solo se desayuna un café con leche con tostadas con un poco de mermelada o en el caso de los niños una galletita, así llamamos a las galletas tipo Orio?. El desayuno es algo rápido que se prepara en un momento y se come en segundos. Para nosotros es impensado comer huevos, panceta, panqueques. Quizás de vacaciones pero en época de trabajo o escolar jamás! Soy de Argentina.
May you believe that in my country we only take for breakfast coffee with milk and toast with a little jam or in the case of children a cookie ?. Breakfast is quick to prepare at a time and eaten in seconds. For us it is unthinkable to eat eggs, bacon, pancakes. Perhaps holiday season, but ever in time of work or school! I am from Argentina
Tia says
Thanks for the ideas! I love the frozen fruit one. We always have leftover fruit at work and I always take it and freeze it! I put it in smoothies and yogurt but haven’t had it much for breakfast.
Lexie Robinson says
Yay for a new little nugget in the world, rest well mama!
Thank you for sharing the great ideas for make ahead breakfasts! Sometimes mornings can be just so crazy.