Guest posting for me today is Melissa of Multi-Tasking Mama! Melissa’s topic is all about menu planning our breakfasts, something, to be honest, that has never occurred to me but certainly makes a lot of sense.
Welcome Melissa, thanks for hanging out here with us today!
Tired of rushing to give your kids (and don’t forget yourself) a nutritious breakfast in the morning? School will be back in session soon and with the end of summer comes the return of morning madness. Sometimes, a nutritious breakfast is the first sacrifice made for the sake of time. But, it shouldn’t be that way. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
One way to make sure that you get a healthy breakfast is to plan ahead. Many of us make menu plans for dinner but adding what you are going to have for breakfast is a good habit to have as well. Having breakfast on the menu will insure that the ingredients are there for a healthy, well balanced start to the day.
Here are some ideas for quick but tasty breakfast ideas:
~Buy vanilla flavored yogurt and add some fresh or frozen berries and granola or Grapenuts cereal. Parfait that the kids and grown-ups can enjoy!
~Make a whole grain waffle sandwich. My boys like toasted frozen waffles (I use the Kashi brand) with peanut butter and bananas and then they eat them like a sandwich.
~Smoothies are another favorite in our house. Fresh or frozen fruit in the blender with non fat yogurt or skim milk and drink. Yum, yum! ~Whole wheat english muffins with egg and melted cheese.
~ Stock up on whole grain cereal bars and fresh fruit. None of these take more than 5 minutes to make and send your family off with a good healthy start to the day! Anything to make the morning easier, right?
Happy Breakfast-making 🙂
LuAnn says
I’ve made great plans to menu plan breakfasts before … but have had trouble with the follow-through. :/
Tamara says
I don’t. We just have the same thing every morning. I am no morning lark and a changing plan would take too much thinking for me.
Jo's Quirky Cooking says
Yes, but not in a strict way – I just have a few ideas for the week, and fit them in when they work. My menu plan for this week describes some of the breakfasts we like. I like to fill the kids up with fruit and/or smoothies, protein (to help them not to be sleepy) and some carbs to fill them up.
Bethany says
I find that it helps to have certain breakfasts tied to days of the week. I always know what is coming the next day because it generally doesn’t change. Monday – oatmeal, Tuesday – boiled eggs and toast, Wednesday – pancakes, Thursday – muffins and yogurt, Friday – omlet. Add some fruit and milk and planning is easy!
leah says
Bethany, I love the idea of certain days being tied to certain foods! What a great idea!
Angela says
I’ve done this before when my son gets particularly picky, or stuck in a rut. Works like a CHARM.
Cara says
I follow Bethany’s breakfast plan also. Mondays are cereal, toast and fruit, Tuesdays are pancakes, I make different kinds each week. Wednesdays is oatmeal/baked oatmeal. Thursdays is muffin day and Fridays is usually eggs of some sort:)
This works well for us!
Jill says
We do similar to Bethany,
Monday is Muffins
Tuesday is eggs of some sort
Wednesday is Oatmeal
Thursday is pancakes, waffles or french toast.
Friday is Germade or Cracked Wheat
Saturday is our big breakfast and usually includes meat.
Sunday is cold cereal. (I take the day off).
I have found that it saves a lot of time figuring out what to make, but also saves a lot of money.
Kim says
I, too, make menus for breakfast but had a two week plan and had certain food certain days. I.E.
Mondays: oatmeal
Tuesday: toast and grapefruit or orange
Wednesday: cinnamon rolls
Thursday: Scrambled eggs and biscuits
Friday: French toast sandwich; make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then dip it in the egg batter and fix like french toast then cut into sticks. My kids love this, personally I don’t eat peanut butter or french toast.
Next week:
MOnday: egg, cheese on a toasted english muffin
Tuesday: toast with peanut butter, apples slices and cinnamon
Wed. Pull apart bread (monkey bread)or oatmeal bars
Thursday: cereal
Friday: sausage, biscuits and gravy or just sausage and biscuit sandwich
I like the new ideas, I get burned out on mine. :o)thanks
Jen C says
As I start getting ready for school to start, I am going to plan our breakfast this year as well. My youngest child will not eat cereal at all, so it is a hot breakfast each morning. I am planning on have each day be a certain thing. Great idea!!
Elizabeth says
Yeah, I’ve actually just started thinking about the possibility of menu planning breakfasts, so this post is timely. I also thinking that cooking ahead for a quick grab on school mornings is important. Whole wheat waffles, breakfast bars…whole wheat banana breads..all these are nutritious and yummy and can be made the night before. I hate leaping out of bed and having to come up with breakfast while I’m still sleepy. 🙂
Have a great day!
Marci@OvercomingBusy says
We usually don’t menu plan breakfast, but I’m going to start for the school year. Thanks for the breakfast ideas.
Charmaine says
I have always menu-planned breakfast (as well as our other meals and snacks) since having kids. Each day is theme (just like Bethany & Jill):
Monday: Muffin
Tuesday: Eggs
Wednesday: Hot Cereal
Thursday: Bagles
Friday: Breakfast Casserole
Saturday: Pancakes, Waffles or French Toast
Sunday: Cold Cereal
Lisa says
I do plan during the school year. I also make huge batches of breakfast burritos and individually wrap them in wax paper–they microwave in a minute–for when we oversleep, which with teenagers is about every day!! In a pinch pbj is a good breakfast too–especially on whole grain bread. Or a banana. Oatmeal in the crockpot is a good over night option.
Cassie says
Great ideas, ladies!
meme says
not now, but when the kids were home and on school days, I did- also set the table or got the dishes stacked at the end and tea towel covered- those little steps make such a difference- also was an easy task for one of the kids to do on their way to bed. Neither girls were big morning eaters so most breakfasts were simple–
alas, I am no longer in the habit as it is just me and the dog-
try it for a month and you will notice the difference if you go back to not******
sending the child out the door with breakfast in hand?? coffee filters make good holders for the buritos or other odd foods-
Vikki says
Not liking to use convience foods, I make my own. I make up a couple dozen breakfast burritos at once, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. I do sausage patties the same way. I make little baby quiche in a muffin pan, flash freeze and bag up by twos and freeze in a larger freezer bag. Overnight oatmeal in the crock pot is a good one too. Not to mention that breakfast can also be reheated dinner from last night. And as far as smoothies go, I make up several at a time and pour up in small bottles and stick in the back of the fridge, they will last there for 3 to 4 days. This way everyone can simply grab what they want for breakfast and it only takes me a hour or so on the weekend to get everything preped for the next week. I’m working on dinners anyway, so adding in breakfast doesn’t make that much difference on the weekend but make a huge difference come the week
Bonnie says
I don’t menu plan my breakfasts. But, I keep the pantry stocked with 3 or 4 HEALTHY cereals, and the freezer always has bread for toast.
Multitasking Mama says
Wow! Thanks for all the great feedback. Love Bethany and Jill’s idea of assigning breakfast foods to a particular day and Vicki had some great ideas to add to my menu.
Rachel says
Yes I always plan breakfasts because if I don’t I forget to have the ingredients on hand that we need!
Grea job! 🙂
Patricia says
We also have a different breakfast for each day of the week. It got us eating healthier and simplyfies our mornings. We always know what to expect and on the mornings we need to be somewhere, I have something super simple. Everything is GF and dairy free and egg free, due to allergies.
M-muffins (banana or blueberry)
T-toast (homemade bread with organic jam)
W-waffles (frozen from Trader Joes)
R-grits
F- frutie french toast (with flaxmeal) OR fresh fruit and soy ice cream
S-pancakes
S-cold cereal
Kim says
you can also precook bacon, layer on wax paper in a ziploc, pull out the strips you need, nuke it and wala. You can do the same with canned biscuits, cook ahead, slice, freeze. Fry an egg add your bacon and biscuit.
Kim says
I meant to add that you freeze your precooked bacon. LOL
Martha says
I don’t do a menu plan for breakfasts but I do prepare things on Sunday so everyone can have a good selection of breakfasts to chose from during the week – quickly, easily and on the go if necessary.
I have a post scheduled to go up tomorrow morning about planning for breakfast for the week.
Jennie says
I do, but in the loose sense others have mentioned. I’ve been thinking about assigning specific breakfasts to specific days again, but I find my stomach isn’t at its best in the morning so I usually pick what sounds edible.
I love to do breakfast burritos that we keep in the freezer. They’re easy and one of our favorites here:
http://littlebirdhouse.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/breakfast-burritos-freezer-style/
Oatmeal, cold cereal, frozen whole grain waffles with peanut butter, and bagels or Wasa crackers with lox are frequent options too.
Erica says
We start homeschooling this school year and I’m trying to get more organized…the idea of menu planning breakfasts is fabulous! I love the idea of assigning certain foods to certain days. I also think the idea of using the same letter (Monday = Muffins) is too cute, which would actually help my little ones with their letter sounds. Great ideas, everyone! Thanks!
Jessica says
Since school has already started here, I have found it is sooo hard to get my kids to eat! I never had much of a problem before during the summer. I’ve even had to put a time limit on the kids to get them to hurry but that seems to backfire on me. I have no probelm picking out what they LIKE to eat..it’s just getting them to EAT IT. Any ideas?
mary b says
I have been toying with the idea of a certain food per day for breakfasts. My older DS usually gets his own breakfast, but has a bad habit of repeating the not-so-good-for-you stuff. A daily rotation would be great.
My youngest DS LOVES the idea of those peanut butter & banana waffle sandwiches. Thanks!
Jeanie Cullip says
I never have before menu planned my breakfast. But I am thinking of purchasing breakfast items that are on sale and then rotating them out for the week would be a great budget proof way to breakfast!
Blessings & Giggles to you and yours,
Jeanie