Toddler Dinners: Breakfast Part 2
I have discussed breakfast here before but I have had questions about it lately. Let’s revisit! Breakfast is our most time constrained meal of the day. I want us all to sit at the table together even if it is a few minutes. No car meals for OCD parents about crumbs in the car. So I often have to make my decision based on a couple of random factors:
- How late are we running?
- Did I wash my hair ?(no. really…I can make all kinds of stuff with that time)
- Did he wake up a cranky pants?
- What do I want to eat?
On top of that, I have to make the decision sometimes in mere minutes. Like when I think he is going to be taking a long time getting ready and then I hear him at the top of the stairs. Those mornings are reserved for cereal bars with cut up fruit or something simple. If we want biscuits or cinnamon rolls? I need a good head start. If he is tolerable, I have time to toast a waffle or muffin. Now if I want something, I just have to have more for him or eat away from him. Of all meals, he always wants what I have. Even if it is 2 different kinds of cereal…he will want what I chose even after he requested the original. So while he is usually easier to deal with at breakfast, it takes some quick thinking with no coffee.
To help out y’all looking for breakfast ideas, here are some of our go tos. Nothing revolutionary but maybe it will remind you of something you want to try:
- Frozen waffle with honey and fruit
- Canned biscuits with honey
- Greek yogurt with granola (Tip: Greek yogurt is thicker than regular so teaching young ones to eat it is less messy. Plus? Protein!)
- Cereal ( Note: Landon doesn’t know of kid’s cereal. I plan to keep it this way for as long as possible. Those Lucky Charms in the cabinet? Mommy’s special cereal)
- Oatmeal
- English muffin with PB and bananas
- Smoothies
- Muffins
- Pancakes (Tip: Cook a bunch on the weekend and save for the week. Throw extra bananas and junk in there for added bonus)
- Cinnamon rolls (Tip: Cook in a waffle iron. It cooks faster and then the icing will stay in the wells and more bite size.
- PB & J…classic. Heck I make mine with waffles 🙂
What are you breakfast choices in a pinch?
Also be sure to follow me along throughout the week with your creations on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #toddlerdinners.
H eats at daycare, but nearly every morning we send him in with plain yogurt (that’s how he likes it!) and a muffin, if I’ve gotten my act together over the weekend to make them. I’ll usually do banana, sweet potato or this pumpkin recipe, which is soooo easy – http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/promise-keeper-pumpkin-eater/
I use WW flour and add some flaxseed, and only about 1/2 cup of sugar, so I know he’s getting a really healthy start to the morning. And actually, we all like them!
If I haven’t made muffins, he’ll get a frozen blueberry waffle or sometimes is happy with cheerios and raisins (or cranberries).
Knox tends to eat best in the morning. So I am always prepared with something. Our number one go to breakfast is pancakes. I premake and freeze a huge batch of pancakes made with wheat flour, oats, ground flax, pureed blueberries, lots of butter and whole milk. I make them about the size of a post it note so it’s easy for him to grasp. In the morning, I pop 1-2 into the toaster on the frozen setting. It comes out perfect. I also give him a fruit leather (http://www.target.com/p/archer-farms-simply-balanced-organic-strawberry-fruit-strips-25-ct-12-5-oz/-/A-13270668 – this is the cheapest source for real fruit strips). My husband is addicted to maple brown sugar pop tarts and knox likes those too (yes, I know how bad they are)
I also like graham crackers slathered with peanut butter (knox also gets butter under the peanut butter to boost calories) into a sandwich.
Scrambled eggs are easy and fast-ish. I bet you could make these ahead too and store in the fridge.
How could I forget SMOOTHIE!!!! full fat yogurt, banana or dates for sweetness, spinach/carrots/broccoli/whatever, blueberries/peaches/mango/whatever fruit all blended into a really filling and healthy breakfast. Knox gets extra olive oil in his smoothies but most kids probably don’t need that.
I love your comment about cereal. When I was pregnant with #2, I craved crunch berries a LOT. My daughter only knew them as “mommy’s cereal” or “grown-up cereal.” Then she called me out one day in the grocery store, when she pointed at the crunch berries and said, in her loud toddler voice, “Dat’s YOUR cereal, Mommy?” 🙂
Mommy’s little secret
I like your idea about Cinnamon Rolls in a waffle iron. That sounds awesome! How do you do that?
It’s that simple. Heat iron, stick cinnamon roll in there, wait for it to ding. Done
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