A School Day Breakfast System that Works

a winning formula for healthy, happy weekday breakfasts

Breakfast on school mornings can be a challenge for even the most organized parents. Most of us are looking to check at least some of the boxes of good-for-you, quick and easy, and crowd pleasing when feeding our kids their first meal of the day. Consider introducing this breakfast mix and match system that checks all of the above, plus:

no cooking
keeps kids full until lunch
argument-free
lots of variety from week to week

Offering predictable food groups for breakfast can be a great way to make sure kids are getting a balanced start to their day and know what to expect with some variety mixed in. But parents also benefit from having a breakfast "template" which allows for the opportunity to take advantage of seasonal produce, swap out homemade goods when time allows (and store bought when it doesn't) and have one less decision to make on busy mornings. Consider integrating the following elements into your school day breakfast routines (specific recipes and suggestions in each category to follow!)

some kind of breakfast bread/toast/pastry/baked good
banana - split for younger kids, a whole for older ones
berries or other fruit (let's face it...berries)
some kind of protein

Baked goods: homemade quick bread (banana bread, zucchini bread, pumpkin-apple bread), cinnamon toast, English muffins, bagels, muffins, croissants, leftover weekend-produced waffles or pancakes

make-ahead recipes to try:

Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon in the summer, mandarin oranges, apple slices

Protein: turkey sausage, turkey bacon, hard boiled eggs, slice of quiche, Canadian bacon slice, mini egg or egg white frittata, regular bacon, plain or flavored Greek yogurt (as a granola parfait, with fruit, or plain)

make-ahead recipes to try:

On the weekends it can be fun to make waffles, french toast or pancakes for a more leisurely breakfast and freeze or refrigerate any leftovers for Monday or Tuesday if they last that long.

This breakfast structure works so well thanks to the room for variety in the various combinations - with a little trial and error in the rotation everyone should find something to enjoy. Full, happy and out the door in a reasonable amount of time is a great way to start the school morning for kids and parents alike!