Mornings can be tough enough without adding in the additional challenges that making a nutritious and filling breakfast can bring. Here are two common challenges moms face on school mornings, and ideas for how to solve them:
1. There's not enough time to cook in the morning!
Yes, we could get up earlier, but come on! We all know that's easier said than done. So here are some more realistic ideas:
- Pre-make pancake or waffle batter. Then, all you have to do is spoon some batter onto a skillet, and it'll be ready before your kids can say, "Where are my shoes?"
- Prepare extra breakfasts on the weekends. In my house, we fix extra pancakes, waffles, and French toast whenever we cook them on the weekends. Store in the fridge or freezer to pull out and quickly pop in the toaster or microwave on rushed school mornings.
- Use your slow cooker for overnight oatmeal or a breakfast casserole that's ready when you are in the morning.
2. Kids aren't hungry for breakfast?
My youngest simply doesn't like to eat first thing in the morning. But I don't want to send him to school without breakfast, so I've found a few ways to make sure he goes to school with something yummy in his tummy:
- Get completely ready for school before sitting down for breakfast. This gives kids more time to be awake, which means they are more likely to actually eat something.
- Make a smoothie. While my son might not want to eat, he is often happy to drink something. So I've found a fruit and veggie smoothie with protein powder is a perfect solution. You can even pre-make smoothie bags with frozen fruit and greens to blend quickly in the morning.
- Give him a cookie! What? He doesn't need to know this oatmeal breakfast cookie is actually a nutritious breakfast!
If all else fails, go for some grab-and-go options. Stock up on healthy, quick-to-eat items like yogurt, granola bars, hard-boiled eggs, or pre-made breakfast sandwiches. These are easy to grab and eat on the way out the door. Don’t stress too much about making a fancy breakfast. A piece of fruit, a slice of cheese, and a boiled egg can be more than enough to start the day.
Try out these tips to see if they make your mornings a little easier.
Now, if only we could get the kids out of the house on time.
Jennifer Hill is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Fremont, Calif.
