Healthy breakfasts for kids don’t need to be complicated. These ideas are perfect for busy families.
If your household is anything like mine when my kids were growing up, the daily dash to get everyone out of bed, papers signed, book bags ready and the gang out the door can be wild. This rush also makes a healthy, nutritious and filling breakfast seem impossibile.
But with a bit of planning, you can send your children on their way with something nutritious and delicious. They’ll be able to perform their best, and you will feel better knowing they had a breakfast that was less about sugar and more about good fuel.
With school back in session, we’re sharing these healthy, easy, on-the-go breakfast ideas for kids to get them off to a healthy start. Each one is packed with fiber, protein and slow-burning carbohydrates to keep them satiated until lunchtime.
Serve these at home, or hand them to your children as they head out the door. They make great breakfasts for busy adults, too.
- Egg burrito: Crack an egg in a pan and scramble it, along with a bit of cheese. Fill a whole wheat tortilla with the mixture and some salsa. Wrap the burrito in foil and heat it in the toaster oven. It’s ready when they are. Add some veggies for a nutritional boost.
- Breakfast parfait: Kids love the idea of dessert for breakfast. Layer fat-free yogurt, berries or other fruit, and granola cereal in a clear cup. This parfait is pretty, and easy to eat with a spoon while waiting for the bus.
- Trail mix: Mix shredded mini-wheat or other high-fiber cereal in a bag or travel cup with raisins, craisins or other dried fruits, almonds and pretzels or popcorn. Be creative. This makes a great pre-sports practice snack for kid’s gym bags, too. Add a few dark chocolate chips for a special treat.
- Waffle with banana and peanut butter: Take two frozen whole-grain waffles and boost their staying power by adding a smear of peanut butter and some sliced banana in between. What kid won’t love that?
- English muffin breakfast pizza: Pizza’s not just for dinner! Try combining two classic kid favorites. Add tomato sauce, a scrambled egg, cheddar cheese and turkey pepperoni to a whole-wheat muffin. Make it the night before and pop it in the toaster oven, so it is ready when they are.
Stacey Kendrick, MS, is a health educator and is mother to two adult daughters. In her free time, she teaches cooking classes, runs, gardens and enjoys backyard bonfires.
