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These healthy breakfasts my kids love will give you good ideas to add to your weekly meal plan. With a focus on whole grains and fresh fruit, I try to include protein, carbs, and fat with each meal.
^^OMG little Mazey!!
Let’s Talk Breakfast
Breakfast is easily my favorite meal. As I regularly share my favorite creative breakfasts (overnight oats, eggs/fruit/toast, smoothie bowls, oatmeal, etc.), you know I love setting the tone for the day with a hot Yeti mug of coffee and healthy meal to break the fast.
My kids also love breakfast! I think it’s the most reliable meal of the day they eat. While Birch-the-oatmeal-lover can crush some breakfast, Mazen tends to be a lighter breakfast eater (and a bit more picky).
And they tend to eat a wider rotation of recipes than they do at other meals. (Shocker!) I try my best to feed them both a variety of balanced breakfasts (protein, fat, whole grains, and easy on the sugar). They definitely go through phases of favorites (as do I), but they both eat a good wheelhouse of healthy breakfast recipes. These are my boys’ current busy morning favorites and a few extra recommendations for you!
Healthy Breakfasts My Kids Love:
1) Frozen Waffles or Pancakes
I typically keep a box or two of frozen waffles and/or pancakes in the freezer because a) they make for a super easy breakfast, and b) my kids love them. I usually buy the Whole Foods 365 organic whole wheat varieties. The ingredient lists are decent (including whole grains and fiber), and they’re easy to toast up in a few minutes flat to pair with fresh fruit or eggs.
Another alternative is to make sheet pan pancakes and then freeze them yourself! My sheet pan pancake recipe is made with whole wheat pastry flour and the pancakes are thick and fluffy. Pancakes cut into squares are perfect for saving time and either feeding a crowd or freezing for later.
2) Smoothies
Mazen is a big smoothie lover and it’s his go-to breakfast at our house. We don’t save smoothies just for the summertime in our house, we enjoy them year round. It’s the fastest way to pack in a bunch of nutrients, for both myself and the boys. They particularly love when I make chocolate peanut butter smoothies because they basically taste like a milkshake; plus, I can easily throw in a couple handful of greens and they never know!
3) French Toast and Pancakes
On the weekends, we like to jazz up breakfast with something a bit more special. Since Mazen isn’t a fan of eggs, French toast has been one way we sneak them in. I’ll usually soak thick slices of whole wheat bread in a mixture of eggs, whole milk, and cinnamon and then top with a little maple syrup and sliced bananas. It’s definitely a sweet treat, but semi-healthy, too! Check out this Deep Dish pancake – another different idea!
Try wheels on the bus french toast!
4) Cold Cereal
We definitely don’t do cereal every morning, but man is it convenient! Believe it or not, it took Mazen until age 6 to eat cereal with milk, but now that he actually enjoys it, it’s a fast breakfast before school. He is into anything cinnamon and Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Cinnamon Chex has been a favorite. I also buy Whole Foods brand of cinnamon squares or Peanut Butter Puffins. Birch eats cereal too and loves all kinds of Chex too, and of course, Cheerios. His all time favorite (as is mine) is Quaker Oatmeal Squares!
5) Scrambled Eggs
The perfect toddler finger food! When he was a toddler Birch used to love scrambled eggs, but like Mazen, he turned against them! They’re such a perfect food that I fed them to Mazen 1,000 times and he hasn’t eaten eggs since he was yay high:
But they get eggs in other forms – they just doesn’t know. I make a version of this pancake recipe from Anne every now and then and it’s just eggs and banana – two foods that Mazen “doesn’t like.” If your kids are open to eggs, little egg and cheese egg muffins in a mini muffin tin is a great make-ahead breakfast idea.
6) Oatmeal
It shouldn’t be a surprise that my kids love oatmeal as it’s one of my all time favorite breakfasts. Mazen turned against it a few years ago, but it’s Birch’s favorite breakfast! He will eat a whole bowl (half a cup) and likes his plain!! I’ve tried to add toppings and cinnamon and he loves the natural oat taste the best.
7) Baked Oatmeal
This is ideal for toddlers since it’s more firm. I used to cut or break it up into smaller pieces and it’s a perfect finger food. With Mazen, it’s kind of hit or miss. He’ll eat it if it looks like a muffin but not if it’s a slice on a plate.
8) Muffins
Speaking of muffins, they love them when I bake a batch – Mazen will literally eat three! We don’t always have homemade muffins on hand, but when I do get around to baking a batch, I stick a few in the freezer to be reheated anytime (that is, if I’m lucky and there are leftovers). Our favorite muffin recipes include these healthy whole wheat muffins and whole grain oat pumpkin muffins.
9) Overnight Oats
Birch loves overnight oats just as much as I do and always steals bites from mine. I regularly make a batch of basic overnight oats for myself to jazz up with various toppings. I’ll serve him the plain oats (oats mixed with yogurt and/or milk). This will get less messy when he can use a spoon!
10) Yogurt Drinks and Yogurt Pouches
Definitely a favorite of the boys, with yogurt drinks or yogurt pouches I know they’re getting in some protein and probiotics. I’ll also typically offer some fruit to go with it, but sometimes they’ll eat these as a solo snack on the go. I typically grab whatever is organic and on sale at Whole Foods (checking to make sure they’re not loaded with added sugar). Mazen will eat some “grown-up” yogurts but the flavors are very hit or miss. Birch also likes plain Greek yogurt with granola on top!
11) Bagels
While I would assume most kids like bagels with cream cheese, my kids prefer bagels with butter. Makes for a great quick breakfast since we keep a bunch of bagels in a stasher bag in our freezer.
12) Cinnamon Toast
aka Grammie Toast! We eat a lot of whole grain bread toasted with butter and a cinnamon sugar blend. This simple recipe was created by Grammie, so sometimes we call it Grammie Toast! Toast with nut butter, butter, jam, avocado, or cheese etc. is one of the best grab and go breakfast ideas.
13) Homemade Granola Bars
While granola bars can be heavily processed with soy or sugar, homemade ones are a great breakfast for teens and tweens who are out the door. This easy energy bar recipe are on of my favorites or if you’re ok with a softer texture, try these baked oatmeal snack bars ideal for meal prep and gluten-free homes.
14) Hard Boiled Eggs
While I can’t say either of my children eat hard-boiled eggs, I think they are one of the best quick breakfast ideas. If your kids will eat them, more power to you! I do think peeling the shell off can be a fun kid friendly activity (even if they aren’t ready to eat them yet.) Have them do the work for you!
I’d love to hear some of your healthy breakfast ideas for kids!
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