Healthy and quick breakfast ideas for kids

Cara Rosenbloom quick and healthy breakfast ideas

I met Cara Rosenbloom RD, a few months ago and I’m so thrilled that she will be guest posting here today! Cara is a Toronto-based dietitian and president of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company. She specializes in writing about nutrition for children, inspired by her 7-year old-daughter and 3-year-old son. Visit her blog at www.wordstoeatby.ca for nutrition education, kid-friendly recipes, and tips on getting your kids to eat vegetables!

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Despite my best intentions, mornings never go as smoothly as planned. In a perfect world, lunches would be made the night before, I’d be able to match plastic containers with their respective lids (!!!), and my kids would be able to find their hat/brush/boots/homework/water bottle. So as I scramble to get out the door on time, every morning is an adventure.  

But no matter how rushed it is, we always make time for breakfast.

The morning meal kick-starts the body and helps your child focus at school with better memory and concentration skills. Optimal breakfasts will should include fibre and protein for long-lasting energy and satiety.

Here are my 10 favourite breakfast ideas for my kids, all of which take less than five minutes to prepare!

  1. The make-ahead muesli: This traditional Swiss breakfast has a huge advantage for busy moms – it can be made the night before. Mix oat flakes, seeds, nuts and dried fruit with plain Greek yogurt and refrigerate overnight. Serve in the morning with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey.
  2. The standard: cereal and milk – Skip the processed, sugary stuff and look for cereals that have “whole grain” as main ingredient, at least 4 grams of fibre and less than 6 grams of sugar per 30 gram serving. Forget the artificial colours — add fresh fruit instead.
  3. The defrosted breakfast: Imagine it’s Sunday morning and all is calm. Make breakfast burritos, nutrient-dense muffins, or wholesome seed & fruit bars and freeze leftovers. Defrost them on busy weekday mornings as needed.
  4. The breakfast banana split: This is my daughter’s favourite way to start the day. She entered it in a cooking contest last year and won third place! It looks like an ice cream sundae, but has the nutritional benefits of breakfast. Banana, yogurt, fruit – go! Or use the same ingredients in a tall glass to make a parfait.
  5. The quick eggs: Ambitious? Not really. Scrambled eggs are a kid-favorite that can be ready in 5 minutes, and is a warming way to start the day.  
  6. The nutty banana wrap: Spread peanut butter on a whole grain tortilla. Place a full banana in the centre, and roll it sushi-style. You can cut it into rounds, or eat as a wrap.
  7. The savoury: Mash up leftover beans or spread hummus on whole grain toast, and top with sliced avocado and tomato.
  8. The almond butter crunchers: Thinly slice an apple or pear. Add almond or cashew butter and sprinkle with high fibre cereal.
  9. The seeds galore: Make your own “Holy Crap” or ‘’Qia” cereal. Simply mix chia seeds, hemp seeds and buckwheat with some cinnamon and dried fruit. Store in a jar and use as needed… mix a few tablespoons of it with soy beverage, milk, kefir or yogurt.
  10. The out-the-door: Truly no time? Grab a piece of artisan whole grain bread, a cheese string, turkey slice or handful of almonds, and an apple. Eat in the car or while walking to school.

Any of these breakfasts will provide the requisite fuel for a great day.

Disclosure: There is no commercial interest in this post — Cara is not writing on behalf of any client. Just her free-flowing thoughts!

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