Back to School Breakfasts for Kids

Kids are back in school. While a routine is good for many things, a routine breakfast can get boring. And making breakfast something that kids don’t want to skip is important. Studies show that children who eat breakfast:

• Are less likely to be obese
• Do better in school
• Have better concentration and more energy
• Are in generally better health than breakfast-skippers

Here are some pretty easy ideas for you to make sure that children get the nutrition they need without falling into unhealthy habits:

• Have some fun. Serve scrambled eggs surrounded with triangle toast (cut an x on a slice of whole grain toast) to look like a sun. Or, cut whole-grain toast with a cookie cutter for fun shapes.
• Make a smoothie. Our Good Morning Sunshine Smoothie recipe combines protein and fruit.
• Breakfast parfaits can be made a day or night in advance and be ready to grab in the morning. Berry Chia Pudding Parfait mixes together quickly with a few healthy ingredients.
• Jazz up the oatmeal. The possibilities are endless for creativity with almost any hot cereal. Toppings/add-in ideas: fresh fruit, dried fruit, yogurt, walnuts, pecans, chia seeds or cinnamon. Make a face with the toppings for a little extra fun. Or put out toppings and let kids create their own combos.
• Toast to good health. Whole grain toast is the base for many options:
• Eggs (scrambled, fried or poached) – add tomato and/or spinach as a layer if you think your kids will go for it.
• Avocado (of course!) with bagel seasoning and/or eggs.
• Nut butter and bananas
• Cream cheese, nuts and fruit
• Frozen whole grain waffles. Top with yogurt and fruit or nut butter and fruit instead of syrup.
• Burrrrrr-itos for chilly mornings. Take a tortilla (flour or corn) and add whatever you have on hand. Eggs, cheese, bacon, ham, bell peppers, salsa or left-over potatoes are some of your options.