Get Ready Faster Breakfast Ideas

If I had to name the most positive impact resulting from the Governor’s Stay At Home Order for my family, it would be not having to get Sam and Emma up, dressed, fed and out the door by 7:30am ever morning on my way to the office. School mornings in our household are a **it show. My daughter Emma is NOT a morning person. Every morning she wakes up and trudges to the family room where she dramatically flops onto the couch Cleopatra-style with her arm draped over her eyes. Attempting to rush her in the morning only results in her moving even more sloooowwwwyyyyly… 

I have tried everything to make our mornings less hectic and more streamlined. Early bedtimes (Sam and Emma go to bed at 7:30pm on school nights); I make sure I am up, dressed, and that the kids’ breakfasts are made before I even get Sam and Emma out of bed; outfits are picked out the night before (and the kids wear uniforms for goodness sakes so the options are limited); school lunches and snacks are prepped the night before; water bottles are washed and ready to go; homework is put in folders, etc. 

What I have come to realize is that school mornings are not the time to be arguing with my children about eating eggs or trying to cook bacon. And, while admittedly not the solution to school morning chaos, I have found three breakfast ideas that Sam and Emma love and that we can prep together the night or weekend before that seem to make getting ready for school in the morning at least a little bit faster! 

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Overnight Oats

(1 serving)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• 1 tsp honey (plus more for serving)
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• toppings of choice: chopped walnuts or almonds, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or mini chocolate chips

Directions

• Step 1: The night before, stir together the oats, milk, honey, vanilla, and salt in small Tupperware dish or any small dish with a lid.
• Step 2: Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Step 3: Remove from the refrigerator and stir. Allow kids to top with toppings of their choice and drizzle with extra honey if desired.

Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 large banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (you can get away with less, too)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (Note: I always add about ¼ cup more to make dough a little less runny)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
• any other mix-ins that you like, including blueberries, white chocolate, dried fruit, or flaked coconut (Note: I have always used frozen blueberries)

Directions

• Step 1: Make the dough: Use a hand mixer to combine the banana, peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate, blueberries, or other mix-ins.
• Step 2: Get ready for baking: Chill the dough for about 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Step 3: With wet hands to prevent sticking, roll the dough into 16-20 balls. Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and the size of your cookies). They should stay nice and round, but you can flatten gently with a spatula when you take them out of the oven if you want.
• Step 4: Once cooled. Place cookies in gallon resealable Ziploc or freezable container and freeze until ready to use. I just pull a cookie out of the freezer when I get up in the morning and put on the kids’ breakfast plates with some fresh fruit and maybe some yogurt.

Recipe Credit: Pinch of Yum

No-Bake Energy Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup chocolate chips (I use mini size)
• ½ cup ground flaxseed meal
• ½ cup nut butter (I use peanut butter)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (I use a mixture)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Form into 1-inch balls using hands. Arrange bites onto a baking sheet and freeze until set, about 1 hour. Then place into Tupperware or a plastic bag and keep in freezer. Enjoy!

I sincerely hope that these kid-friendly breakfast ideas lead to happier and simpler morning for you. Because, if I can make it out the door in the morning, without yelling at my kids “We’re Late!”, with my work bag and my kids backpacks in the car, drop the kids off at their school’s early care, get across the Montlake Cut to Bellevue and make my morning meeting with enough time to grab a second cup of coffee in the office kitchen, I am a happy woman!