Feeding your children breakfast doesn’t need to be an endless source of frustration! Switch up their morning meals by including protein-rich sources like meats and carbohydrates along with some tasty fruit for variety and variety.
Try whole-grain toast topped with nut butter, yogurt parfait or tofu scramble – and don’t forget the eggs!
Breakfast Burritos
Kids need fuel for the day ahead. Instead of turning to cold cereal, toaster pastries and frozen waffles for breakfast energy, try whipping up nutritious breakfast burritos packed with filling proteins like eggs, whole milk dairy products, veggies and hearty beans – they’re even great to store in the freezer for easy reheating later!
Start by cooking sausage, eggs and green onions until everything is tender before stirring in shredded cheddar cheese. Next, spread out your filling on a flour tortilla (you can use any flavor that suits you but for best results we suggest burrito-size wrap or tortilla as corn tortillas can crack when frozen and rewarmed) then wrap tightly. Top your burrito off with slices of avocado before topping with cilantro and salsa before rolling tightly to close your burrito!
Breakfast wraps offer another convenient solution, featuring kid-approved meat, cheese and vegetables in a whole wheat tortilla. Though you could use any type of tortilla you wish, for optimal health consider whole grain ones which contain more fiber and lower calories than refined white bread. When made ahead of time they can even be frozen to be easily reheated later either at home or school cafeteria – plus there’s even the added convenience of being baked back up later!
Breakfast Wraps
Breakfast wraps are an easy and delicious way to mix up their morning meal! Made with low-fat cream cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese or nut butter as the filling base and finished off with fruit toppings or spreads and tortillas of various kinds for variety, these versatile options allow your child to assemble them as needed before heading out the door each morning. Make some ahead of time on the weekend so your kids can assemble them as necessary before leaving home in the morning!
Benson suggests serving whole grain toast topped with nut or seed butter drizzle, banana slices and berries as an easy yet filling breakfast option for their children. Furthermore, including a hard-boiled egg as protein-rich morning fare is another great way to help increase their nutritional intake in the morning.
Yogurt parfaits are another healthy breakfast idea for kids that can be prepared ahead of time and served when necessary. Check out Somewhat Simple’s recipes, where children can add their own toppings. Alternatively, make a healthy smoothie in individual glass jars from Kitchen Counter Chronicles so it can easily re-heated in the morning!
Create delicious breakfast quesadillas quickly to please most kids; using tortillas, eggs and various ingredients you can create a nutritious breakfast burrito that your children are sure to appreciate.
Eggs
Breakfast is undoubtedly an integral component of daily life, yet sometimes finding healthy and tasty options for toddlers can be challenging. To maximize energy levels throughout the morning, include sources of protein like eggs or dairy as well as carbohydrates and fats to give them enough sustenance.
Eggs are an easy and quick snack option that any child can enjoy – hard-boiled or scrambled! Check out this exciting shakshuka recipe or create delicious egg cups to serve on whole grain toast for some added fun.
If your toddler is picky about their breakfast, why not introduce some different elements like fruit or cooked vegetables as additions? This can add more variety and get them used to tasting different things!
Smoothies are another delicious breakfast choice that are packed with healthy ingredients, like fruits or puffed rice cereal that doesn’t contain added sweeteners. Just be careful to opt for lower sugar versions like those from berries.
Make breakfast sandwiches and wraps ahead of time as another way to use leftovers, while giving children something they can grab right out of the fridge when running late for school. Benson likes the idea of layering scrambled eggs, cheese and kid-friendly pico de gallo into a tortilla as demonstrated in this video from McKayla Grace.
Fruit
Breakfast is the cornerstone of daily success for children who spend six or more hours in school, providing energy needed for success. A combination of filling carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats should be provided – these kid-friendly breakfast ideas can be assembled quickly or made ahead and even include ingredients they already enjoy!
Smoothies provide the ideal source of carbohydrates, filled with fruit and other healthy additions like yogurt or milk, protein powder and nuts/seeds. Heidi from Happiness Is Homemade has come up with this mouthwatering version that provides plenty of crunch for little ones to snack on!
Cottage cheese provides another tasty way to incorporate more fruit into the morning diet by pairing it with cottage fruit (low glycemic index and rich in tryptophan), an amino acid necessary for creating serotonin. Pair this treat with slices of banana, apple or raspberry for an easy and delectable breakfast that packs both potassium and deliciousness!
If your kids enjoy eggs, an easy way to add protein is to offer scrambled eggs with cheese on a whole wheat or corn tortilla – such as this example from McKayla Grace — as a protein boost. Or try making breakfast tacos, which is easy enough for even young children to create themselves!