Breakfast Ideas

I am loving my early morning "breakfast dates" with this handsome dude at the bar in our breakfast nook on school mornings. :)

It's pretty early when we're eating - much earlier than weekends - so our appetites are not nearly what they are when we eat our big pancake breakfasts. But it's still so important to get a good, healthy start to the day and I thought I'd compile a list of breakfast ideas for school/work mornings (or even weekends, really) to share. If you have any that your family relies on, I'd love to hear them too!

Milkshakes and smoothies are an easy start, considering most people/kids can drink something easier/quicker than eat something on early mornings:

1) PB banana milkshake

2) Pumpkin milkshake

3) Avocado Smoothie

4) Yogurt/berry smoothie

Here's one without yogurt:

2 cups of fresh or frozen berries + 1 cup of o.j. + 1 whole banana

Blend!

5) Tropical lassi

6) Creamsicle Slushy

Perhaps you could pair that with a muffin, since muffins are a super easy thing to whip up in advance and freeze until individual portions are needed:

1) Zucchini muffins

2) Carrot Pineapple Muffins

3) Mini Sweet Potato Muffins

4) Peach/Strawberry Muffins

5) Rhubarb Streusel Muffins (my fave)

etc.

Of course, pancakes and waffles are a nice treat. And if you prepare in advance, they're totally manageable on a school/work morning. Make your batter the night before and pop it in the fridge.

And set out your tools the night before too.

1) Carrot pancakes are one of our faves. They were the first-day-of-school breakfast of choice. I always at least double the amount of walnuts I put in for some extra protein to stick with us. Yum. 2) Cottage Cheese Pancakes are another recipe I've done on school mornings so far this school year. Again, I appreciate the protein in these pancakes to stick with us for the morning and I always have everything I need on hand for these.
3) Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes - another easy go-to pancake recipe because I'm always prepared for these.

4) Lemon Sour Cream Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup

5) Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes - a new one for me last week.

6) Yogurt Pancakes

7) Whole Wheat Waffles

8) Pumpkin Waffles

9) Cheese Waffles
etc.

Waffles are especially easy to prepare completely in advance, freeze (cooked waffles) on a cookie sheet and then pop into a gallon bag for as-needed use.

Other random breakfast ideas include:

1) Spreading peanut butter on a whole wheat tortilla and rolling a banana up into it for a sweet "wrap". I made this for Will's lunch one day this week.

2) Oatmeal made with dried fruit and nuts. Try oatmeal in a crock pot - it's wonderful and so easy!

3) Scrambled eggs and cheese wrapped in a tortilla.

4) String cheese with a piece of fruit and some wheat crackers.

5) Hard boiled egg.

6) "Energy Boost Bars" (granola bars)

7) Yogurt parfaits with granola and berries

8) Trail mixes

That's all I have off the top of my head. I'm making red beet pancakes again for tomorrow's breakfast to use up my CSA beets. ;-)

What are your favorite busy morning breakfasts?