Simple and Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
You don't have to feed your kids a huge meal every morning, but you also don't have to feed them cereal. Below are some simple recipes that we go to on a regular basis to keep those sugary morning meals to a minimum.
Most of the meals below shouldn't take any real planning in advance outside of having a few simple ingredients on hand. We don't make these meals every week, but we try to use as many of them as possible. Our kids regularly ask for cereal, but they've learned that they won't usually get it, and they're generally alright with that.
The other good thing about most of the meals below is that they are simple to make, and work well if you're just making them for your kids (for example, if you're on a diet where you don't eat breakfast). I am generally not eating in the mornings, but these meals don't have to be huge because they're quick to make.
Oatmeal + Add-in
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
This is one of the easiest breakfasts on the list, and our kids love it. Just put dry oatmeal in a bowl, turn on the Keurig (make sure you've removed the coffee pod before starting or you'll get some nasty oatmeal), and add hot water. Once the water is in, cover the bowl with a plate for about 5 minutes. Uncover, and add something sweet. Our favorites are unsweetened apple sauce, yogurt, and baby food (yes, those fruit baby foods are awesome add-ins for oatmeal). Stir it up, and enjoy.
Granola + Add-in
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
This is very similar to the oatmeal idea above. Make sure you choose granola that doesn't have a lot of sugar. Put it in a bowl, and add milk, applesauce, yogurt, or otherwise. You can eat it plain as well if you'd prefer. When adding something in, let it sit for a few minutes so that it soaks in whatever you've added. Regardless, this is a very quick and simple breakfast recipe.
Peanut Butter and Honey (or Jam)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
I used to eat a ton of peanut butter and honey when I was younger. It's still a favorite for me, and my youngest has really taken to it as well. First off, grab a piece of bread and get it in the toaster. While the bread is toasting, put the peanut butter in a bowl and add honey and mix it (sometimes I'll do this step right on the toast, but I'm not very good at mixing it on the toast, and when I'm doing a few of these I find it faster to just do it in a little bowl or cup). When the toast is ready, pull it out and let it cool for about a minute. Scoop out the peanut butter and spread on the bread. Enjoy.
Pancakes (or Waffles) + Topping
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
We usually make pancakes more than we do waffles, just because they're quicker. However, they do take a bit more watching than waffles. Our favorite pancake mix is the protein infused Kodiak Cakes. We buy a big box from Costco and just mix out the amount we need each day. These are easy because you don't have to make a ton since you just add water. We generally skip syrup for toppings (for a long time our kids didn't even know that people ate syrup on pancakes and waffles). We like to use fruits, yogurt, or honey.
Eggs
- Prep Time: 10-25 minutes
Eggs are one of our favorite foods because there are a lot of ways to prepare them. One of our kids really likes fried eggs (sunny-side up) while our other son really likes scrambled eggs, or an omelet. We like to mix it up. This is one of the harder items to prepare on this list, so if you don't have a lot of time during the week, then perhaps a weekend for whipping up that perfect omelet is the best thing to do.
Simple ways to prep eggs for morning meals:
- Fried. Maybe not the healthiest way to make an egg, but it's not terrible either. You can make them how you like, and we generally make 3 different types of eggs in one go when frying eggs: sunny-side up, over-easy, and completely cooked (not sure the term there).
- Scrambled. If you're going to go this route, we'd recommend that you whip/mix the eggs before you put them in the pan. Add a little bit of milk and mix them up while the pan heats up and then put them in.
- Omelet. We actually go this route a lot because we like it better than scrambled eggs. Prep the eggs the same way as scrambled eggs(mixed in with some milk), and then pour them in a pre-heated pan. Let them cook until mostly cooked all the way through. Fold in half and let them cook the rest of the way. Watch for a full post on this recipe in the future.
- Boiled. We don't do eggs like this for breakfast usually as neither of our kids will eat them. If yours do, then you can prep them the night before as well.
Conclusion
Let us know what your favorite breakfast meals are in the morning that are simple and fairly healthy (while we love a Costco muffin, it's not really healthier than a bowl of cereal). Leave a comment below with your ideas.
