Breaking the Pop Tart Rut

Breakfasts around our house tend to be more like a shot out of the starting gate: we hit the ground running and don’t look back until the carpool’s over.  It is extremely easy to fall into the “pop tart rut”…the grab-n-go mentality of breakfast, especially on school days when I can barely get my kids dressed and out the door on time as it is.  So, I’m trying to make some changes in my children’s breakfast habits.

I have found that by waking just five minutes early gives me that much more time to concentrate on providing my kids with a better breakfast than CocoPuffs and pop tarts.  Not that there’s anything wrong with those every now and then.  And, cereals are an excellent breakfast choice, as long as they are the “right” (aka healthy) cereals.  I’ve been looking for ideas to try with my boys as alternatives to the cereal bowl.  Here are some of the things we’ve been trying for breakfast lately:

• pancakes - I have always bought the frozen pancakes that you can thaw in the microwave, and that’s great.  But, I have discovered it is plenty cheaper for me to make my own (and I can make them whatever size the boys want).  I usually mix up the batter the night before, cover it and refrigerate until the next morning.  Extra batter can be stored the same (although I never have extra batter!).  They only take a few minutes to cook, and my kids are now getting dressed while I make the pancakes.
• Bacon and eggs - I used to loathe making bacon and eggs because of (1) the smell and (2) the mess.  My mother-in-law gave me a microwave bacon cooker, so I have been using that for a while now.  The eggs only take a couple of minutes to cook - my boys like them scrambled or in an omelet.  I usually try to offer a side of biscuits as well.
• Breakfast sandwiches - my boys LOVE these - I make biscuits the night before, then I grill some sausage or even a slice of ham, slide it in between the two pieces of biscuit and top with cheese.  Sometimes we add a little scrambled egg to them as well. 
• Kolaches (or pigs in a blanket!) - I sometimes purchase the frozen variety of these, but I also make my own, using crescent rolls or biscuit dough wrapped around a piece of link sausage.  My younger son loves to eat these.
• Breakfast tacos - simple!  We put scrambled eggs and crumbled bacon along with some shredded cheese into a soft taco.  Voila!  These are great for breakfast on the go, too.
• Yogurt and fruit salad - About every other week I serve a fruit salad at an evening meal because my boys love to eat fruit.  Some mornings, we will mix the fruit with a bit of vanilla yogurt to make a breakfast fruit dish.  This is especially great in the summertime!
• Breads - Baking is my forte, so I make banana bread and zucchini bread by the loaves.  We will often have a slice of one of these alongside the rest of our breakfast.
• Bagels and peanut butter - really, my kids will eat peanut butter on just about anything.  Peanut butter is a great source of protein and will fill up those little tummies before school.  Peanut butter toast is also a great idea.