Back To School: Grab & Go Breakfast Ideas

Thanks for joining us for the first day of our Back to School Series!  All week long I’ll be sharing recipes that make wholesome meals for you and your kids possible during the craziness of the school year. 

Today, we’re starting with Grab & Go Breakfasts!

 

How we make it happen:

In order to feed our family healthy and filling breakfasts, I spend a few hours in the kitchen over the weekend (with my family!) making breakfasts for our week.  These breakfasts are packaged and stored, ready for the week.

Tips for making breakfast wholesome & healthy:

• Choose white whole wheat flour in place of all purpose.
• Use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener (or, use less sugar).
• Use fruits to bring in a hint of sweetness for breakfast.

 

Recipes for Success:

1) Whole Wheat Waffles or Pancakes
Make a double batch of your family’s favorite pancakes or waffles on the weekend, and flash freeze them on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes.  Then package in numbers that are good for your family.  Simply grab from the freezer, reheat and eat.

Serve with berry sauce or apple topping, both of which can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.  Or, spread cream cheese and cinnamon between two for a breakfast sandwich. 

We recommend: Oatmeal Cinnamon Pancakes, Sweet Potato Waffles, Pumpkin Pancakes, Overnight Oatmeal Waffles, Sweet Potato French Toast, Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes, and Carrot & Zucchini Pancakes. 

2) Granola
Granola is the cheapest breakfast you can make for your family, especially if you buy your oats in bulk. And, oats are one of the best grains to use to start your day.  

Granola can be made in bulk and stored in air tight containers for weeks at a time.  We’ve had the best success making plain batches of granola and adding in dried fruits when we serve the breakfast.  It’s not uncommon at our house to have two or even three varieties of granola in our pantry.

Serve with applesauce, yogurt, milk, or even plain and get ready for a great start to the day.  Allergic to oats?  Try using quinoa or other grains in their place.

We recommend: Applesauce Granola, Pumpkin Spice, Brown Sugar Granola, and Honey & Olive Oil Granola. 

3) Whole Wheat Muffins or Quick Breads
Muffins & quick breads are easy to bake up and store in the freezer.  They are best if you freeze them the day you bake them, this keeps them fresh! 

Muffins can also double for a healthy after-school snack. 

We recommend: Apple Pie Muffins, Banana Berry Muffins, Pumpkin Muffins, Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins, Low-Fat Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread, Sweet Potato Dark Chocolate Cranberry Bread, & Light Hawaiian Banana Bread.

4) Baked Oatmeal
If you ask my family, nothing gets more votes for a favorite breakfast than baked oatmeal!  If you haven’t tried it, you are really missing out on something great.  The basic recipe is versatile, and you can toss in any ingredients you like. 

The simple ingredients of oats, sugar or honey, milk and spices make this breakfast filled with goodness.  You won’t find any oil or butter in our version.  We use applesauce, and no one is the wiser. 

Make up a batch or two, cut into serving sizes and keep in the freezer.  Warm to serve – either topped with yogurt, milk, or eaten plain as you run out the door. 

We recommend: Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal, Berry Baked Oatmeal, Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal, Blueberries & Crème Baked Oatmeal, & Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal.

5) Breakfast Pockets, Wraps & Sandwiches
If you’re looking to feed a teenage boy or hungry adult for breakfast, these having a pocket, wrap or sandwich that combines a whole wheat base with meat, cheese and eggs will help to tide them over until lunch or a mid-morning snack. 

Make these ahead of time, filling the pockets with your favorite omelet fixings, and freeze individually.  Reheat as you would a hot pocket or frozen breakfast sandwich. 

We recommend: Breakfast Pockets, Breakfast Potato Wraps, Egg Wraps, & Breakfast Sandwiches

6) Egg-Bakes
Egg bakes are a great start to the day, but they take considerable time to bake.  Over the weekend, bake up a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Then, leave it in the fridge for your breakfasts during the week. 

Leftovers can also be frozen in single serving sizes for later consumption.  We love making a big pan, because it’s also a great way to clean out the fridge!  Eggs, potatoes, veggies of your choosing, meat (if desired), cheese & milk make a breakfast everyone loves. 

We recommend: Garden Veggie Quiche, Chicken Spinach Quiche, Make-Ahead Brunch Bake, and Ham & Veggie Egg Bake

7) Breakfast Bars & Cakes
If muffins are too time consuming, or you are like me and don’t like to clean muffin tins, take your favorite muffin recipe and bake it in an 8x8 (if you have 12 muffins) or a 9x13 baking dish.  Slice and serve that way – like we do with our blueberry muffin breakfast “cake”.  Otherwise, make up a breakfast bar – use your favorite jelly/fruit spread in the center, or make a batch of berry sauce to use.  These freeze well too. 

We recommend: Blueberry Muffin Breakfast Cake, & Rhubarb Breakfast Bars.

What are your grab & go breakfast ideas? 

Share your thoughts in the comments, or join the discussion over on our Facebook page!