Quick and Easy Breakfast Ideas

The morning rush doesn't always refer to traffic- some of us have a 'morning rush' in our house every morning! One way to calm hectic mornings is to have a breakfast plan. Here are quick, easy, practical breakfast ideas.

Sit-down breakfast ideas that you can make ahead:

Pancakes or waffles. Whip up a batch of pancakes or waffles over the weekend and store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight food storage bag. You and the kids can pop a few in the toaster or microwave and have a hot breakfast in a jiffy. Or, better yet, buy frozen pancakes or waffles. Need topping ideas other than butter and syrup? Check out pancake topping ideas here.

Fruit cup. Make a big bowl of fruit salad the night before so you can simply spoon it into bowls in the morning. Fruit salad is even better after it sits overnight.- that way the flavors mix a little more. Fruit salad for breakfast is healthy and delicious!

Hard boiled eggs. Boil a dozen eggs at your convenience and store them in the refrigerator. You can peel them and store them in a sealed container, or leave them in the shells and put them back in the egg carton. In the morning just grab an egg or three for a high protein breakfast.

Breakfast ideas that take very little time to prepare:

Instant oatmeal. I love instant oatmeal and if you make it in the microwave instead of waiting for water to boil it's a really quick breakfast. There are other instant hot breakfast cereals like farina, cream of wheat, and grits, too.

Cold cereal. We all know that pouring cereal and milk into a bowl hardly takes any time at all. (Although for some kids it's like asking them to push a boulder up a hill.) But most people like cold cereal for breakfast, and most are willing to put the 'work' into it.

Toast. Toast bread, English muffins, or bagels- they're all good. Top with butter, jelly, peanut butter, or cream cheese for a hearty start to your morning.

Grab-and-Go breakfast ideas:

Breakfast bars. There are all kinds of breakfast bars. Granola bars, Nutrigrain bars, and cereal bars are the main categories, and there are dozens of choices in each. Reach in the box and grab one on your way out the door. Breakfast bars are nutritious, delicious, and- best of all- fast!

Fresh fruit. This is nature's idea of a grab-and-go breakfast! Single bananas, apples, and nectarines travel very well, as do oranges, pears, and bunches of grapes. If you're looking for a light, high fiber, vitamin packed grab-and-go breakfast idea, try a piece of fresh fruit.

Dry cereal. The individual serving size cereal boxes are great for a grab-and-go breakfast. If you think (like I do) that the little boxes are too expensive, pour cereal from the big box into a sandwich bag for a grab-and-go breakfast. Dry cereal is great in the car or on the school bus.

Quick and easy breakfast ideas are a big help on busy mornings!