Quick (and Easy!) Weekday Breakfast Ideas

Need good breakfast ideas for you and your family? Of course you do! When you start the day with a healthy breakfast, you are building a foundation for healthier eating all day long. The reason is simple: skipping breakfast can lead to making unhealthy choices all day, while a healthy breakfast can give you energy, satisfy your cravings and set you up for a day of making good choices.

But when you're a mom on-the-go, who has time to make a healthy breakfast? You do! Here are some quick, easy breakfast ideas to start your day off right!

Swap Your Juicer for a Blender

If your diet provides an extreme excess of certain nutrients and can't store them to be used later, they aren't doing you any good. Your body will find a way to get rid of them one way or another. If they can't be expelled, you run the risk of causing harm instead. For example, ingesting too much Vitamin C from juicing or supplements and eliminating the fiber necessary to keep your system working properly can lead to abdominal discomfort, headache, and even kidney stones.

Your blender or hand mixer, on the other hand, lets you blend everything you need in one drinkable to-go cup. The smoothie combinations you can design are limitless, and you can base your choices on your needs and personal taste.

Basic fruit smoothie recipe:

• 1 cup (8oz.) of plain, vanilla, or flavored yogurt
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups frozen fruit (any combination)
• 1 cup of apple, orange, pinapple, or other no-sugar-added juice.

Basic protein smoothie recipe:

• 1/2 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt, milk or milk substitute
• 1/2 cup nut or seed butter
• 1 banana
• 1-2 tablespoons of honey to taste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder (optional)

If you have a sweet tooth, you can enjoy a filling breakfast drink with a powdered mix like Carnation Breakfast Essentials (which used to be known as Carnation Instant Breakfast Drink) and your favorite liquid protein like milk, soy milk or yogurt, along with other ingredients. Carnation has dozens of power-packed recipes for a filling breakfast on-the-go.

Protein-Packed Breakfast Combos

Prefer sinking your teeth into your breakfast instead of getting it through a straw? Here are some combinations that are tasty, filling, and take moments to prepare:

• Instant egg salad on toast: spread a hint of mayo on a slice of toast and smash a hard-boiled egg on top with a fork.
• Australian avocado toast: Avocado toast is all the rage in Australia, and there are many ways to prepare this surprisingly satisfying and simple meal. Mash ripe avocado with a fork or mortar and pestle and spread it on sourdough toast with a sprinkle of sea salt or your favorite seasoning.
• Lox and a schmear: Wish it was Sunday instead of a weekday? Grab a brunchy breakfast with a bagel, a schmear of cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and some smoked salmon as you head to work.
• Yogurt parfait: Layer yogurt and a combination of honey, granola, chia seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and fresh fruit in a red solo cup for a portable delicious morning treat.
• Protein rollup: Spread nut butter, honey, and sliced bananas or apples on a tortilla for a delicious rollup you can eat in one hand while you balance coffee or a cell phone in the other.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Treats

When you plan ahead, you can grab a complete breakfast any time in less than a minute. Here are a few suggestions:

• No-cook oatmeal: Overnight refrigerator oatmeal is a thing, and it's way tastier than the watery instant slop we are used to. Simply whisk together rolled oats with milk or a milk substitute, add whatever suits your taste buds, and place it in a sealed jar overnight for fresh oatmeal that has a pudding-like consistency. There are infinite combinations, but here are a few from Cassie at Wholefully to get you started.
• Frittata cups: Whip up your favorite omelet recipe and add a touch of flour, then pour it into a well-greased muffin tin and bake it at 375⁰ for 15 minutes. Visit AverieCooks for more guidance on what to put into your frittatas.
• Egg McMuffin: Who needs fast food when you can have it faster and better? Scramble eggs and cook them for 10 minutes at 375⁰ in a well-greased muffin tin, then layer them with cheese and breakfast meat and wrap each one individually. In the morning, pop one into the microwave for 30-45 seconds along with an English muffin, place the heated egg, meat, and cheese combo into the sandwich, and enjoy an on-the-go treat. Change it up with egg whites or egg substitute, and add chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions and/or spinach to the egg mixture.

The Most Important Meal of the Day

When you're getting the kids up and out of the house and plying them with a healthy breakfast, don't forget to fuel your own fire as well. Picking at the leftover hardening Eggos on the plate as you clear the breakfast dishes doesn't count as breakfast! Even a pre-portioned baggie with nuts and dried fruit can provide enough good calories to get you through the morning. Remember, skimping on breakfast leads to mid-morning binges and low energy. So start your day off with a good breakfast and you can pat yourself on the back all day long for doing something that's good for you!