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It has come to my attention that in some parts of the country, school has already started up. That’s crazy talk, as we don’t start up until after Labor Day around here. Still, it’s not too soon to think about how to make mornings easier when the lazy days of summer are over. So let me share with you my very favorite healthy make-ahead breakfast ideas.
Four Healthy Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas
I used to be the type of mom who was ok with my kids going off to school just on a bowl of cereal. But then when I started doing research and ended up switching myself to a ketogenic diet, I realized I could be doing a lot better by my kids.
When I switched to a low-carb, high-fat way of eating, I realized how long I was satiated. I didn’t crash two hours after eating. My mental focus was so much better. And that’s exactly what I wanted for my kids during their school day.
The thing is, there’s really not much easier than pouring a bowl of cereal in the morning, right? If you have kids in school, you know that mornings are generally pretty darn hectic and I wasn’t interested in getting up extra early to make fancy meals. I am not a morning person, my friends.
However, I’m pretty good at Pinterest, and I found these four different breakfasts that I can make ahead and have ready so there’s very little work to be done weekday mornings. These are breakfasts I made regularly for my family all last year and it worked out really well for us.
Pancakes and Waffles
My kids love pancakes and waffles. But regular pancakes and waffles are big fat carb bombs, topped with sugar syrup. I like this recipe from Try Keto With Me for our pancakes and waffles. I skip the sweetener, and my secret is to add 1 Tbsp oat fiber to make the texture even fluffier.
I got this adorable mini waffle maker on Amazon and it makes the perfect toaster-sized waffles. I make an extra recipe’s worth some Saturday and just freeze the extra in a zip-top bag. Top with almond butter and some berries to keep it low-carb!
You can also make these and pancakes and freeze them as well, then just reheat in the microwave.
Egg & Bacon Biscuit Sandwiches
These little bad boys are one of my very favorite breakfasts. Who doesn’t love biscuits, eggs, and bacon?? I like this biscuit recipe from I Save A To Z. When I make these to freeze, I usually make a double batch.
While each recipe makes 12 biscuits, I find that when I make these for egg sandwiches I prefer dividing them into 10 per recipe as it makes them a little easier to work with.
I bake up a pan of bacon and scramble 10 eggs. I add a little cheese to the eggs in the pan. Then I break up pieces of bacon to layer on the bottom, add a cookie scoop’s worth of eggs, then top with more cheese.
To see exactly how I wrap, freeze, and then defrost these, check out this Facebook Post (and then give me a follow!)
Healthy Hot Cereal
Back in the day, my kids were really into cream of wheat. But that’s just a big ol’ bowl of carbs, guys. I tried out some other low carb hot cereals, but I wasn’t really into them and my kids were not fans.
This recipe is one I found originally on a site called Wicked Good Kitchen, but it’s no longer there, so I’ll give you the recipe here. It gives a really similar experience to cream of wheat. My kids love it with a spoonful of natural peanut butter stirred in.
For each serving:
- 6 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3 Tbsp almond flour
- 1.5 Tbsp golden flaxseed meal
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup almond milk (or other low carb milk of choice)
- splash of vanilla
To make it ahead, I put several recipes’ worth in a quart mason jar and store it in the freezer. I used to package them up in little baggies, but I decided that was a waste of both my time and resources. So I switched to a jar. Once it’s all made up, I measure it out by 2/3 cup for each recipe. (Right now my kids only eat half a recipe’s worth as it’s very filling.)
Overnight Hemp “Oats”
I found the idea for overnight hemp hearts on Keto Connect. They have a ton of different flavor profiles but I played around until I found one that’s become my kids’ favorite. They’re always so excited when “jar breakfast” is in the fridge in the morning!
This recipe can be made the night before, or a couple of days ahead.
Here’s our favorite version:
3 Tbsp Hemp Hearts
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp heavy cream
3 Tbsp cashew or almond milk
Put all the ingredients in an 8 oz mason jar and shake well. Leave in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, just open and enjoy!
Other Easy Healthy Breakfast Ideas
Beyond these four, we also like making hard boiled eggs at our house. This is my favorite method, and I make a dozen every week for us to grab quickly. It might be the fastest healthy breakfast option ever!
It’s a little high carb for me, but my kids also enjoy full-fat greek yogurt with berries and chopped nuts sprinkled on top.
I hope that gives you some great ideas to make your mornings easier! What’s your favorite weekday morning hack?
