Breakfast-on-the-go can pack a punch, reduce stress
Say “hello” to the new school year with its slammed schedule and on-the-go breakfasts and quick-fixes.
Our little munchkin wakes up ready to go, but not ready to eat breakfast. If she is up for a half-hour or so, then she will agree to eat breakfast.
Of course, she would rather have a slice of pound cake or doughnut than a meal, but I keep fresh fruit on hand, like bananas, apples and grapes that she can eat on the go. She rarely turns down fruit.
Breakfast should be a mainstay in children’s and teen’s routines. I was a grab-and-go kid and didn’t learn the value or healthiness of breakfast until I became an adult.
Breakfast, just like football practice, dance classes, soccer or music lessons, must be part of the daily routine.
For those who juggle getting kids to school or on the bus on time and work, breakfasts-on-the-go are part of the routine. These morning meals don’t have to be sugary ones, but ones that pack the punch for a productive start to the day.
If breakfast is a struggle, here are some ideas that might make for less stress, and can’t we all use less stress? Some like baked egg cups or fruit breads can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.
Whole Foods Markets suggest making a week’s worth of portable breakfasts that the kids and adults can grab and go during the week. These meals can be healthier than even sit-down ones. The adults may even find they have lost a few pounds.
Since my granddaughter loves fruit, I use that to entice her to eat breakfast. I make banana bread, blueberry-zucchini bread, fruit cups with her favorite fruits (right now, she likes blueberries.) or breakfast cups with eggs, hash browns and cheese baked in paper muffin tin liners
Here are some ideas that I found from different sources that I make my own to adjust to my granddaughter’s tastes.
If the kids do not use certain flavors and you can’t disguise that flavor, then substitute. The goal is to get them to eat breakfast without a hassle.
KONA BANANA BREAD
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and shortening until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in banana.
Sift together dry ingredients; add to banana mixture. Mix until well blended. Pour into greased 9-by-9-by-2-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
– Submitted by LaVera Sundstrom (several years ago)
BIRD’S NEST BREAKFAST CUPS
1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns, thawed
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup shredded cheese
12 eggs
2 tablespoons water
8 slices cooked, crumbled bacon, divided
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups.
Mix hash brown potatoes, salt, black pepper, olive oil and 2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Divide mixture between prepared muffin cups and use your fingers to shape potato mixture into nests with hollows in the middle.
Bake in the preheated oven until hash browns are browned on the edges and cheese has melted, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove hash brown nests.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Whisk eggs and water in a bowl until thoroughly combined; season with salt and black pepper. Pour equal amount of egg mixture into each nest; sprinkle with bacon crumbles and 1 teaspoon Cheddar cheese.
Bake in the oven until eggs are set, 13 to 16 minutes. Let cool in pans and remove by sliding a knife between potato crust and muffin cup.
Note: Again, experiment with different meats, cheeses and vegetables. These can be frozen and reheated in microwave.
– From www.allrecipes.com/
EMMI’S BANANA WRAPS
4 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup shredded coconut (If kids don’t like coconut, leave it out.)
1/2 cup granola
1 banana, halved lengthwise
2 whole wheat tortillas
Stir together the peanut butter and honey in a bowl until smooth. Mix in the coconut and granola. Divide the mixture in half and spread half over each tortilla. Place a banana half in the center of a tortilla and roll up. Slice the rolls in half to serve.
Nutritional data: per serving: 325 calories; 11 grams fat; 59.3 grams carbohydrates; 9.3 grams protein; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 318 milligrams sodium.
– From www.allrecipes.com/
