Quick and Healthy Breakfasts for Children
How to Cook Creatively and Spice Up the Morning Meal
Jul 14, 2009
Pressed for time and faced with picky eaters, some parents find themselves feeding their children the same breakfast every morning. Since toddlers and preschoolers generally do not crave variety, there is no need to make elaborate changes to the breakfast menu. However, there are simple ways to jazz up breakfast staples that will please both children and parents. All options are free from artificial or added sweeteners and can be prepared in fifteen minutes or less.
Oatmeal Add-Ons
Any fruit – fresh, dried, or frozen – can be added to oatmeal. Fresh fruit can be stirred into the oatmeal after it is removed from the heat. Dried fruits should be added as the oatmeal is cooking to soften them up a bit. Hard fruits, such as apples, can be boiled in water until soft enough to mash and then added to the oatmeal. Use seasonally available produce, and try different combinations to find your children’s favorites.
Fruit and Yogurt
- ¼ cup nuts
- ¼ cup dried fruit
- ½ cup diced fresh fruit
- 1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
Mix together and serve. The variations are endless! Some suggested combinations are dry-roasted, unsalted almonds with oranges and unsweetened shaved coconut; bananas with walnuts, and cranberries; or blackberries with pecans, and dried cherries.
The fruit sweetens the yogurt, so there is no need for artificially sweetened yogurts. Most children will not even know what they are missing. If your children are used to eating a lot of sweetened yogurt, you can gradually wean them from it. Start with a half and half mix of plain, nonfat yogurt and the sweetened stuff. When they get used to that combination, reduce the amount of sweetened yogurt a bit. Continue the process until you are using only nonfat yogurt.
Nutty and Fruity Toast
To make morning toast a bit more interesting, go beyond peanut butter. Butters are available made from many different kinds of nuts and legumes – cashews, almonds, soybeans, sunflower seeds, and hazelnuts, to name a few. An added benefit is that almond butter actually contains more calcium, vitamin E, and iron than peanut butter with less saturated fat.
Another option for making toast more exciting is to mix peanut butter with untraditional ingredients. Top peanut butter toast with sliced bananas, apples, or peaches. For a recipe that is sure to elicit smiles, try combining 2 TBSP peanut butter with equal amounts thawed frozen orange juice concentrate. The spread will cover three to four pieces of toast.
Every Which Way Eggs
Eggs themselves offer endless variety just in the way that they are cooked. Try them scrambled, poached, fried sunny side-up, or even hard boiled. To elicit the help of little chefs, place diced tomatoes, peppers, onions, and mushrooms, along with grated cheese, in separate bowls. Give your child an empty bowl to collect his or her choice of fillings, and then whip up a made to order omelet.
Breakfast in a Smoothie
- 2 cups fruit
- 1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
- 1/2 to 1 cup milk or other liquid
Try blending some smoothies. Smoothies require only three basic ingredients – fruit, yogurt, and liquid. Chop your favorite fruit in a blender. Add plain, nonfat yogurt. Then add ½ to 1 cup of milk or other liquid, to desired thickness. Fruit juices, such as orange, apple, or grape juice, will add sweetness to the concoction. Some favorite combinations are mixed berries and milk; blueberries and orange juice; and strawberries, bananas and milk.
A healthy breakfast is an important start to the day. These meals give parents plenty of options while remaining easy and quick to prepare.
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