4.15.2016

easy breakfast ideas

Happy Friday! Earlier this week I asked you all what you wanted to see more of on the blog this Spring & Summer and one idea I loved was a request for easy breakfast ideas! We love breakfast around here and love to keep it super simple but filling and healthy. Below are a few ideas for you, all of which Olivia (3) loves and can easily eat. Penelope (7 months) mostly just eats avocado mixed with cooked egg yolk and some banana pieces for breakfast but before we know it she'll be reaching for what we're eating.


We of course love the basics: eggs fried, scrambled, over easy & omelettes with cheese and veggies. We almost always have fruit of some sort and a few times a week, yogurt and granola. 


In addition to eggs, we love toast and it's so quick & easy, plus I love how many different ways you can serve it. I cut it into fun shapes with mini cookie cutters if I'm feeling especially ambitious {aka when I've gotten a lot of sleep}. We love bear toast {honey peanut butter, bananas and blueberries} and strawberry toast {crunchy peanut butter with thinly sliced strawberries on top}. Sometimes I also make avocado toast {bread toasted, buttered and mashed avocado on top and then cut into slices almost like the french toast sticks I ate as a kid so they're easy to eat} because Olivia loves avocados. And good ol' toast with butter or your favorite peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower butter is always a hit around here. There is just something so yummy and comforting about toast, am I right?!


For special occasions or when I have a solid block of time during nap time and everything on hand, I love making homemade strawberry pop tarts. You can make them regular sized or mini {our favorite} and in different shapes for holidays. We made heart shaped ones for Valentine's day and you can find the full recipe here.


We also make a lot of sweet potato hashes. I first started making them last year when I did the Whole30. They're so easy & filling, plus I get a ton of veggies in the morning and have energy to get make it to nap time! I spend some time prepping my ingredients at the beginning of the week so they're set to go and if I've done this, I can whip up a hash for Olivia and me in about 10 minutes.


Here's how:
Peel and cube sweet potatoes, steam until fork tender, let cool and store in glass container in fridge.

Choose your favorite veggies, chop them & store individually in glass containers {my go-to veggies for hashes are diced bell peppers of all colors and sliced red onions, but I'll also throw in whatever I have on hand...zucchini, sweet yellow onions, etc}

In a medium size frying pan, I add avocado oil and then all my veggies and steamed sweet potatoes. Heat through until everything is tender and hot. 

I also add in chicken or turkey sausage for extra protein. Our favorite kind here. They come frozen but are pre-cooked so I heat them in a separate pan in avocado oil, slice them and throw them into the hash pan. We try to always keep them on hand and I love the sausage patties for homemade egg mcmuffins.

Once the hash is complete, using my smallest frying pan (after heating sausage through), I cook an egg or two. I love them over-easy because I love the yolk running over my hash but you can prepare it any way you like! Add your favorite things and leave out whatever you don't love. Olivia and I usually share a hash on the couch while Poppy takes her morning nap and it is so yummy!


We also love mini quiches for breakfast. They are easy to make, stay fresh in the fridge for a few days and can be heated in minutes, plus anything mini is so easy for toddlers to eat and you can modify the ingredients to suit yours and your child's tastes. Recipe can be found here.


We love muffins as a quick and easy breakfast, especially on mornings when we're headed out the door. Our favorite muffins are made using gluten free mixes by Brody's 579. Our favorites are banana chocolate chip, plain banana {I gave these to Olivia before she started eating chocolate} and pumpkin {so good with walnuts mixed into it}. I love making things in big batches that I can freeze but I've found that most things just aren't as good once they're frozen.

 I've been making these muffins for years now and my favorite part is that they can be frozen and taken out and taste as fresh as they did when we first made them. After I've baked them and let them cool, I wrap them individually in cling wrap and then line them up in a labeled freezer gallon bag. I also be sure to use the foil muffin tin liners instead of the paper ones, I feel like they hold up way better. I take a few out of the freezer about 30-45 minutes before we want to eat them and defrost them on the counter at room temperature. I made a big batch at the end of my first pregnancy and we packed them for the hospital as a yummy and filling snack. They are also great to pack in Dustin's lunches because by his morning break, they're thawed out. I can throw them in my diaper bag frozen without them getting smushed {is that a word?} and then they're thawed when we get to the park or a play date.


We also love baking muffins from scratch. Olivia's favorite thing these days is to bake with me and these lemon blueberry greek yogurt muffins are always a hit. The recipe can be found here.


Aside from traditional muffins, we love to make homemade egg mcmuffins. That's probably Dustin's #1 request on the weekends and its super easy! All you need are english muffins {I toast ours and butter them}, a fried egg, slice of cheddar cheese and sausage patty. To assemble: english muffin half, round sausage patty, egg and slice of cheese, english muffin half. Sometimes we eat ours open-faced and always add lots of salt and pepper.

Another favorite breakfast is fruit + yogurt parfaits. We love noosa brand yogurt {coconut, strawberry rhubarb and lemon are our favorite flavors} because it's thick like greek yogurt but smoother and little less tangy plus has the yummiest fruit in it to mix in. Awhile ago I picked up some fun icecream sundae glasses and we use those for parfaits. I throw in whatever fruit we have on hand. Lately it's been strawberries and blackberries. I'll usually add chia seeds and granola or finely chopped nuts. Olivia loves granola, nuts and quinoa {one of her favorite foods ever} so I now make homemade granola for parfaits. Granola recipe can be found here.


Last but not least, we love french toast {we love using brioche bread and just use eggs, whole milk and lots of cinnamon} and a side of sausage or bacon and we have recently started making acai bowls. They're a bit more time consuming but a yummy treat. If you haven't heard of them, they're like a smoothie in a bowl usually made with frozen bananas and acai powder and with lots of delicious toppings! We love topping ours with fruit, nuts, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, cacao nibs, our homemade granola and more. If you follow me on Pinterest here, you can find all the recipes for acai bowls that I pull inspiration from.


I hope that gives you a few ideas! I'd love to hear what your go-to breakfasts are below!
Have a wonderful weekend! XO

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