Breakfast Basics
From Children’s Hospital and Shoney’s Restaurants
It would be great to serve whole-grain waffles, fresh fruit, and low-fat milk each morning. But it can be difficult to make a healthy breakfast happen when you're rushing to get yourself and the kids ready in the morning and juggling the general household chaos.
If kids aren't hungry first thing in the morning, be sure to pack a breakfast that they can eat a little later on the bus or between classes. Fresh fruit, cereal, nuts, or half a peanut butter and banana sandwich are nutritious, easy to make, and easy for kids to take along.
What not to serve for breakfast is important, too. Sure, toaster pastries and some breakfast bars are portable, easy, and appealing to kids. But many have no more nutritional value than a candy bar and are high in sugar and calories. Read the nutrition labels carefully before you toss these breakfast bars and pastries into your shopping cart.
Here are some ideas for healthy breakfasts to try:
- whole-grain cereal topped with fruit and a cup of yogurt
- whole-grain waffles topped with peanut butter, fruit, or ricotta cheese
- whole-wheat pita stuffed with sliced hard-cooked eggs
- hot cereal topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves
- peanut butter on a bagel with fresh fruit (banana or apple wedges) and low-fat milk
- breakfast smoothie (milk, fruit, and teaspoon of bran, whirled in a blender)
- vegetable omelet with a bran muffin and orange juice
- bran muffin and yogurt with berries
- hummus on whole-wheat toast and milk
- lean turkey on a toasted English muffin and vegetable juice
- heated leftover rice with chopped apples, nuts, and cinnamon, plus fruit juice
- cream cheese and fresh fruit, such as sliced strawberries, on a bread or a bagel
- shredded cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla, folded in half and microwaved for 20 seconds and topped with salsa
Content and recipes edited and abridged from the KidsHealth section of www.etch.com. © 2009 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Used under license.