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Start the Day With a Healthy (Quick & Easy) Breakfast {31 Days of Real Food Reality ~ Day 13}

January 12, 2014 by Laura 20 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I’m almost as passionate about eating a healthy breakfast as I am about eating lots of butter. They’re both super important. Therefore…feel free to spread butter all over your breakfast. Oh yeah.

breakfast_casserole

But wait. You don’t have time to cook a healthy breakfast every morning? Me neither.  I mean, if I felt like losing an hour of sleep, skipping my much needed Bible time, foregoing my morning work-out, or beginning my day by being glued to a griddle while flipping countless pancakes – I could make the time to cook a healthy, hearty breakfast every morning. But well…I don’t.

breakfast_cake_3

That’s what scares us away from making a healthy breakfast isn’t it? Time. Effort. School. Work. Schedules. I get it. I’m with ya. I have plenty of other things to do in the morning and I like sleeping. I don’t like the stress of trying to get everyone going in the morning while trying to keep breakfast from burning on the stove. So does that mean we take the easy way out and buy boxed, convenience foods for breakfast? Sure, if you want to feel like junk all day and start your kids’ school day off with a big, blurry bang that ends in a sugar crash by morning recess. But what if there is a way to have a nourishing breakfast without the morning stress?

breakfast_2

Oh yes. There is definitely a way. I am loving this real food reality which includes a hearty, healthy, no brainer breakfast each morning.

I do everything possible to make healthy breakfast foods ahead of time so that all I have to do in the morning to get a nourishing breakfast on the table is open a container. Or boil water. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll “go to the trouble” of scrambling or frying eggs, which takes about five minutes. (Or better yet, I assign that task to one of my boys. Hurray for kids who are old enough to use a stove!)

tourney food1

How do I put a healthy breakfast on the table without much effort each morning?

  • I make breakfast the night before. Or…
  • I make breakfast foods for the freezer. Or…
  • I set out the Homemade Instant Oatmeal and let the kids make a bowl when they get up.

Seriously, making a healthy breakfast is not hard. We do not have to resort to boxed food. It’s just a matter of planning ahead and focusing on food that is real and nourishing. Real food – it is amazing.

Here are some of my favorite healthy, make-ahead breakfast ideas:

  • Prepare an Easy Breakfast Casserole and simply take it out of the fridge and bake it in the morning.
  • Make Simple Whole Wheat Pancakes or Whole Wheat Waffles, allow them to cool, freeze them, then toast them to warm them up for a convenient breakfast just like an Eggo Waffle…except cheaper and healthier.
  • Mix up and roll out biscuits, freezing them for a quick breakfast.
  • Cook bacon or Turkey Sausage, then simply reheat in the morning or cook it up with some eggs.
  • Throw yogurt and frozen fruit into the blender for a smoothie.
  • Make muffin batter and put it in the freezer for fast, fresh muffins in the morning (one of my favorite freezer cooking tips!).
  • Bake breakfast bars in the evening before closing up the kitchen.
  • Make a batch of Easy Granola, Dark Chocolate Almond Granola, or Grape Nuts Cereal to grab and eat in the morning.

And always, always serve fruit with breakfast.  That’s the healthiest convenience food there is. :)

As soon as we start making some healthy foods ahead of time, and stop assuming that eating healthy food is difficult, we’ll be well on our way to saving money and keeping our lives so much simpler in the kitchen! Plus, when we begin our day with a nourishing breakfast, we get our body off to a great start – setting the pace for a great day ahead.

add fruits and veggiesAnd there’s more!

Need some easy, healthy breakfast inspiration? We have a freebie for you!

To help us all along in this effort, I created a downloadable chart with 31 Days of Real Food Breakfast Ideas. It is internet linked, so all you have to do is click to find the recipe referred to on the chart.

Eggs and smoothies. Smoothies and eggs. Cereal. Cereal. Cereal. Snore. Need a change of pace? Want some fresh ideas? We’ve got a free printable for you that includes 31 Days of Real Food Breakfast Ideas!


All 31 ideas are recipe linked. Every recipe is made from real food: Whole grain, healthy fats, wholesome sweeteners. It’s all simple, it’s all delicious, and it will inspire you with fresh ideas for ways to feed your family each morning.

Unless you enjoy eating breakfast at night for dinner. (For some reason, waffles taste better at night. We don’t understand it. We just go with it!)

Mix it up. Substitute your favorite fruits – whatever is in season! Be sure to add protein to each meal if needed. There’s no right or wrong way to use this free printable full of ideas. We just hope you use it!

 —> Want some simple real food dinner ideas too? Check out this huge list! <—-

By the way, want to eat cookies for breakfast? With bacon? Strawberries and cream? Life is good, and so is your health. Real food for the win! (Seriously. Stop being afraid of bacon and cream. It’s real food, our bodies can utilize it for nourishment, and when we eat real food in balance, we can be healthy!)

We’re happy to share this 31 Days of Real Food Breakfast Ideas printable with you to use in whatever way works best for your family. Adapt it, pick and choose what works for you, and enjoy!

BONUS: Using these recipes will save you big bucks! How? Well, have you seen the price of a box of cereal? Making a homemade breakfast is quite a money saver. We love it!

Get your free printable 31 Days of Real Food Breakfast Ideas. Signing up to receive this will connect you to our Savings Club, providing you with relevant money-saving tips, recipes, ideas, and inspiration!

There you go – 31 healthy, make-ahead, family friendly, money-saving, real food breakfast ideas!

What are your favorite ways to get a healthy breakfast on the table quickly in the morning?

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Filed Under: 31 Days of Real Food Reality, Free Printables Tagged With: cereal, healthy breakfast, poptarts, real food

Comments

  1. Lana says

    January 13, 2014 at 7:48 am

    I don’t mind making the healthy breakfast; it is the cleaning up that keeps me from cooking most mornings. The quick way for us is homemade granola and toast on weekdays and an egg breakfast on Sat. followed by a ‘syrup’ breakfast on Sunday. We are in a rut but it is what works best and we like it. We are not fans of sweet things for breakfast so things like muffins are a no go here.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      January 13, 2014 at 8:24 am

      That’s a great idea to have a system like that. Then you don’t have to think hard in the mornings!

      Reply
  2. jenny says

    January 13, 2014 at 8:10 am

    When it comes to some of the freezer options, such as biscuits and muffins, how long do you find they freeze well for? I have a baby due in 3 wks, and am working on getting things stocked up. I don’t want things to go to waste either though!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      January 13, 2014 at 8:23 am

      If I freeze biscuits and muffins unbaked, they last 2-3 months. I find that if I bake them, then freeze, they dry out in just a few weeks. :)

      Reply
  3. Gina says

    January 13, 2014 at 8:48 am

    My son and I definitely do the granola/oatmeal thing most weekday morning as well as reheated pancakes or waffles that my sweet husband makes usually on Sundays. Usually I make one special thing a week as well such as muffins,homemade poptart,quick bread,etc.My husband mostly eats eggs or oatmeal during the week. So mostly it goes well until the week has gotten crazy and I had no time to make my batch of granola and we are just about out of eggs,the frozen pancakes and waffles have run out and there is no mix-ins for the oatmeal-then I am srambling to come up with something and usually me looking for a recipe takes as long as it does to make it and suddenly we are way behind for the day. Hopefully a handy list like this might make it easier for me to find something quickly on those days :)

    Reply
  4. Naomi Stouder says

    January 13, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    Breakfast is rather rushed at our house also. Plus, my husband leaves for work about 45 minutes before the kids get up. In order for everyone to eat real food for breakfast more often, one day a week as part of school (we homeschool) we bake something like muffins for breakfast for the whole week and some other things. At breakfast, we just pull out our baked goods, mixed nuts or peanut butter, and sometimes fruit. A “real food” breakfast ready in no time!

    Reply
  5. Mrs K says

    January 13, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    We need a portable breakfast on weekdays, I eat breakfast at work and my daughter eats breakfast at daycare, she’s just not hungry before that. I make banana bread, sliced and individually wrapped, breakfast bars, waffles in big batches once in a while. I use different recipes all with real ingredients. Everything is individually wrapped and thrown in the freezer. I take one out for me and one out for Mini before leaving and they are ready to eat by the time we are humgry. We pair it with fruit and yogurt and it makes for a complete hearty healthy breakky. On weekends we have more time and are home so I’ll typically make pancakes or french toast. If we really indulge it’s toast, eggs, bacon and pan-fried potatoes. Breakfast is sooo important so I take extra steps to make sure we are set before the week starts. Thank you for this post!

    Reply
  6. Dedra says

    January 14, 2014 at 7:21 am

    What is the calorie count of these breakfasts? Within a healthy range of around 300?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      January 14, 2014 at 8:02 am

      I don’t count calories so I can’t say. When feeding my family, I simply go for real foods that will fill them, stick with them, and most importantly – nourish them. :)

      Reply
    • Dawn says

      January 18, 2014 at 7:36 am

      300 is a bit light for most (900 calories a day plus snacks?), breakfast should give you solid nourishment for the day, and the purpose of eating real food is to nourish your body. Be careful about calorie counting, it can be a real trap.

      Reply
  7. Michelle says

    January 17, 2014 at 8:02 am

    I go a step further with my smoothies by putting everything in the blender the night before. That way in the morning all I have to is grab it and put it on the base and blend! Saves me a few more minutes in the morning, and with 5 kids, I’ll take every minute I can!

    Reply
  8. Michelle says

    January 17, 2014 at 8:03 am

    I go a step further with my smoothies by putting everything in the blender the night before. I stick the blender pitcher in the fridge so that in the morning all I have to is grab it and put it on the base and blend! Saves me a few more minutes in the morning, and with 5 kids, I’ll take every minute I can!

    Reply
  9. Pauline says

    January 17, 2014 at 8:13 am

    I can’t get the links to work on the calendar. I click on it and has me download it. Once I have downloaded then the links dont work either

    Reply
    • Laura says

      January 17, 2014 at 9:32 am

      Once it’s downloaded, you should be able to click on each link on the calendar and it will take you to the individual recipes. I just checked and it is working for me. I can’t figure out why the links are messing up for you. Ugh!

      Reply
      • Pauline says

        January 17, 2014 at 2:44 pm

        I downloaded it on my Phone..that might be the problem. I will try on my computer when I get a chance

        Reply
  10. Carrie Laumann says

    January 18, 2014 at 1:51 am

    Have you tried Baked Oatmeal? I think you would like it because it is made ahead of time and is hearty.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      January 19, 2014 at 4:54 pm

      Yes, good stuff!

      Reply
  11. Rebekah says

    November 19, 2016 at 12:32 am

    When I click the link, it takes me to a page that says Your Freebie Awaits and has me enter my email. Then I get an email about downloading Health Challenge Worksheets. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for this breakfast list. We’ve gotten away from real food breakfasts with a new baby and getting an early start to our homeschooling day!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      November 19, 2016 at 8:51 am

      I’m sorry about that!! I had the wrong links in there. I’ve fixed them now so you should be able to download the document easily!

      Reply
  12. Sisters with a System says

    April 27, 2018 at 3:06 pm

    Hi Laura, I have been in a great big breakfast slump the last few weeks, so I was super excited to find this article today. I am a big fan of making breakfast in advance. (night before or in freezer batches) It really does make for easy mornings. I plan to try your pancake and sausage muffins soon. (using gluten-free pancake mix) I loved this article and posted it to our facebook page for our readers to enjoy as well.

    Thank you!
    Tara (Sisters with a System)

    Reply

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