On a busy school morning it might often seem difficult to start your children’s day with something other than cereal, and while there are some healthy options, a lot if them are often highly processed and packed full of sugar.
Here are 6 breakfast ideas that the kids will love. You could even get them involved in the cooking...!
1. Eggs any way
Eggs have been shown to be one of the best breakfasts for adults and kids. The high-quality protein in eggs helps to keep you full till lunch and they’re a good source of essential fatty acids, vitamin D, B6, B12, zinc and iron. There are lots of quick and simple ways you can enjoy eggs such as poached, scrambled, hard or soft boiled, fried, as eggy bread or in an omelette. You can add extra nutrients by including spinach, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, herbs and spices. You can enjoy eggs with wholegrain bread, avocado, potato cakes or savoury pancakes.
2. A warming bowl of porridge
Porridge is a popular breakfast choice for adults, and it shouldn't be forgotten as a great option for children too. Oats are packed with fibre, which is incredibly important for health, the immune system, great for digestion, and to keep us full till lunch. It is something that is lacking in the majority of diets in the UK.
If your children seem unimpressed at porridge, there are a few things you can do to change their minds. Porridges like Ready Brek contain oats that are more processed and broken compared to regular oats, but it’s a great way to ease children into the taste of porridge.
Try to get creative with the toppings to keep it interesting. To increase the sweetness of the porridge you could add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the oats whilst cooking, and hide nutritious ingredients in the porridge like seeds.
Here are a few topping ideas that children can play around with:
• Pink porridge with crushed raspberries swirled through and topped with flaked almonds • Apple pie porridge with grated apple, ground almonds, raisins and cinnamon • Chocolate porridge with cocoa powder and cinnamon, or a cube of dark chocolate • Carrot cake porridge with raisins, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg • Serve with a smile by creating shapes and faces with pieces of fruit or dried fruit • A teaspoon of nut butter such as peanut, almond or chocolate hazelnut • Sliced banana and a drizzle of honey • Homemade compote (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry)
3. Natural yogurt with fresh fruit
Yogurt is great for the gut as it contains probiotic bacteria, and is a good source of high quality protein for our muscles, and calcium for healthy bones. A lot of yoghurts marketed towards children are often high in refined sugar and contain preservatives, colourings and thickeners. Try to buy a big tub of natural or Greek yogurt and flavour it with your own toppings such as fruit, oats, muesli, granola and nut butter. To help sweeten it you could add a natural sugar such as honey, maple syrup or stewed fruit.
4. Wholegrain bread
Bread can be a great choice for breakfast and you can mix it up with different toppings. We are fortunate enough to now be able to buy bread made from all sorts of grains such as whole wheat, spelt and rye. When buying the wholegrain versions, these grains are rich in fibre and a good source of magnesium, iron and B vitamins. Always try to include a source of protein with your bread to help slow down the release of the sugar into the bloodstream and to keep the kids full till lunch.
Here are a few topping ideas:
· Smashed avocado sprinkled with seeds, or chopped egg.
· Marmite
· Almond butter topped with sliced banana and a pinch of cinnamon
· Chocolate hazelnut butter (we like Meridian Cocoa and Hazelnut butter) topped with sliced strawberries
· Mushrooms and tomatoes roasted or fried with herbs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (top tip: if your tight on time before school, pop them in the microwave)
· Eggs any way such as scrambled or poached
· Low sugar or Chia seed jam made from fruit, chia seeds and honey (to be made in advance)
· Cream cheese
5. Homemade pancakes
You can make pancake batter using wholemeal or spelt flour, which can be made in advance and will last a few days in the fridge. The pancakes then take a couple of minutes to cook. You can also make quick and easy pancakes with bananas and eggs (see recipe). You can top the pancakes with yogurt, fruit, honey, nuts and compote, or make them savoury and top with mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, avocado and smoked salmon.
6. Healthier breakfast cereals
Sometimes children just want a bowl of cereal in the morning and luckily there are some healthier options. Cereals such as shredded whole wheat, wheat biscuits, bran flakes and no added sugar muesli are made from whole-grains and contain less sugar than other breakfast cereals. You can let children jazz them up by adding fresh or stewed fruit, some chopped nuts or dried fruit.