Posted by: Trina September 26, 2011

*This article was written by MOMables creator Laura Fuentes

School is back in full swing and many busy parents, like myself, are trying to get a routine established. We carefully plan out dinner and school lunches and make sure we’ve marked our calendars with after school activities.  Sadly, breakfast is forgotten and often overlooked during the morning rush.  My kids are often sleepy and our mornings seem to move s-l-o-w-l-y.  You also often hear “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” but what to feed sleepy kids often remains a mystery.  Even more so remains the question: what can I feed my child that is easy, quick and nutritious that can be eaten in the car or school bus? Here are my family’s top five breakfast items:

1. HappySqueeze or HappyMorning Smoothie. I love that my kids are getting a serving of fruit loaded with antioxidants and as much protein as a whole egg and they don’t even know it!  Their favorite: the Super Banana.
2. Whole-wheat waffles.  Sounds simple, and it is! A little bit of butter and jam or peanut butter and your child is set!  Have a big kid? Make it a sandwich!
3. Make-ahead French toasts. Did you know that making French toast is super simple and quick enough to toss them in the toaster in the morning? You guessed it, protein and complex carbohydrates they love.
4. Make-ahead breakfast burritos. Once a month I make an entire pack of egg, cheese, ham and tomato breakfast burritos.  I freeze them (first on a baking sheet, then in a freezer zip bag) and warm them in the morning.
5. Oatmeal breakfast cookies. I recently came across this recipe and I’ve made it three times so far!  The kids love it and it’s better for them than the word “cookie” makes it seem (get the recipe here).

Remember, the key to reducing morning rush-hour and not skipping breakfast is to have make-ahead items readily available for your family.  All the items above can be made once an month and frozen for a quick gran-n-go breakfast.  The ultimate convenient breakfast is the HAPPYSQUEEZE smoothie; and that’s just fine for my kids.  The most important thing is that your children are fed wholesome food that will fuel them for a busy day at school.

Guest Blogger

Laura Fuentes is the Chief MOM at MOMables™.  A wife, mother of 3 and a lunch enthusiast who insists on healthy, wholesome food for her family.  On her personal blog, Super Glue Mom, she writes about motherhood, green living, deadlines and keeping her cool, even when her kids super-glued her hair.  She’s also a food contributor to numerous sites, and helps parents overcome the difficulties of cooking for picky eaters.