Note: Nothing in this article is sponsored/partnered/affiliated. I’m sharing ideas, dishes, & recipes that have made our mornings better in hopes it can conjure some inspiration in your own meal-planning!
Breakfast. It somehow comes every single day, and way too early in the morning. We have a few very early risers in our family– both of which are unfortunately the children. For a few years now I’ve really enjoyed making hot breakfasts with the kids. This is 80% because whole wheat buttermilk pancakes make the long mornings feel a bit more manageable and 20% because we have had the luxury of time, and I know that stage doesn’t last forever. With only playdates and errands to work around, we can take our sweet time most mornings. (Although even an 8 am school drop-off would’ve given us hours to spare honestly hahaaa).
The morning time crunch:
BUT we now have preschool several mornings a week! AKA there is a hard deadline for at least half of the family to be in something other than pajamas. And even before that (way before that…pre-pandemic before that) we had an early church schedule with a very long commute. So make-ahead breakfasts have been a huge help on those types of mornings. When I think of breakfast-prepping the evening before in these cases then I feel like a total boss superhero. When I don’t, then I thank the universe for the existence of instant oatmeal and applesauce pouches and we move on with our day. We survive both scenarios just fine.
So… here are our go-to make-ahead breakfast dishes & some specific recipes we’ve loved in each category. I’ve listed these basic meal components and recipe links for a starting point. Some ideas may resonate with you and others may not. Sometimes I hit a major wall with meal-planning, so this list will hopefully help to knock down that wall for any brains functioning in low-power mode (like…the entire child-bearing years, in my case).
I’ve added recipe links from various internet sources for ease in sharing– in lieu of typing out some of my beloved family recipes. I’ve only included recipes that we actually make, and make often!
1. Baked Oatmeal
I LOVE baked oatmeal. I discovered this type of oatmeal online several years ago. I’m 75% sure it’s an Amish tradition, which is a fun coincidence because we lived in (and loved dearly) Pennsylvania around that same time (Read about our favorite Philly Amish donuts here by the way).
Let me tell you about baked oatmeal in case you’re unaware of this gem of a dish: you mix up oats, some type of milk, a leavening agent, eggs or flax for binding, maple or brown sugar for sweetener, & spices & add-ins (dried fruit, nuts, shredded/chopped fresh fruits…endless possibilities). At this point you can pour it into a large dish and either bake it immediately OR keep it there overnight. Then you can either wake up & reheat it OR bake it that morning! Yum.
Regular stovetop oatmeal is great, and we have that a lot too. But here is where baked oatmeal shines:
- It’s great for feeding multiple people, or creating a weeks’ worth of breakfasts for an individual WITHOUT babysitting the stove. Mornings are crazy enough.
- My children readily gobble up a wider variety of add-ins (chopped pecans, flax meal, etc.) baked into their oatmeal than they normally would with their “regular” bowl of oatmeal.
- It reheats so much better throughout the week than a regular pot of oatmeal.
Heads-Up: I preheat the oven as soon as I wake up for this dish because it does take about 30 minutes in the oven.
Here are a few of our family’s favorite baked oatmeal recipes from the world wide web:
- Minimalist Baker’s Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal (we use dried cranberries b/c whole cranberries are too tart for my kiddos & top with whipped cream)
- Erin Lives Whole’s Healthy Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal (we top with softened cream cheese/maple syrup a la this Two Peas & Their Pod recipe)
2. Overnight Oats
Ah, the colder cousin of baked oatmeal: overnight oats! Even easier than baked oatmeal, you just throw the ingredients together the night before and DO NOTHING in the morning. You take off the lid and get a spoon. It’s amazing.
Typically you’ll see beautiful individual jars of these… but that’s not very practical for my family. I’ll often triple a recipe and put it in a large bowl or Tupperware with an air-tight lid. Then in the morning I can portion out however much each person wants in their individual (non-glass) bowl.
Chia seeds & rolled oats are pretty important to have on hand for this dish. Quick oats turn too mushy. The chia seeds soften up and almost feel like tapioca- in a great way.
Our family’s favorite overnight oats recipes from the world wide web:
- Minimalist Baker’s Peanut Butter Overnight Oats is definitely our go-to. Very delicious.
- Wholefully has a helpful “How-To” all about overnight oats as well as a great base recipe too, which you can customize a number of ways.
3. Homemade Frozen Pancakes & Waffles
For many years I had no idea that you could save leftover pancakes & waffles in your freezer…and then simply pop them into the toaster in the morning. I’m sure my mom knew, and utilized this option, but I certainly wasn’t paying attention.
At this point in the history of the internet I’m sure everyone is well-aware that pancakes and waffles are freezable (Leggo my Eggo!). But I want to emphasize the brilliance of freezing YOUR OWN, and encourage that you DOUBLE your pancake batch as often as possible. You save so much money and you can control the ingredients.
Make & keep these babies on hand for grab & go breakfasts before school! Slab some peanut butter on and fold it like a taco. It’s the convenience of a toaster strudel but the heartiness of a Midwest diner.
Same idea stands for muffins & small loaves of quick breads, too. Freeze extras! Just put them out on the counter ahead of time to thaw, or pop them in the microwave for a bit.
Or if life is a tornado for you right now and this sounds stressful, then buy the Kodiak/Eggo/Who Knows What other breakfast options at the grocery store freezer section. Your future self will thank you for stashing minute-ready carbs for your children, period!
A few of our very favorite pancake & waffle recipes from the world wide web:
- Food.com’s Whole Wheat Pancakes have honestly been on repeat here for YEARS. They call for buttermilk, but the milk + vinegar (or lemon juice) trick works great here too.
- Cookie + Kate’s Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes make me WANT to have a browning banana or two on the counter. (If there’s 3 forget it, let’s make banana bread) We make these quite a bit- great with peanut butter on top!
- Ambitious Kitchen’s Fluffy Whole Wheat Healthy Pumpkin Waffles are great with greek yogurt & maple syrup.
(PSST! We have a whole post with our most-beloved pancake recipes HERE).
4. Boiled eggs
I really like eggs in the morning since the protein fills me up for quite awhile. Scrambled is by far my family’s favorite way to eat eggs, but…babysitting scrambled eggs on the stovetop isn’t exactly quick.
To have your eggs ready-to-go first thing in the AM, boil some eggs the night —or several nights— before! Pair with some toast & banana for a balanced, easy breakfast.
Pro: my boys love peeling them, which keeps their little hands busy while I prep the rest of breakfast and fine tunes their motor skills.
Con: the peeling required can be a little tedious and time-consuming if you’re peeling several.
There isn’t a real “recipe”, but here is our tried & true method:
- Place your eggs (carefully) on the bottom of a medium pot.
- Fill saucepan with water until the eggs are covered by at least 1 inch of water.
- Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil.
- Once fully boiling, cover with a lid and take off heat. Leave for 15 minutes.
- Immediately put eggs into an ice bath (a slotted spoon works great for this).
- Once cool, dry the eggs and put into the fridge in an airtight container. Will keep for about a week!
5. Yogurt & Granola
This is about as simple as it gets. Scoop. Pour. Stick in a spoon. Voila! If you’re feeling fancy, add some berries microwave-thawed from the freezer. I love blueberries & raspberries for a quick makeshift parfait. This was my daily breakfast for a few years when I taught school up in Seattle.
I’ve found that I prefer tangy plain greek yogurt to other yogurts in order to balance the sweetness of granola. Since greek is so much thicker, it’s also less drippy & messy for little ones!
You can buy granola or customize a base recipe online to meet your preferences! I really adore homemade granola, but we’ve done a lot of both depending on how crazy our week looks. Once you make granola, it’ll last for a couple of weeks! At least…it could in theory. It may not. 🙂
Reminder: Babies under 12 months shouldn’t consume honey, and nuts can be a choking hazard for children under 4. Use your discretion on all of these common granola ingredients!
Here are a few granola recipes we’ve enjoyed (Bless you, internet):
- Two Peas & Their Pod’s Almond butter granola (this is equally delicious plain….yum)
- Cookie and Kate’s Healthy Granola is a great customizable base to start with. If using honey instead of maple, you may want to crank the oven temperature down or keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn.
6. Energy Bites
These beauties were all the rage about 5 years ago, and we still have them frequently. In case you’re unfamiliar, energy bites are kind of similar to granola bars…but in the shape of small round balls. Ingredients can vary a lot, but typically include: oats, liquid sweetener of some kind (honey or maple), a sticky nut or seed butter, and add-ins such as dried fruit, nuts, flax, chia, or chocolate chips.
I love that you can make them small for little hands to enjoy and customize the ingredients with whatever you have on hand. They keep great in the fridge or freezer.
They are so portable too! I love to put a few in a Tupperware on especially busy mornings. The oats & nut butters have great staying power. These work equally well for afternoon snack or evening treat.
Our go-to internet energy bite recipes:
- Mel’s Kitchen Cafe The Best Energy Bites
- Two Peas & Their Pod’s No-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites
Conclusion:
This concludes the compilation of our Top 6 easy make-ahead breakfasts that are (pretty) sure to be kid-approved! May the force be with you as you plan and prepare for busy mornings ahead. We’ve been on a major Star Wars movie marathon kick this winter break…so here’s to hoping these recipe ideas are light sabers life savers for you in the New Year! 😉
Are there any great make-ahead breakfast categories we left out? What do you prep ahead of time to feel like a total boss of an adult?
I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
Cover Photo by Foodie Factor from Pexels
Be sure to read our other food posts, too:
9 TIPS: HOW TO MAKE MEDIOCRE DISHES AMAZING
4 FILLING BREAKFASTS THAT ADULTS AND KIDS LOVE
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