Mornings are hectic! Here are some easy and healthy breakfast ideas for toddlers and kids (and adults!) that will help get breakfast on the table fast.
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Tips for Making Breakfast easier
Do you find yourself in a breakfast rut more often than not? If so, you are NOT alone! As a mom of two littles, mornings are especially brutal.
BUT I do have some easy "tricks" up my sleeve to help keep breakfast interesting for the kids without requiring too much thought or effort. Because who has time for that, right?
Have a game plan. Pick 3-4 ideas from this list and rotate through them during the week. You can invite variety by switching up the toppings, fruits and vegetables, depending on what you have on hand.
For instance, let's say you're planning to do yogurt 3 times a week. You can change up the toppings, such as cereal, granola, fruits, nuts and seeds, to add "newness."
Build a freezer stash. I encourage you to gradually build up your freezer stash by doubling a recipe once or twice a week. This way all you have to do is reheat (or enjoy cold).
Or if you are like me, you can dedicate a large chunk of time on the weekend to do a bulk cooking/baking session.
Over time, you will have quite the collection to rotate through! You might be dreading it as you're reading, but your future self will thank you. Trust me ;).
Prep the produce in advance. Dedicate one day to washing fruits and vegetables, cutting, cooking, etc. and then store in containers. That way all you have to do is pull them out from the fridge and add to the plate(s)!
A Healthy Kids Breakfast Formula
A well-balanced meal includes (aim to incorporate at least 2 food groups):
- Grains
- Protein
- Fat
- Fruits and vegetables
Protein/fat is a must to save you from the continuous drone of "I'm hungry" minutes later.
Fruits are a staple breakfast item but vegetables, not so much. Let's change that together! Research shows that kids need PLENTY of exposure to a food before accepting it. So if your child is struggling to eat their vegetables, let's not just serve them at dinnertime.
Let's normalize enjoying vegetables at every meal, and yes, that includes breakfast! Not to mention, it's not uncommon for toddlers and preschoolers to front load their food intake and to be hungrier and more open to trying new/disliked foods earlier in the day.
May also be interested in: Breakfast Ideas for Babies
EASY Ideas for Toddler Breakfast
Cereal
Instead of just cereal and milk, may I suggest a breakfast cereal bar with an assortment of toppings?
It will make the whole experience so much more fun, and your child will love having complete autonomy in picking and choosing what goes in their cereal.
And while you may think that one piece of broccoli is silly or odd, make no mistake - its presence is powerful! Again, remember. The more they see vegetables, the more likely they are to feel safe and familiar around them, which will lead to increased acceptance.
Yogurt
Sure you can serve plain yogurt BUT, just like with cereal, by switching up the toppings, you can easily invite variety into your child's breakfast or snack!
You can also easily make flavored yogurt at home, like this 3 ingredient vanilla yogurt.
We do yogurt at least 3 times a week, and we always do a sweet version with fruits and a savory version with vegetables. Nuts and seeds are wonderful additions to both!
Now, you might be thinking YUCK! Broccoli with peanut butter mixed into yogurt?! My child will never go for that!
Or will they? The thing is, what we perceive as "weird" combos are attributed to our own learned food habits and experiences. Our little ones don't know that yet. What they see is food.
My son actually LOVES peanut butter with broccoli and thinks they are a match made in heaven haha.
All this to say, don't let your own mindset get in the way of getting "adventurous" with food combinations. Whatever is in your fridge is fair game ;).
Pancakes and Waffles
These are so great to make ahead and simply reheat the day of.
Can serve by themselves or top with yogurt, peanut/nut/seed butter, mashed fruit, and yes, even vegetables ;).
You may enjoy:
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Peanut Butter Vegetable Waffles
- Banana Protein Pancakes
- Butternut Squash Pancakes
- Spinach Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Strawberry Pancakes
- Beet Pancakes
Muffins and Bread
As you start building up your freezer stash with these goodies, you will easily be able to pack in so much nutrition to your child's first meal of the day with very minimal effort. I like to thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat briefly the morning of.
Here are some to try!
- EASY muffin recipes all in one place!
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars with Lentils
- Pumpkin Oat Bread
- Banana Date Bread
Breakfast Cookies
Cookies first thing in the morning? You bet ya! Serve with protein/fat (eggs, yogurt, cheese, or milk) and a fruit/vegetable.
Oatmeal
2 minutes is all it takes to make my oatmeal that's the perfect texture for babies and kids of all ages! It's SO much better than instant oatmeal filled with all that added sugar.
You really don't need to serve it with anything else as it's super hearty stacked with protein, fat, carbs, and fruit/vegetable.
Baked Oatmeal
If you don't want to bother with stirring or want to enjoy oatmeal as a finger food, give this veggie-loaded savory recipe a try!
Prefer oatmeal with fruits? Try:
And if you really want to shake things up, try this baked quinoa with zucchini!
Eggs
Eggs are so versatile, affordable, delicious, and easy to prepare, aren't they?!
If eggs are on the menu 2+ days out of the week, here are some ways to avoid egg burnout. While serving suggestions for babies are included, you can certainly prepare them for your toddler as well!
I say this because for a while, all I served were scrambled eggs and now my preschooler all of a sudden is on an egg strike. But he will eat it if prepared differently.
And you MUST try these Pizza Eggs!
Oh and these 10 minute banana french toast! ;).
Toast
Honestly, you can totally serve toast every morning if that's what’s easiest for you and just switch up the toppings! I've got an entire blog post with SO many delicious ideas!
And if you've never tried savory French toast before, you're missing out. It's such a great way to repurpose any leftover vegetables. Or if you're struggling to get your child to eat veggies in general, give this recipe a try!
Overnight Oats/Quinoa
You can "cook" your oatmeal or quinoa overnight while you sleep! Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Believe it, my friend ;).
Here's a super in-depth post on how to get started, what you'll need, step-by-step instructions, and as always, fun and unique flavor combinations to try tonight!
Chia Pudding
Another breakfast favorite that you can make overnight. This is especially great if your child is constipated.
Smoothies
Make-ahead smoothie freezer bags are so brilliant! Simply add all the ingredients minus the liquid and yogurt (if adding).
That way, all you have to do in the morning is dump the whole bag in the blender with the water or milk of choice, blend, and enjoy!
I've included a recipe below to help get you started.
If you want to get more greens into your child's diet, here's are some "hulk" smoothies!
And if you'd like to learn the basic formula for making ANY smoothie w/ the ingredients you have on hand, check out my cookbook, Veggie-Centered Delights! All the smoothies you see in the image above are made using the SAME formula.
Also try this smoothie bowl. Your child may get a kick out of eating their smoothie with a spoon. It's seriously the little things that can really pique their interest! Oh toddlerhood. Gotta love it!
Give Yourself Grace!
I just wanted to give you a glimpse of my unfiltered, real-life picture. As a food blogger and Registered Dietitian, it is my passion to inspire you with healthy (and EASY - yes! those two can go together) meal ideas for your family.
And since we eat with our eyes first, I take extra time plating the food for pictures in hopes that you'll try them for yourself!
But as a mom of two littles, I also want to tell you that there are plenty of days when our breakfast looks like the picture above…when my freezer stash looks a bit sad, I haven't gone to the store in a while, and I'm just...exhausted.
That's OK! That's NORMAL! We are human after all.
And when that darn mom guilt creeps up, as it always does, I remind myself that no matter what kind of day I'm having, I managed to get food on the table. I kept these little humans of mine alive. That's a big win in my book! How about you?
By the way, that's a perfectly well-balanced meal - at least 2 food groups are represented. And yes, frozen veggies are just as nutritious as the fresh ones. And yes, corn has nutritional value!
And if you enjoy a lot of peanut butter and banana, try these FUN ideas!
More Toddler Meal Ideas
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Easy Breakfast Ideas for Toddlers
Equipment
Ingredients
Beet strawberry smoothie
- ¾ cup milk of choice
- ½ cup (80g) cooked beets
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- ½ cup (70g) frozen strawberries
- ½ cup (50g) frozen banana
Instructions
- Add to the blender in the order listed.
Notes
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Peanut Butter Vegetable Waffles
- Banana Protein Pancakes
- Butternut Squash Pancakes
- Spinach Pancakes
- Beet Pancakes
Benitha says
Thank you so much Min for this useful post, now I don’t have to think so much about breakfast for my kids. You are doing amazing job, I appreciate your efforts. Much love
Min says
You are so sweet! Thank you so much for the much needed encouragement! I will continue to share for as long as I can!