The most important meal of the day is breakfast and the fastest way to ruin a day is a jacked up morning. So what is the key to a good morning? A good plan.
How we tackle it in our house is divide and conquer. The wife get the kids ready, back up clothes for school and feeds the baby. I get the coffee, breakfast, lunches, and work bags ready.
So, how do we do it with three kids? It’s not that bad actually. I can say that but not all mornings are smooth.
When just starting out it was rough and very stressful in the mornings. I’d ended up running behind all day and as you probably know when you start you day off late the whole day seems like a game of catch up.
Now, whatever you and your spouse choose as a plan, get yourself ready FIRST. This is a debate to this day in my house. My wife put the family first and gets everyone else ready before herself. I feel if I’m ready I already feel more accomplished. If you haven’t gotten dressed you don’t feel like you are ready to start the day. So, take it from me get yourself ready first.
Preplanning
Do you want to have a smooth morning? Get everything possible ready the night before. I’m talking meals, outfits, coffee pot, school bags, fill water bottle, or whatever you do that takes time and can do the night before get it done.
We get meals ready, water bottles filled, school bags (blankets, extra clothes, diapers), and clothes for the day all ready the night before. We put it on the stroller so it’s ready to roll out the door.
Things we can’t get ready like the baby bottles, and the meals in the lunch bags we do in the morning.
The morning of
I usually start with making coffee. That way it’s cool enough for me to drink on my way to work.
As the coffee is cooling I take care of the 3 “S” shit, shower, and shave. After I get dressed, and start doing everything else.
Bottles
If your baby is young enough for bottles you’ll be making at least one for him or her to drink that morning so just line them up an make as many as you need for the day (if being dropped off to daycare).
Breakfast Ideas
Now, I know one of the hardest things other then getting kids up and dressed is getting breakfast ready for them in the morning. What’s worse is if you have picky palleted kids. Here is a list of things that work for me and my family.
Breakfast Bars
We buy a huge box of fig bars from Costco and the kids love them. They taste great and are a quick breakfast if you’re in a hurry.
Precook Breakfast
French toast, pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage. All this can be cooked the night before and just heat it first thing in the morning and bam instant breakfast. Better yet make a bunch of mini pancakes and freeze them they’ll last a while and can heat up in about 30 seconds to a minute in the microwave.
Cereal
Duh. This is the easiest thing and the fastest thing you can do. If you find your kids getting bored and you still have tons left, get a box of a new flavor of one they don’t get that often and mix it. We’re currently doing Cheerios and Apple Jacks right now.
Breakfast Burritos
We love these in our house and they are extremely easy to make. We buy Market Pantry ground sausage from Target. Cook it in a skillet. Scramble up 10 or so eggs. Using tortillas we make burritos or in my case it ends up a taco because I always overfill it. Lay eggs, sausage, red or green salsa, and shredded cheese on a warm tortilla and everyone has breakfast.
Breakfast Sandwiches
This one take a bit of work in the morning if you want it fresh. I guess you could make it and freeze them like store bought ones I just have never tried it.
For me there is no pre-cooking but the more you make them the faster you get, and you can make them while you get everything else ready.
All you need per sandwich is 1-2 eggs, butter, garlic powder to taste, cheese, sliced ham or bacon and English muffin.
Make the eggs and fold them to the size of the english muffin.
Butter and season the English muffin ( I like garlic powder) and lay on pan butter side down till they are done to your liking. I usually flip them at the end to crisp up the outside so it’s not too chewy.
On a plate put the eggs on the English muffin, cheese on eggs ham on cheese and I like a hot sauce on mine while my wife likes spinach.
Wrap in parchment paper and you have a to-go sandwich. This also works with bagels particually everything bagels.
Lunch Ideas
So, you got them breakfast great now what the heck do you pack for lunch? This really depends on your kids age of course but here is what I have done for my kids in the last 5 years. You wont find sandwiches here on my list as… Well, I’ve never actually given my kids sandwiches for lunch. Why you ask? They are that picky.
UPDATE: of course since writing this a few weeks ago they just tried PB&J and my daughter loves them and my son only ate the jelly side. They also liked turkey, lettuce, tomato, and avocado with a mayo spread. However, I still don’t make them that often.
Pasta
This has been a huge one. I swear my kids live on pasta and rice. The best part, you can make all sorts of healthy delicious meals with this being the base. Chicken and pesto, meatballs, Pasta salad, or a lasagna, the possibilities are endless. You can even use veggies as noodles with a spiral slicer.
Rice and Chicken
We’ll either buy a chicken from Costco if we’re crunched on time or make one of our own usually something I find off Pinterest.
Soup and Rice
This is a “I don’t have a plan” meals. A good soup with not to much broth and put rice in with it to add substance. With a good leak proof container it’ll travel well.
Knock-off Lunchable’s Pizza
My kids will eat this every time I offer it up. it travels well, it’s easy to make as well as better then that $1 (on sale) store bought version. Super simple to make. pita bread, pizza sauce, cheese and mini pepperoni. Easy to make and they love putting it together at lunch time.
Bistro Box
I took this idea from Starbucks. Boiled and pealed eggs, add a side like mayo if they like that. Sliced apple and peanut butter to dip them in. Muesli bread which is a bread with fruits and nuts in it. I buy mine at Sprouts. Cheese & crackers, you can go string cheese or baby bell or if your kids like a nicer cheese a good sharp cheese compliments the other items well. Lastly, I add shelled sunflower seeds. Best part is you can make this for the whole family and it’s super easy to make the night before.
I heard something one time it goes something like this. Do your future self a favor. By prepping your water bottles, your lunches, your coffee pot tonight, your future self will thank you, and do just that. Make it a point to thank yourself for the hard work you did the night before.
So as you can see mornings don’t have to be as chaotic as they feel. Just better planning and teamwork with your spouse will make all the difference.
What is your go to meal for the kids, let me know in the comments below, I love having more ideas on what kids love to eat.
