Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Ideally, it should be well-balanced, packed full of nutrients and other goodies that are essential for your health and will keep you fuller for longer.
But, when you’re a parent against the clock on hectic school mornings with no idea of what to make your fussy little one for breakfast, it can quickly turn into the most challenging meal of the day!
When morning tantrums strike and picky eaters refuse their usual cornflakes, our list of healthy, easy and fun breakfast ideas for kids, shared by real parents and bloggers, are here to save your morning. Keep reading for the best brekkie ideas that won’t burst your bank account!
Warming winter porridge
Our first recipe is courtesy of blogger and mum, Becky Barnes. She says:
“This recipe is a family favourite – it’s super simple and super tasty. As a mum to a picky eater, I’m always trying to find ways to get extra fruit and vegetables into every meal. My daughter Poppy loves making this with me as she gets to grate the apples and help mum in the kitchen.”
For this scrummy Jazz Apple porridge all you need is:
- 2 apples, grated
- 200g oats
- Enough milk to cover the oats
- Handful of sultanas
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Simply add the milk and oats to a pan on the hob and heat gently, remembering to stir often.
- You can also pop the oats into a bowl and microwave for two minutes. Remove for a quick stir (add more milk if the mixture is dry) and microwave again for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the grated apple, cinnamon and sultanas, et voila! A delicious, easy breakfast idea for kids that will keep them full all morning.
*Tip: switch up this hearty porridge bowl instantly with other favourite fruits or seeds.
Mouth-watering peanut butter granola
Lots of people love granola, but we don’t love the hidden sugars and additives in ready-made packages. The answer? Make it yourself!
This apple, peanut butter and raisin granola recipe from Jazz Apple is simple, much healthier and oh-so delicious – you’ll never want to buy supermarket granola ever again! It’s also a great choice for stressful mornings as it can be made in advance, stored in an air-tight container or even frozen for longer freshness.
Here’s what you’ll need for this great kids’ breakfast idea:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 large apple, diced (skin on)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup raisins
- Start by heating your oven to 165c.
- In a small pan, mix melted coconut oil, peanut butter and maple syrup. Warm this through and stir well until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (excluding the oats and raisins for now) and stir well.
- Next, slowly fold in the oats and mix until well-coated.
- Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper before spooning the mixture evenly onto them.
- Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until dark golden brown, moving the mixture around every 20 minutes.
- Let cool completely and toss with raisins.
A fast and fresh frittata
This feta and roasted red pepper frittata from Clarence Court Eggs is quick, simple and packed full of goodness. If you don’t fancy these fillings, why not mix things up with spinach or mushrooms, before topping with melted cheddar cheese? It’s a fantastic way to sneak whatever vegetables you have in your fridge into a healthy breakfast for the kids.
This recipe feeds four and can be whipped up in just ten minutes. All you’ll need is:
- 6 large eggs, whisked
- 1 red pepper (fresh or jarred)
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 pack of organic feta
- 1 knob of butter
- Preheat oven to 180c.
- Heat the knob of butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Stir gently and cook until soft.
- Pour your whisked eggs and crumbled feta into the pan with the onion, then add the red pepper.
- Pop the whole thing under the grill for 5 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
- Cut into wedges and serve.
Breakfast fit for a superhero
Wellness entrepreneur, toddler mum and the face behind MADEbyPenny, Penny Weston shared her favourite fun breakfast for kids – this healthy superhero bowl. Packed full of fibre and fruit nutrients, it looks out of this world and tastes it too!
Penny explained, “it’s my aim to teach my toddler healthy eating habits from the very beginning and try hard to give him a balanced, nutrient rich diet. There are so many awesome superfoods out there that go much further than a sugar-y multivitamin tablet or syrup”.
You will need:
- 1 Weetabix
- 50ml almond milk
- 3 tbsp vanilla yoghurt
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tsp dried goji berry
- 1 strawberry
- 1 tsp blue spirulina
- Combine the almond milk and vanilla yoghurt into a bowl, before stirring through the blue spirulina to give its show-stopping colour.
- Place the Weetabix on top and cut the banana and strawberry into fun shapes.
- Add these fun fruit pieces on top, sprinkle some goji berries and you’re good to go!
The perfect pancakes
Our final kids’ breakfast idea is from Instagram foodie and blogger at she can’t eat what?, Emma. These lemon and blueberry buttermilk pancakes are light, fluffy, gluten-free and one of the best kids’ breakfasts for a busy day ahead. Taking 20 minutes to prep and cook 10 pancakes, this recipe is well worth the effort for a morning treat.
You will need:
- 300ml almond milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 200g gluten-free plain flour
- 50g rolled oats, (alternative: glute-free oats)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 zest of a lemon
- 1 egg
- 25g unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for frying)
- 150g blueberries
- Maple syrup, to serve
- Whisk the milk and lemon juice together and wait a few minutes to let the mixture ‘curdle’. This will be your buttermilk!
- Then, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl.
- Beat the egg into the milk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk mixture to make a thick batter.
- Next, beat in the melted butter.
- Heat a small knob of butter in a frying pan and drop two large tablespoons of the batter per pancake into the pan.
- Scatter fresh blueberries on top of the batter and cook for roughly 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden.
- Finish with maple syrup and the rest of the blueberries. Yum!
Looking for other tips and tricks to make school time less stressful? Make sure you check out our back-to-school hub, packed with useful advice from one parent to another.
