Wake and Take: Healthy breakfasts on the go

Mornings around my house can be pretty hectic getting ourselves and our kids ready for work and school. I am definitely one who ascribes by the theory that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Cereal is usually the easiest thing to eat, but not always the healthiest, and often leaves me feeling hungry again not long after I eat. I love to find healthy breakfasts I can grab and take with me to eat in the car or at my desk, so I can focus on getting the girls fed and out the door on time. Anything I can make ahead is a winner in my book!

Overnight Oats

I have been loving overnight oats lately and often turn to these recipes by One Lovely Life. Here are a couple of variations I have made with this recipe:

• Peach: 1/2 cup oats; 1/2 peach, chopped; 2 Tbsp. chopped pecans; pinch cinnamon; 3/4 cup coconut milk; 1 tsp. honey or maple syrup (optional)
• Date: 1/2 cup oats; 3 dates, pitted and chopped; 2 Tbsp. chopped pecans, pinch cinnamon; dash cloves, dash nutmeg; 3/4 cup coconut milk; 1 tsp. honey or maple syrup (optional)

There are truly so many ways you can make overnight oats! More favorites are from Giggles and Laundry, which includes some made with yogurt instead of milk, and the chai steel-cut oats from This Homemade Life.

One way to really get ahead with these is to mix several days’ worth of dry ingredients together at once (in individual containers) and then add the wet ingredients the night before you’re going to eat them.

Overnight Grape Nuts

When I do eat cereal, Grape Nuts is what I usually go with – sometimes with yogurt, sometimes with milk, and always with raisins or fresh fruit. My grandparents always had Grape Nuts in their pantry. My grandma made Grape Nut custard on occasion, and my grandpa would sprinkle them over vanilla ice cream. Since I have been enjoying overnight oats so much, I decided to give overnight Grape Nuts a try. You don’t get the same crunch with these as you do otherwise, but it’s still a good option when you need something ready to grab in the morning.

• Peach: 1/2 cup Grape Nuts; 1/2 peach, chopped; 2 Tbsp. chopped pecans; dash cinnamon; 1/2 cup coconut milk; 1 tsp. maple syrup (optional)
• Blueberry: 1/2 cup Grape Nuts; 1/4 cup blueberries; 1/2 cup coconut milk; 1 tsp. honey (optional)

Muffins

As much as I love overnight oats and the variety of ways you can make them, I find it hard to eat the same thing every day, plus they are not something my husband eats. (He also doesn’t like chocolate. Weirdo.)

Muffins are something the whole family can enjoy, and Pinterest abounds with recipes for healthy options. My oldest daughter and I recently made these Clean Eating Carrot Oatmeal Muffins and she was very proud of them! (Note: If sending these to school, you may want to omit the pecans depending on your school’s nut policy.)

A few weeks ago, we made breakfast cookies from this cookbook and both of my girls were delighted to eat cookies with their yogurt for breakfast!

Eggs

Earlier this month, fellow contributor Jody wrote about quick and easy dinner ideas, which included a recipe for egg muffins. Those would be great to make ahead for the week and personalize to each person for the family! Hard-boiled eggs and fresh fruit is another easy and healthy option.

This week, I tried out the breakfast quesadilla from Well Plated. I subbed black beans for white since that’s what I had on hand, and went ahead and cooked them in the tortillas before freezing, even though it said not to, because I wanted the tortillas a little crispy if I heated them up in the microwave vs. the stove. They were so good!

Do you have a favorite on-the-go breakfast? Please share it in the comments!