By Anne-Marie Nichols of This Mama Cooks! and My Readable Feast
Photo by Anne-Marie
of My Readable Feast
Summer is here and if you have kids you may be planning for lazy days by the pool, hikes in the mountains, or picnics at the park. Or maybe your kids are lucky enough to go to camp.
As a work at home parent, I’ve signed up my two children, Nathan, 8, and Lucie 5, for a myriad of activities hoping that they don’t come to me every 20 minutes complaining that they’re bored. Even so, it’s only been a week and they’ve spent most of their vacation fighting with each other or demolishing the house. Me? I’m ready to ship myself off to summer camp.
Photo by Erica
of Family Favorite Recipes
Whatever your situation is, you want your family’s day to start off with a filling breakfast. (Well, filling enough so they don’t come to you an hour later, whining that they’re starving.) So why not make breakfast exciting? Either come up with recipes that you can make together - even the youngest child can stir, measure or spoon batter. Or find some easy-to-make dishes that are fun to eat.
An example of a simple and fun breakfast dish is a yogurt parfait. Just fill a tall ice cream glass with layers of different flavored yogurts, cereal, and fruit. Top it off with whipped cream and a cherry as an extra special touch. Here are some more ideas.
Toast, It’s What’s For Breakfast
Photo by Suzanne
of Chickens in the Road
One of my family’s favorite fun kid’s breakfast ideas is Sunshine Toast using different shaped cookie cutters. It’s a pretty healthy dish, especially if you use whole wheat bread and organic, free range eggs. But I’m not going to tattle if you decide to serve it with a slice of bacon or ham.
Building on this idea is making Sunshine Toast using French Toast. (This assumes your child likes maple syrup on eggs. My kids do, especially when bacon is involved.) Cook your French Toast just slightly under done. Then let it cool enough to handle. Make the sunshine toast as directed being careful not to overcook the bread. Drench in syrup and serve.
Speaking of French Toast, Erica Walker at Family Favorite Recipes has a terrific recipe for Strawberry and Cream Cheese French Toast. Summertime means fresh berries, so feel free to use all kinds, not just strawberries. Remember, not only is summer the season for farmer’s markets, but you can also take your children berry picking at local farms.
Photo by Suzanne
of Chickens in the Road
Another toast recipe comes from Christine at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Sharing Healthy Recipes. Her recipe for Banana, Cinnamon and Honey Spread on Toast is something that your kids can make on their own. As she writes, “This is a super easy all-natural snack food recipe that Sophie (her teenage daughter) enjoys making!” This would make an awesome snack, too.
If you are a bread baker, check out Suzanne McMinn’s post, Breakfast with Grandmother Bread at Chickens in the Road: Life in Ordinary Splendor. (And if you’re not, go by your local bakery and ask for a loaf of thickly sliced bread.) Suzanne’s post gives recipes for Egg Grandwich, Stuffed French Toast, Cheesy Poached Eggs (to put on toast), Cinnamon Crispies, Cinnamon-Swirl Bread, Cinnamon Rolls, Caramel-Pecan Rolls, and Cinnamon Toast. It’s more breakfast fun with toast and bread dough than you ever could imagine!
Kids Can’t Live On Bread Alone
Photo by Suzanne
of Chickens in the Road
While toast is pretty darn good, let’s not forget about pastries, muffins, and other baked goodies. Renee at Brady Bunch Mom gives us two recipes in her post, Wheat Breakfast Recipes - Fruit Muffins, Scones & Cracked Wheat. I love how healthy her recipes are since they use fruit juices, honey or applesauce to sweeten. (No refined sugars at the Brandy Bunch house!) Since my daughter is allergic to eggs, I also appreciate that these recipes work if you leave them out. Renee says they are a little drier without the eggs, so I would add a little more juice or applesauce before baking.
On the opposite end of the healthy scale comes Lisa Patrin’s post, Today’s Recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Pastries at the Let’s Talk Life: Community, Family, and Meals blog. This is definitely a special occasion, boy-you-kids have-been-good-all-week, type of recipe. Considering that it’s a pastry filled with a couple of raspberries and a Hersey’s chocolate kiss, maybe it’s a geez-Mom-you’ve-had-a-tough-week recipe, too.
Breakfast for the Busy
Photo by Renee
of Brady Bunch Mom
If you’re looking for a stick-to-your-ribs, traditional breakfast, look no farther than The At-Home Life Blog. In Wifey’s post, WFMW - Breakfast Recipes are recipes for baked oatmeal, oatmeal pancakes, and egg casserole. Not only can you start these recipes the night before, they’re also perfect for an energy boost before soccer camp or a swim class. Who says you can’t have breakfast for lunch, a snack or even dinner?
However, if these recipes are too much to do on a busy morning, take a look at The Breakfast Plan from Kimberly at My So Called Life. Her recipe for breakfast cookies intrigued me. First, you could make them the night before - always a time saver. Plus, they are fairly healthy since they contain whole wheat flour, applesauce, rolled oats, and wheat bran. This is also a recipe you could play around with, for example, eliminate the egg and use applesauce instead or leave out the nuts and add raisins.
Experiment and Have Fun
If you’re the type to play around with recipes, I hope you can be inspired by Nicole at The Simple Cajun Life. Her friend gave her a dessert recipe for a deep fried egg roll wrapper filled with banana and chocolate chips. Since her daughter cannot have chocolate, she improvised and came up with Breakfast Eggrolls, her family’s “Sunday morning alternative to purchased donuts.”
Whatever you decide to make for breakfast, have fun and get creative. Most importantly, get the kids involved. Not only will it make for family memories, but having them cook keeps kids busy and out of your hair for a few hours this summer. Enjoy!
You can find more fun breakfast recipes perfect for kids on the Foodieview Recipe Search Engine.
Anne-Marie teaches parents how to combine children’s books and cooking to promote family togetherness at her blog, My Readable Feast.
And you can also find her at This Mama Cooks!On a Diet sharing healthy recipes and fitness and weight loss tips.