How important breakfast is to your child ?

[WorldsBestMom]

From my experience I ensure that my child has a healthy breakfast every morning. Whether its cornflakes, scramble eggs and bacon, a nutritious fruit salad. I ensure that every morning she gets something different. Kids can get tired of the same thing every morning so have a variety of breakfast meals you can feed your child with every morning. Whats most important is they learn better in schools and function better.

[WorldsBestMom]

Breakfast Ideas for your kids

Getting your kids to eat breakfast in the morning I know for some of you it can be a task.Its a fact breakfast promotes proper growth and maximizes school performance. A part from letting your kids know how important breakfast is in the morning you can try making breakfast time really enticing for your kids.

Here is just a list of what you can add to the breakfast menu for your kids.

If you have anymore ideas please share.


French toast
Granola Bars (try making your own)
Cereal
Muffins
Pancakes
Scramble Eggs and Bacon
Quesadillas or breakfast burritos
Fruit Salad

To go with some of the above
]
Milk
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Grape Juice
Hot Coco
Hot Chocolate

[mmhinton]

Mine are still young, but breakfast always has been and always will be important to me (and now to my family).

to add to the list of foods:
Here are a couple my kids like:

Oatmeal (with blueberries, raisins, peaches, or whatever they feel like that morning)
Smoothie
Waffles

[Equuskia]

I don't think cornflakes or any type of "breakfast cereal" is really a good breakfast for a kid, or anyone for that matter. It's mostly sugar (or even worse, HFCS) and refined flour, which make for a sugar crash in about an hour or so. Plus it takes an enormous amount of cereal to even feel full. I know I feel horrible when I eat that stuff.

Definitely protein and fat with some carbs is definitely the way to go for breakfast, especially since kids get up so early for school and usually don't eat until 11am or 12pm.

Breakfast here:
hot cereal
eggs
cheese
fruit like apples and bananas

[mistymama]

Breakfast is very important for ds - it's his largest meal of the day.

I agree that cereals (even the whole grain, non HFCS ones) are not the healthiest option. Ds's favorite is "egg in a hole" - take a slice of whole wheat bread, cut a circle out of the middle, scramble an egg and fry it in the hole. I usually fry up the circle as well and sprinkle it with a little cinnamon sugar. He'll eat anywhere from 2-3 slices of this a morning.

Oatmeal is also popular, but takes longer to cook so that's usually on weekends.

Also bacon and eggs or bacon and whole wheat toast.

He's not a big fruit eater in the am - he'll eat it for a mid morning snack but first thing he seems to need grains and protein.

[mmhinton]

I fully agree with pp re: "cold" cereals... but besides that, ds1 can't have wheat, corn, soy or pasteurized milk (raw is ok)... so we don't buy them anyway

I LOVED eggs in a hole/window when I was a kid...but I have yet to find a bread ds1 can have that still actually tastes breadlike (rather than like cardboard).... any one have ideas?? (he can have Kamut flour)

Also, regarding oatmeal: I love oatmeal and when I read "Nourishing Traditions" thought their recipe was worth trying - now I don't even like "regular" oatmeal. Here's the recipe:

1 cup oats
1 cup water
2 Tbls yoghurt or kefir

combine and soak (covered) overnight or at least 8 hours

boil 1 cup water; add soaked oat mixture and cook til "done" (I add cinnamon and honey to sweeten)

This makes for a creamy, delicious breakfast (ds1 loves to add frozen blueberries to his!)

[HollyBearsMom]

We eat lots of untradtional foods a breakfast. I focus on good fats, protien whole grains.

This am was whole wheat/flax bagel topped with tomato sauce and cheese.

Other mornings it's hardboiled egg with buttered multigrain toast.

This past monday he had a breafast burrito with eggs, salsa, sliced avocados and cheese.

He eats lots of leftovers too-spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, cheeseburgers, Etc

not say he doesn't eat the occasional bowl of panda puff but since there is no real staying power with that I try to add smoothies made with yogurt, flaxsnd some super greens. this kid needs protien otherwise it is crash and burn!

[velochic]

Dd won't eat breakfast. It makes her nauseous. She has to be up for a couple of hours before she'll even think about eating. I'm this way, too, for the most part. Dh eats first thing in the morning. Dd's first "meal" of the day is at snack-time in school, around 9:15am.

Dh is from Turkey, so breakfasts are usually a Mediterranean breakfast. Olives, bread, cheese. This is what dd likes as well. IMO, that's probably about the healthiest way to start the day. Not filling, low-fat (and healthy fats at that), and well-rounded diet. We don't really eat American breakfast very often. When *I* eat breakfast, it's usually leftovers.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by velochic

Dd won't eat breakfast. It makes her nauseous. She has to be up for a couple of hours before she'll even think about eating. I'm this way, too, for the most part. Dh eats first thing in the morning. Dd's first "meal" of the day is at snack-time in school, around 9:15am.

Dh is from Turkey, so breakfasts are usually a Mediterranean breakfast. Olives, bread, cheese. This is what dd likes as well. IMO, that's probably about the healthiest way to start the day. Not filling, low-fat (and healthy fats at that), and well-rounded diet. We don't really eat American breakfast very often. When *I* eat breakfast, it's usually leftovers.

My dh and I are the same way w/regards to not wanting breakfast until we've been up awhile. So I send boiled eggs, cheese slices, and some raw veggies or fruit for him, plus his lunch. I have a HARD time eating before about 1 p.m., for some reason.

My kids always have something good and filling available for them (the older ones get their own, and sometimes help feed their younger sister while I get coffee going, etc.) like boiled eggs, cheese, baked oatmeal w/raw goat's milk, whole grain toast w/cream cheese and jam, etc...We do buy cold cereal, but it's not breakfast food here. It's a snack item. Good for grabbing a handful as they run out the door to play, or stick in a baggie for the little one once a day.

[Storm Bride]

I've never been able to eat much in the morning. I've found that a couple of cold hard-boiled eggs works for me, though.

My kids don't seem to want to eat much in the morning. They eat a lot from about 10:00 until about 4:30, given the chance. The boys are both hungry at dinner time (ds1 is almost 17, and would happily eat all the time), but dd1 rarely has an appetite by then.

We eat too much cereal. Occasionally, the kids like oatmeal, but they like to eat the same thing day after day, and that's usually cereal. I'm trying to expand their horizons. They both like nuts quite well, so I can usually get them to eat those.

I should do more egg in the hole - it was one of my favourites as a kid. I just don't seem to be up to cooking in the mornings, either.

[WorldsBestMom]

Originally Posted by velochic

Dd won't eat breakfast. It makes her nauseous. She has to be up for a couple of hours before she'll even think about eating. I'm this way, too, for the most part. Dh eats first thing in the morning. Dd's first "meal" of the day is at snack-time in school, around 9:15am.

Dh is from Turkey, so breakfasts are usually a Mediterranean breakfast. Olives, bread, cheese. This is what dd likes as well. IMO, that's probably about the healthiest way to start the day. Not filling, low-fat (and healthy fats at that), and well-rounded diet. We don't really eat American breakfast very often. When *I* eat breakfast, it's usually leftovers.

I know some people have that problem too lack of appetite for some in the early mornings.. Its good that she has snack time at school you can pack her a nice little breakfast as you said Mediterranean breakfast. Especially since she prefers that.

[WorldsBestMom]

Thanks for your responses so far ladies.

Thanks for your responses ladies. Greatly appreciated. I almost forgot about oatmeal I agree it takes a bit longer in the mornings to prepare.


Keep the ideas coming ladies and ingredients too. I am sure a lot of ladies can have an idea of what they can prepare for their children in the morning.

[Adamsmama]

We rotate this: Whole wheat waffles, old fashion oatmeal, steel-cut oats, apple muffins, cheese cake muffins, apple puff (souffle made with eggs, apples sugar & flour...), scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, eggs in a hole, french toast.

[WorldsBestMom]

I personally haven't done hard boiled eggs in a looonnng while. Scramble eggs and omelette's that is what I have been concentrating on. Eggs are extremely nutritious though. It has a certain nutritious property that is good for memory. This will help children retain more when they are in classes.

[WorldsBestMom]

Pictures of Delectable Breakfast Meals

To keep this thread lively, I decided to post some Pictures of some breakfast meals and ingredients that I found while browsing the web. You too can also share some pics and leave a comment on what you think of the pictures..



Garden Omelete: Ingredients Cheese, Diced Vegetables and favorite breakfast Meat

http://i48.tinypic.com/2wn4b45.jpg


Spicy Sausage, Egg and Cheese Panini

http://i48.tinypic.com/23w746.jpg

Fluffy Pecan Pancakes

http://i49.tinypic.com/33d8ima.jpg

[wantingagirl2b#4]

I fully disagree with pp about cold cereal and not being nutritious. We love the Pumpkin Raisn crunch by Nature's Path, can be purchased at Sam's.http://http://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...0101&s=grocery It is high in fiber and contains Omega-3's all all the benefits of whole grains! Right now yellow corn grits by Arrowhead Mills with fried eggs is a big hit in our house!

[samy23]

It can be difficult when you are avoiding eggs and nuts....we often have soy yoghurt or toast with jam.

Neither of us like to eat first thing when we wake up though, so it can be tricky having breakfast before school, usually we get up earlier than otherwise necessary, so we have time to wake up for a while and have a drink, then have some breakfast a little later....it's usually a light breakfast as we don't have big appetites in the morning until around 10am.

We've tried fruit for breakfast, but haven't found it very filling at all...and that's from people with small breakfast appetites!

[karne]

Lately we've been doing grilled cheese, or grillled tuna or turkey and cheese sandwiches or"toad in a hole" egg in bread sandwiches. DS likes a bowl of clam chowder and hot bread in the am, and dd likes miso soup w/ tempeh. And, warmed up raw milk w/a dash of vanilla!

There is a rumor of whole wheat english muffins w/nutella on the weekends.

[Chicky2]

We just finished (*burp*) a huge breakfast of hash browns and fried eggs from our chickens, and bacon, and sausage and oranges. MMMMM!

Yesterday morning we had soup that I heated up outside on our propane heater because we lost electricity most of the day. I was so glad I had that big ole pot of soup! It was cold and we pigged out on steamy soup and home made bread.

[joyrises]

easy oats for b'fast

Originally Posted by WorldsBestMom

Thanks for your responses ladies. Greatly appreciated. I almost forgot about oatmeal I agree it takes a bit longer in the mornings to prepare.


Keep the ideas coming ladies and ingredients too. I am sure a lot of ladies can have an idea of what they can prepare for their children in the morning.

For the past few weeks I've been working on refining our weekday breakfast routine. We have family members out the door before 7AM, and so one of my goals is to keep b'fast prep quick and simple! However, I also want to be thrifty and feed them something that will stick with them until mid-morning snack.

Best thing I've come up with so far is this: each evening, I put steel-cut oats and water (or rice milk) in our crock pot. It could run on low all night, but (trying to conserve $ and energy) I plug it into one of those fab outlet timers. It kicks on at midnight, and is set to turn off at 7:30. When we wake up in the dark winter morning, breakfast is ready & hot!

my formula for four eaters is:
3/4 cup of steel cut oats
a little over 2 cups of water
tiny pinch of sea salt

Some nights I add dried cranberries, or a couple of dried figs, or dried blueberries... you get the picture. In the morning people dress it up as they wish with maple syrup, etc.

I buy the oats bulk, and I estimate I'm spending about 25-40 cents per serving for a nutritious, warming, very easy breakfast!