The Importance of Breakfast

Can we share a moment?  Can I confess a little something to you?

Sometimes it’s really hard to get out of bed in the morning, y’all.  There are days where I want to toss the comforter back up over my head, burrow back into my little nook, and sleep just a wee bit longer; and sometimes I do just that, because if I’m grumpy, chances are I’m going to set a grumpy tone for the rest of the family, and that’s not going to do anyone any good.

On those mornings, maybe our breakfasts aren’t all that fancy, but I still make sure everyone eats breakfast, because as we all know… 

say it with me kids…. “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”

 I know this, and while I want to be that mom who has a full breakfast laid out for the family each and every morning— y’all, that’s just not happening.

I know the importance of a good breakfast, because I know what happens to me when I A) don’t eat breakfast or B) eat something that is quick, but in no way good for me.  I hit a wall, I crash, and I’m not able to be productive, so I’m pretty passionate about making sure the kids have something good and filling to eat every day. 

My kids eat breakfast around 7:00 or 7:15 every morning – Monkey’s lunchtime is 11:14, so he only has 4 hours between a good breakfast and his lunch.  Princess, however, doesn’t eat lunch until nearly 1:00 PM! That’s almost 6 hours in between meals!!  That is a long time to keep her energy level up, pay attention in class, take tests etc…

On the days that I have had a good night’s sleep and I’m able to pop up out of bed and get downstairs to make breakfast (which is at least twice a week.)I make scrambled eggs with spinach and turkey sausage, and serve that with sliced fruit, milk or juice, and a side of yogurt with chia seeds.  Lots of protein, some good fats, natural sugars, and probiotics to help keep them fueled, full, and happy.

However, for the mornings when we’re scrambling, or we have an early morning choir practice **ahem**  We have a few tricks to make sure that the kids are still eating, but doing it in ways that are easier to manage.

• Make ahead egg muffins that can be eaten cold or easily re-heated 
• A bowl of vanilla greek yogurt topped with homemade granola and sliced fruit and chia seeds.
• Cereal is always a great go-to, but we’ve taught the kids to label read.  They look at the sugars vs the protein and fiber, and they make pretty good decisions, about 60% of the time.
• Hard Boiled Eggs are easy to make, and refrigerate really well – bonus for portability!
• Both kids know how to make their own scrambled eggs, and egg in a basket – so if they’re up and at ’em, they can do that.

The main thing I want the kids to understand, is that breakfast is how they start their day, and if their day starts off sugary, or sans food completely, they’re setting themselves up for failure.

So whether it’s an apple and yogurt, a frozen waffle with peanut butter, scrambled eggs, migas, or homemade muffins help set your kids, and yourself, up for a successful day by making sure to eat breakfast!

You can read more about helping to set your child up for a successful school day and year on the NEA website

“This post reflects a collaboration with the National Education Association’s Raise Your Hand for Student Success campaign. All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.”