Healthy and FUN breakfast ideas for kids
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found it hard to keep breakfast both healthy and interesting. This year I’ve been trying out lots of new ideas to shake things up a bit in our household at breakfast time so today I’m sharing 15 of my healthy breakfast ideas for kids.
These ideas are all very easy and mostly very quick to make, but I’ve tried to make this post more useful by splitting the ideas into three groups – breakfast ideas to prepare in advance, quick breakfast ideas to make in a hurry, and easy breakfast ideas for when you have a little more time.
All of these ideas are suitable for the whole family, as well as kids of course.
Breakfast Ideas to Prepare in Advance
Frozen Yoghurt Bites – I’ve shared two versions of these delicious and healthy frozen yogurt bites on the blog so far and they’ve both been a big hit! Made from just fruit and yogurt, these are great eaten ‘as they come’, or you could throw them into a bowl of granola or cereal for a delicious crunchy breakfast.
As always, this recipe can be adjusted to suit your tastes and needs – swap fresh fruit for alternatives of your choice (strawberries or blackberries would work nicely) or try dried fruits, or switch to soy yogurt or similar if you’d like to make it dairy-free.
I used natural yogurt as a healthy option because it has no added sugar, but you could use any yogurt flavour of your choice.
- 1 large ripe banana
- 150g Yoghurt of your choice (we used natural yogurt)
- A handful of dried banana chips (optional)
Method
Layout approximately 12 cupcake cases or silicone muffin cups on a small baking sheet or tray (this will need to fit in your freezer, so it may be worth checking it for size before you start).
Peel the banana and pop it onto a plate. Mashup with a fork until most of the lumps have gone. Tip: Young children might find this step easier to do with a potato masher if you have one.
Tip the mashed banana into a bowl and dollop in the yogurt. Whisk together until well combined.
Using a spoon, dollop some yogurt and banana mixture into the bottom of each cake case until all the yogurt has gone.
Top with the banana chips if wanted. We topped half of ours with whole ones and a half with broken pieces, I think both ways looked great!
Place the cups (still on the baking tray) into the freezer and leave to freeze for a couple of hours until set solid.
Once frozen through, remove from the cases and serve (or bag up and pop straight back in the freezer to eat later).
These are great to munch on straight out of the freezer as a healthy snack or dessert, or for a fun breakfast idea, you could throw a few into a bowl of granola or cereal, yum!
You could even pack these in a lunch box – the yogurt will melt enough to eat with a spoon by lunchtime but it will still be lovely and cool and make a tasty and healthy dessert. Just be sure to pack them in a leak-proof tub or compartmented lunch box like the Yumbox.
Fruity frozen yogurt bites
ingredients:
- 200g Yoghurt of your choice (we used natural yoghurt)
- Handful of fresh raspberries
- Handful of fresh blueberries
Method
Gather together your ingredients. Layout approximately 12 cupcake cases or silicone muffin cups on a small baking sheet or tray (this will need to fit in your freezer, so it may be worth checking it for size before you start).
Using a spoon, dollop some yogurt into the bottom of each cake case until all the yogurt has gone.
Pop a few pieces of fruit into each cup, pressing them down into the yogurt with the tip of your finger. Small Child decided to make funny faces with his fruit, but you can put them in any way you’d like.
Place the cups (still on the baking tray) into the freezer and leave to freeze for a couple of hours until set solid.
Once frozen through, remove from the cases and serve (or bag up and pop straight back in the freezer to eat later).
These are great to munch on straight out of the freezer as a healthy snack or dessert, or for a fresh idea for breakfast, you could throw a few into a bowl of granola or cereal, yum!
You could even pack them in a lunch box – the yogurt will melt enough to eat with a spoon by lunchtime but it will still be lovely and cool and make a tasty and healthy dessert. Just be sure to pack them in a leak-proof tub or compartmented lunch box like the Yumbox.
Fruit Salad – another easy and healthy breakfast idea that can be customized to suit your tastes – make up a big batch and keep it in the fridge to use for several days worth of breakfasts! Serve on its own, with a dollop of natural yogurt or sprinkled with crunchy seeds.
Help Yourself Snack Pots – These are a great idea for busy mornings, make them up in advance then just grab and go as needed! You can pack raisins, crackers, blueberries, granola bars cut in halves, cheese cut in squares, peach slices, and more! Let your imagination do the packing.
Cereal with Fruit – There’s nothing worse when you’re running late than having to think about putting together a healthy breakfast, but luckily there are lots of ideas that can be made in no time at all whilst still avoiding overly sugary cereals. By far the easiest breakfast is a bowl of cereal of course, but if you want to keep it healthy, hunt out cereals with a low sugar content such as shredded wheat (which has no refined sugar added at all) and jazz it up with a handful of fresh or dried fruit. I like to serve Life cereal with strawberries, blueberries or banana. It's delicious and a great way to start your day.
Toast and Honey with Sesame Seeds – Whip up this delicious toast in a matter of minutes, simply toast the bread, spread with a little honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are really good for you, with several great health benefits including being a source of protein as well as many essential minerals, including calcium (great for anyone on a dairy-free diet).
Porridge – You may think that porridge is a bit time consuming for busy mornings, but trust me, it takes literally two minutes to make in the microwave and is well worth the minimal effort! Top with jam and sesame seeds, a drizzle of honey, a few dark chocolate chips or some fresh or dried fruit to make it more interesting (we particularly love chopped banana on ours).
Banana and Peanut Butter Tortilla Roll-ups – This is my go-to breakfast when I’m rushing out of the door having forgotten to eat breakfast in the morning chaos! It takes seconds to make, can be eaten on the go and is really quite delicious!
To make, simply open out a wholemeal tortilla wrap, spread liberally with peanut butter (I use a sugar-free brand), peel a banana and lay it down the middle then roll up the wrap around the banana, folding in the ends to keep it in place. Peanut butter and banana also makes a delicious sandwich filling or topping for toast if you don’t have any wraps.
Cream Cheese and Jam Sandwich – Although this sounds an odd combination, we tried these sandwiches recently on the recommendation of a friend and they were absolutely delicious! A great way to get an extra portion of calcium in, use wholemeal bread for a healthier breakfast. These sandwiches can be eaten at home or on the go.
Cheese on Toast – We love cheese on toast in our house! My favourite way to eat it is with sliced tomatoes under the cheese and a sprinkle of herbs on top, but you could also try finely chopped red pepper or spring onions too – an easy way to help sneak one of your five a day into breakfast!
Pancake Muffins – These couldn’t be easier to make – no hot frying pan needed, just mix them up and throw them in the oven! You can find the full recipe here:
- 125g wholemeal flour
- 100g plain flour
- 1 tbsp unrefined sugar
- 1 tbs baking powder
- pinch salt
- 30g dairy-free spread (I used Pure sunflower spread)
- 2 large eggs
- 300ml soya milk
- 200g blueberries and/or raspberries
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (Gas mark 4/350°F). Line a muffin tin with silicone cups or paper cupcake cases.
Add the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and dairy-free spread or butter to a food processor or blender and whizz to combine. Add the eggs and whizz again. Add gradually the soya milk and whizz until smooth and lump-free. (You could also whisk by hand – gently whisk the eggs and melt the spread/butter first before adding to the mixture).
Transfer the pancake mixture to a jug for easy pouring, then pour into the cupcake cases, filling each to about two thirds full. Top each muffin with some berries of your choice, pushing them down slightly into the mixture.
Bake for approx. 15 minutes until risen and golden. To check if they are done, pop a cocktail stick into the middle of one of the muffins and check it comes out clean (if not, they may need a couple more minutes in the oven).
Serve up with a little maple syrup or honey to dip them in and maybe some fresh fruit and natural yogurt on the side – yum!
You can also use the pre-made pancake mix to make this even faster and easier.
Eggy Bread Fingers – Get the kids cooking a tasty weekend brunch with these delicious eggy bread fingers. You can serve them up with some crispy bacon and tomato sauce, or try a lovely healthy fruit salad and a dollop of natural yogurt on the side. You can find the full recipe and a free printable child-friendly recipe sheet here:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbs milk
- 2 small slices of bread
- 1 tsp butter
Method
Break the egg into a shallow dish or bowl and discard the shell. Add the milk and whisk them both together.
Cut each slice of bread into thick fingers. Add the bread to the egg mixture and turn to coat on both sides.
Heat the butter in a frying pan until melted and bubbling. Add the bread fingers to the pan and cook gently until golden brown on both sides, turning with a spatula halfway through cooking.
Serve immediately, with fresh fruit and a dollop of natural yogurt on the side. We served ours up with our rainbow fruit salad and it was delicious!
I hope you enjoy my easy, healthy breakfast ideas for kids. Let me know if you have any you'd like to share.
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