I Finally Tried New Kid Breakfast Options (and They Didn’t Hate Them!)

My goals were to add more protein in the morning and to include more filling carbs. I knew they loved oatmeal when they were at my mom’s but I couldn’t seem to get my shit together enough to make it correctly. I kept harping on myself and then I finally just decided to give myself some grace and let it go…until the next school year. 

And here we are, it’s the next school year. 

Since we are now two months into the school year, I want to give an update on this goal of trying new before-school breakfasts for my kids. I have tried two new breakfasts for my kids and then made one important change to some typical favorites. 

First, oatmeal. I finally cracked the oatmeal code and am so happy I did.  A few times when my kids would stay overnight at grandma’s, my mom would rave about how much my kids absolutely shoveled in the steel cut oatmeal. What?? I couldn’t believe it.  

Over the summer, a few days a week my mom graciously let me drop off the kids early in the morning and then would cart them off to their respective sports camps. Every morning when I dropped them off she would have breakfast all ready for them, and a lot of those mornings it was oatmeal made in her Crockpot. She would provide some toppings (limited brown sugar, milk and dried fruit) and I watched my kids sit down immediately and happily make their own oatmeal by spooning toppings into their bowl. 

Who were these children?? Putting together their own breakfasts and eating (so much) oatmeal happily. 

I made it my goal to figure this out. I knew I didn’t want to try a Crockpot because I didn’t want it to cook overnight nor did I want to start it in the middle of the night. I tried a few instant oatmeal options and my kids said “no way”.   

Finally, my mom showed me an Instant Pot steel cut oats recipe that looked doable so one Sunday afternoon while we were watching football, I gave it a test run. I used regular steel cut oats and water. In 30 minutes, I had my first test batch. I spooned some into bowls for my kids, added some toppings, and handed the bowls to my kids while they played Roblox. 

Gone. It was gone in minutes. And then they wanted more. 

Needless to say, we now have steel cut oats once a week. The ratio is 1 cup steel cut oats to 3 cups water. I usually do a double batch. After I’ve completed my Miracle Morning tasks but before I start my workouts, I start up the Instant Pot. About 30 minutes later, the oatmeal is hot and ready and the Instant Pot keeps it warm until the kids are up and ready to eat. 

I add some brown sugar to a small bowl and add some milk and dried craisins to the table. My kids build their own oatmeal bowls and literally shovel it in. The double batch gives me enough for another day during the week and it’s amazing.

Another breakfast option we have tried is something I saw on social media. It’s a ham and cheese breakfast sammy in a tortilla.  This is one of the first times I’ve ever tried something from a video I saw online.

I take a tortilla, add slices of cheddar cheese, then add slices of ham, and then I fold it up and put it in the toaster. Five minutes later, my kids have a yummy breakfast option with melty cheese and protein. I add some fruit and call it a morning. Yum! 

Another way I have made changes to our weekday before-school breakfasts is to make a batch of Kodiak waffes or pancakes the weekend before and then warm them up in the oven throughout the week. Ok, ok, full transparency – my husband is the chef in the house so it’s actually him making the batch of waffles or pancakes on the weekend and then I get the luxury of just having to heat them up in the oven. Easy peasy! 

To go with those waffles and pancakes, I have also started to add scrambled eggs at least once a week for breakfasts before school. For so long I resisted anything I had to “cook” before school because I swore I didn’t have the time.  However, this year I’ve sucked it up and just gave it a try. Now that my kids are old enough to get themselves ready for school in the morning, it has given me a little more time. Scrambling up some eggs and throwing some shredded cheddar on top really takes me less than five minutes and it adds some extra protein to their mornings.

I have to say, I know as moms we don’t give ourselves pats on the back often enough, and with the improvements I’ve made the last few months on weekday breakfasts, I’m working on giving myself some of those pats. As typically happens, I realized I was whining and dragging my feet for so long on something that really isn’t too difficult or time consuming.  UGH! At least I’m consistent about that. 

Now I’m looking ahead (and forward!) to even more new breakfast options. The next options I want to try are maybe some sort of breakfast bake, some new toppings for their oatmeal (I love blueberries, cinnamon and almond butter on mine – doesn’t everyone??), and possibly finding a healthier muffin they will actually it. 

What are you and your kids having for breakfast? I’d love to hear about it!