4 Breakfast Options for Everyone

Mornings are busy. That's just how it is. But does that busyness mean that a healthful breakfast is impossible? It doesn't. Yes, it might be impossible to sit down to a multi-course, elaborate breakfast each and every morning, but there are a surprising number of simple, balanced, and healthful breakfasts that can please the whole family. Let's take a look at some top contenders. Breakfast Option #1: Make Breakfast Burritos Breakfast burritos are infinitely adaptable, easy to travel with, and great vehicles for healthful ingredients. Scramble some eggs or egg whites, add drained and rinsed canned beans and some salsa and you've got a great base for endless innovation. Sauté some peppers and onions to roll into the burritos, or bulk them up with cubes of sweet potato. You could also add nonfat plain Greek yogurt for a creamy tang. Plus, with a few basic ingredients, everyone can mix and match, ensuring a breakfast that can please a crowd without having to make at least 3 totally different entrees. By prepping the ingredients the night before, you can make it even easier to make the burritos for breakfast. Just reheat everything while you scramble the eggs. You could even make and assemble breakfast burritos as a family and then freeze a bunch for later. All you'd need to do is reheat and go! Here are some great ingredients that you can use in breakfast burritos. Which will you pick?

• Scrambled eggs or egg whites
• Scrambled tofu
• Hot sauce
• Salsa or pico de gallo
• Drained and rinsed pinto or black beans
• Cooked lentils
• Shredded chicken
• Sautéed peppers and onions
• Brown rice
• Cilantro
• Tomatoes
• Cubed sweet potatoes or potatoes

Breakfast Option #2: Make Parfaits You'll minimize cleanup and maximize options with simple breakfast parfaits. And the best part is, everything is infinitely adaptable. Simply layer some granola, nonfat yogurt, and fruit in a glass and you're good to go. Plus, you can make these in travel mugs if everyone really needs to get out the door in a hurry. Here are a few fun combinations...

• Strawberries, nonfat vanilla yogurt, and granola
• Oranges, fortified soy yogurt, and oat cereal
• Raspberries and blueberries, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, and granola
• Apples, nonfat plain yogurt with cinnamon, and oat cereal

With protein, calcium, and fiber -- not to mention vitamins -- these parfaits are nutrient powerhouses. Breakfast Option #3: Make Oatmeal Oatmeal doesn't deserve it's blah reputation. With a myriad of toppings, it is infinitely adaptable, and quick-cooking varieties come together speedily, which makes them winners for the morning routine. If you make a big pot of oatmeal, everyone can top it with whatever they wish. Or you can make different types throughout the week. Since I'm such a big fan of oatmeal, I've made quite a few variations. Here are some of my favorite free recipes...

• Banana Nut Oatmeal
• Crockpot Steel-Cut Oats with Apples and Cherries
• Microwave Dutch Apple Oatmeal
• Oatmeal with Strawberries and Skim Milk
• Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
• Super-Fast Oatmeal Base (top however you'd like)

Breakfast Option #4: Smoothies for Everyone Here's another option that can be varied infinitely. Try a few different combinations to find out which ones are best for your family. All you need is...

• Liquid
  • Skim milk
  • Calcium-fortified soy milk
  • Orange juice
  • Water
  • Nut milk
  • Green tea
• Fruit
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Pineapple
  • Mango
  • Cherries
  • Oranges
  • Apples
  • Banana
• Ice
• Extras
  • Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • Low-fat light vanilla yogurt
  • Peanut butter
  • Cocoa powder
  • Ground flaxseed
  • Cinnamon
  • Oats
  • Silken tofu

You can assemble these in the blender the night before, put the blender in the fridge overnight, then whirr everything together in the morning. Oh, and for more smoothie inspiration, check out the free smoothie recipe collection. Whew! That was a lot of information about breakfast. Which options will your clients love? Which will you try? For a great recipe to help everyone get off on the right foot, try this Sunrise Smoothie, excerpted from our top-selling Home Run Meals Cookbook. The handout is free, it's here, and it's yours. Get your copy today! If you like what you see in the handout, consider getting a copy of the Home Run Cooking Book. I wrote this book as the perfect introduction to healthful cooking, and included all of my favorite meals that have been home-runs for family and friends alike. This book walks its readers through grocery shopping, meal planning, proper knife use and safety, food safety, cooking with moist or dry heat, cooking basics, measuring basics, etc. Then it features a wide variety of guaranteed-hit recipes that have been rigorously tested and beautifully photographed, from breakfast to lunch to dinner, and even snacks and dessert! Get your book today! There are tons of other cooking resources in the Nutrition Education Store. Here are some of our newest bestsellers...