Grab ‘n Go breakfasts for busy back-to-school families

MILFORD, Ohio - From Chef Margie Potts:

Don’t just send your kids off to school in the morning -- ENERGIZE THEM!

How many times have you heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Nevertheless, it’s also the most neglected. Studies have proven that students who ate healthy breakfasts paid better attention in school, scored higher on both math and reading tests, and behaved better overall. Eating a healthy breakfast also helps both kids and adults maintain a healthy weight and have lower blood cholesterol and less related health problems. In addition, consider this: if your child is in bed by 9 pm and gets on the bus around 8 am, he has already gone almost 12 hours without nourishment - so, what time’s lunch? Energize your kids in the morning!!

Even if you are busy in the morning and the kids resist eating breakfasts, we have some healthy and fun Grab ‘n Go Breakfasts to give you both a great start to your day.

Plan Ahead - Do Ahead:

Getting your children to eat breakfast shouldn’t be a power struggle. Don’t “make” them eat --- rather let them be part of the planning and the choosing. It is my experience that children are more likely to eat something they have planned and chosen themselves. If you want to lead them towards healthy choices, offer an array of healthy choices for them. See suggestions below. (whole grains + whole foods = wholesome)

Then, the night before, have the kids choose what they want for breakfast and get everything ready to go. They can help with this. Have them wash and dry fruit. Count things out and place in plastic containers or bags, and pack. They can put stickers on the bags or smiley faces and their names. Make this a sociable and relaxed time together --- you’ll reap the rewards in the morning!

You can bake muffins or granola ahead of time and freeze extras. Freeze fruits to make Smoothies in minutes. Have the children join you in creating new cereal and trail mixes and store in an airtight container ready to transfer to a serving size container or bag. Make sure you keep fresh fruit and vegetables handy - these easy solutions are a fast source of vitamins, energy and fiber. Keep it fun and easy!

If you have the opportunity to sit down and share a healthy breakfast with your children, the possibilities are endless. Plan at least one sit down breakfast a week for the whole family to participate - dad can join in, too! However, if most school days find you hustling the kids out the door in time to catch the bus or car pool, here are some of my recipes for:

Grab 'n Go Breakfasts

Smoothies --- delicious, portable, and ready in minutes --- just freeze fruits in season and have ready to go from freezer to blender! You can even bag them per recipe so they can be prepared in minutes. Smoothies boost your protein, vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and fiber intake at the pulse of a blender. When you add milk or yogurt to Smoothies, you are rewarded with a calcium booster,

Milkshakes --- not the dessert variety --- by simply adding a little chocolate or strawberry syrup to a glass of milk and shaking it will make a Milkshake --- the small amount of sugar can be accounted for in your child’s diet and adding the flavor does not detract from the milk’s vitamins and minerals --- besides a Milkshake can be a lot more enticing on a busy morning than a plain glass of milk! Check out the Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie!

Speaking of milk, did you know that the recommended calcium intake for children ages 4 to 8 is 800 mg per day (about three 8 oz. glasses of milk) and for ages 9 to 18 is 1300 mg per day. So, starting the day with a serving of calcium rich food is a great way to start the day!

Grab ‘n Go Breakfasts with a boost of calcium:

• Naturally, the milkshakes and adding yogurt or milk to their Smoothies
• Add their favorite fruit to single serving cups of cottage cheese
• String Cheese and wheat crackers are a great on-the-go breakfast
• Add cheese to their toast or English Muffins or sandwiches or wraps
• Grilled cheese can be a breakfast meal and a kid pleaser
• Opt for Orange Juice fortified with Calcium and extra vitamins
• Make a wonderful Yogurt Parfait by layering their favorite yogurt with fresh chopped fruits or berries and some yummy granola - calcium and fiber!!

Have your kids Create their own Cereal Snack Mix or Trail Mix:

You supply the ingredients. Choose whole grain cereals, many of which are fortified with calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Read the info on cereal boxes to make good choices. Select an assortment of crunchy cereals, low fat cheese cracker squares, popcorn, whole wheat pretzel sticks, raisins, dried fruits of all kinds, and nuts! Have the children make up their personal mix and place in a resealable bag they decorate themselves.

Fresh Fruit (vitamins, antioxidants, fiber) for Grab ‘n Go Breakfasts

Make it easy and fun and the fruit will be eaten with delight - cut up fruit in bite size pieces to travel in XS plastic containers with lids

to go or in re-sealable bags. Peel and separate orange segments as well. If you plan ahead, you can assemble these “fruit cups” the night before. Again, get the children involved.

• Apple or Pear slices are great with peanut butter or softened brie spread on them.
• Strawberries and other fruits to dip in little cup of light yogurt.
• Nutty Banana Pop to Go: Cut a banana in half horizontally and stick it onto a popsicle stick. Heat a little peanut butter with honey in the microwave for just a few seconds to make it spreadable and then spread onto one side of the banana. You can sprinkle the peanut butter with some crushed granola for extra crunch and fiber. Yum!
• Bag some frozen grapes to go --- cool yummy! (Dad loves these, too!)
• Star Fruit -- each slice resembles a star --- let your child know he’s your shining star!!
• Baby Carrots can fit into this category since they’re sweet to taste and ready to go!

Morning Muffins and Quick Breads to Go:

Muffins and slices of Quick Bread are delicious portable snacks boasting healthy additions of carrots, zucchini, apples, pineapple, pumpkin, bran, and nuts --- found hidden in a great tasting muffin or quick bread - the kids will only know they taste great. These can also be baked ahead of time and extras frozen.

English Muffin Breakfast Pizza:

English Muffins sporting no cholesterol, low fat, no trans fat and varieties made with whole grain and double fiber are the perfect choice for a fun Breakfast Pizza. Toasted, they make the perfect base for numerous healthy breakfast choices:

• Spread English Muffin halves with peanut butter and topping with sliced bananas.
• Spread them with cream cheese or Brie and top with sliced fruits.
• Spread cream cheese or Brie, topped with sliced apples; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Make a Morning Pizza Muffin by topping muffin with a little pizza sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese and browning lightly under the broiler.
• Have the kids create some new ones!

Grab ‘n Go Breakfast SAMMIES:

• Make Grab ‘n Go Breakfast Sandwiches with the adorable new thin buns shaped like Goldfish.
•  Numerous flavor choices with Bagel Thins.
• Multi Grain Low Fat Frozen Waffles or the many fun shaped waffles available.
• Low Fat Cinnamon Graham Crackers with 5g of whole grain per serving and no saturated fat or cholesterol.
• Fat free, cholesterol free, no trans fat Pita Bread Pockets - look for the smaller ones - (these can even hold scrambled eggs to go!)
• Fillings can be your child’s favorites: cream cheese with fruit, peanut butter and jelly or bananas, egg salad, chicken salad, cheeses, meats, veggies, etc. Get kids involved!

Wrap ‘n Roll:

Wraps are so versatile and come in a variety of flavors.

• Simply wrap their favorite deli meat and cheese (add veggies like lettuce, tomato, shredded carrots and cucumber). Add flavored cream cheese to pull it all together.
• Wrap sliced fruits arranged on top of cream cheese or peanut butter or Nutella.
• Apple Danish Wrap ‘n Roll: On a flour tortilla, place 2 thin slices of mozzarella cheese and top with ½ apple, sliced thinly. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of sugar and a dash of cinnamon - wrap. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds -- yum!

Lastly, keep in mind kid-sized servings for kids --- your goal is to get them to enjoy a healthy breakfast - even on the go - that they will look forward to eating and enjoying! A Oh, do remember to pack a napkin or 2.

I sincerely hope these ideas will stimulate some great Grab ‘n Go Breakfasts of your own! A little planning and involving the children goes a long way in starting the day the “Zippity Do Da” way! Back to School has never been so invigorating!

Additional Recipes:

Good Morning Smoothie

1 Cup Orange Juice, cold (consider calcium fortified)
½ Cup Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
2 Ripe Bananas, sliced, frozen, thawed slightly
2 Cups Strawberries, halved, frozen, thawed slightly
1 Cup Raspberries, frozen - thawed slightly
1 Tab. Honey (optional)

Pour juice into blender with the yogurt. Add the fruit (it takes only a minute or two to partially thaw). The iciness of the fruit will give your Smoothie its icy consistency without having to add any chopped ice. Put the lid on your blender and begin blending on low, stopping to stir occasionally until it gets going. Then, increase the speed and keep blending until all the ingredients ar incorporated and the consistency you like.

Pour into a to-go cup with a lid and a straw and off you go! Makes 2 servings for both kids or one for Mom!

If your children prefer more of a “Slushie” consistency, try this Smoothie below:

Berry Berry Smooth

1 Cup White or Red Cranberry 100% Juice
1 ½ Cup Strawberries, halved, frozen, thawed slightly
1 Cup Blueberries, frozen, thawed slightly
1 Cup Raspberries, frozen, thawed slightly

Blend as directed above. You can also utilize a bag of frozen mixed berries for convenience. Makes two servings.

If you can, take advantage of seasonal fresh fruit at its peak. Clean, peel, and slice fruit