My son is in 5th grade and sometimes he wakes up super hungry and wants to eat and other times, he doesn't want to eat at all. I am not going to send him to school without breakfast because I know within an hour of getting there he is hungry. I want to come up with some appetizing things that will give him some nutrients before he leaves for school and perhaps some things to take in his backpack. Can you give me some help? Some things I have come up with are toast with peanut butter & banana; carnation instant breakfast; toast with jelly;
Not a big list so I could use more ideas. Thanks.
Edited to add - I have asked him and he says he's not hungry. When he is hungry its not a problem to get him to eat. Also, I am a big fan of non breakfast type foods. I love leftovers. I need some new ideas to get him to eat or take with him when he says he isn't hungry.
Have you asked him what he would like?
I swear I feel like a broken record here but breakfast doesn't need to be "breakfast" you know? Pack him whatever it is he will eat, half a sandwich, a granola bar, a slice of leftover pizza, pasta salad, fried rice, cheese and crackers, fruit, the possibilities are endless.
School day breakfast. The bane of my existence.
I sweat just thinking about it.
It's second only to what to pack on the days he won't buy.
My kid craves variety.
He doesn't like to eat as soon as he gets up either.
Sometimes cereal, sometimes a waffle, sometimes it's leftover Chinese or pasta salad. (blech!)
The thing is, I have had to get sued to the fact that if it's something he WANTS (General Tso chicken with steamed rice), and I have it handy, then THAT is the perfect thing for that day! LOL
Ours are not allowed to take any snacks to school, but if he was, I'd pack granola bars, cereal bars, even a Pop Tart, piece of fruit, crackers, cheese.....
Does your son like bagels? Bagel thins? Cheese & crackers & fruit is also "breakfast" here. Ensure, Boost & Carnation Instant breakfast. Greek yogurt, nuts, fruit.....
You could make up a big batch of breakfast burritos (eggs, potatoes, meat, bell peppers, cheese...) and wrap them individually. Then in the morning, you can pull one out and nuke it and he can eat it on the go... or you can leave it cold for him to take with. (Personally, I LOVE cold breakfast burritos!)
Schouffer (sp?) Makes frozen pre-made breakfast skillets... You dump the bag in the pan, cook it according to the package, then mix in fresh eggs. They make awesome breakfast burritos if you want an easy way to do it!
My kids like soup for breakfast. Quick, easy, everybody likes it, good for you. Who cares if it's not a breakfast food?
:)
Have you asked him? I know it kind of sounds like a silly response but I remember thinking the same thing. Then my daughter wandered along and I told her what I was doing. Things she listed were easy but not what I would have come up with on my own.
One of her things is we portion some cereal in zip locks. Sometimes she just grabs one going out the door and eats it at the bus stop. She is more than a little obsessed with being the first in the bus line.
This morning my kids had bananas with peanut butter on them. They also like dry cereal in a baggie, gogurts, 2 toaster waffles with cream cheese in the middle, cheese sticks, piece of fruit, oatmeal when its cold, sandwiches, frozen bean/cheese burritos heated, homemade sausage McMuffins, homemade trail mix and leftovers. Just ask him what he'd like to eat and be open to things that are not necessarily breakfast foods. Good luck!
One of my daughters' favorite breakfast that I make for them is vanilla yogurt in a bowl with cut up bananas and strawberries, and topped with granola. It's delicious, I eat it all the time too. Other ideas:
Oatmeal
Fresh fruit
Spinach Omelette (we keep egg beaters in the house because it's easy and fast)
English muffin with preserves
Yogurt
Bagel with cream cheese and/or preserves (or peanut butter)
Cereal (with or without fresh fruit)
Smoothie (find lots of yummy recipes on the internet)
Malt-o-Meal
Make pancakes ahead of time, freeze, and he can microwave them in the morning. Do this with biscuits or waffles too.
I make biscuits and sausage patties, put them together like sandwiches, and freeze them individually. My husband loves those.
I HATE most breakfasty things first thing in the morning. Shudder. Carb loaded, sugary... Or leaves me starving egg things... Or swimming in grease that makes me want to go back to bed things.
Don't get me wrong, I LIKE these things... Just not for breakfast!
I'll eat them if I have to, but not every day. I'd rather skip breakfast than eat them every day.
What DO/WILL I eat every morning?
Toasted ham and Swiss sammies
Roast beef sammie
Dinner leftovers
You name it.
Which is another option to try: bypassing things that LOOK like breakfast (cereal, pastries, eggs, sausage, hash browns, etc.), and try "lunch" or "dinner" foods.
Mine will eat dry cereal, sausage bisquits, left overs (sometimes) but his favorite is Nutella with breadsticks. What about your son trying Nutella on a waffle or toast ? Or with breadsticks ?
-Pop Tarts
-those toaster french toast things (the kids hold them)
-wrap (leftover chicken, shred carrots etc)
-breakfast bars
-protein shake (comes in a can. easy for transport)
-applesauce
-crackers & cheese
-carrot sticks, cheese stick
-breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs, cheese etc)
I have the kids eat at school so they see their friends eating. The school is also good about trying to get them to eat all their food.
