Inside: These make-ahead breakfasts are perfect for busy school mornings. These freezer-friendly ideas are some of my kids’ all-time weekday favorites!
Back-to-school season is here and we are ready with these simple, make-ahead breakfast ideas for those busy mornings.
Of course, “busy” is a relative term as I haven’t met a school morning that wasn’t busy 😉
Considering the fact that we don’t have much time in the mornings, when planning out breakfast ideas for the new school year I like to pick things that are:
- Freezer-friendly
- Able to be made in big batches
- Quick to reheat
- Protein-filled
- Kid-friendly
All the ideas shared today fit the bill.
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What is a good breakfast to have before school?
Of my 3 kids, 2 of them are in elementary school. I send them with a packed lunch to school, and only in Kindergarten do they get an afternoon snack.
When my 2 oldest girls leave for school in the morning, I want to make sure that they’ve had a filling breakfast that will keep them going until lunch.
Naturally, some mornings are super rushed and the best I can do is a granola bar and a banana, but overall, the goal is to serve a filling breakfast, preferably one that’s been made the night before.
For our family, a “good” breakfast is one that has:
- Protein
- Fruit
- Carb
Here’s what that can look like:
- Protein: scrambled eggs
- Fruit: grapes
- Carb: mini muffins
Breakfast Meal Planning
As far as “what to make” for breakfast before school, I think we overcomplicate things by trying to look for too many “new” or different ideas.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Consider the foods your kids like and what they’ll actually eat.
As you’re rushing out the door, trying to get backpacks and shoes on, it’s not the time to make a brand new recipe they’ve never tried before and hope they like it.
The last thing I want to do is send my kids to school on an empty stomach.
When planning out breakfasts for busy school mornings, I like to pick 2 things to prep over the weekend (more on that below) and then mix-and-match ideas throughout the week.
I also keep cereal and plenty of store-bought options on hand as well.
Sample Weekly Meal Plan:
- Mon: Waffle Omelets (make-ahead) with English muffins & fruit
- Tues: Mini muffins with yogurt & fruit, and breakfast sausage
- Wed: Bagel & cream cheese, waffle omelets & fruit
- Thurs: Mini muffins with yogurt & fruit and breakfast sausage
- Fri: Cereal & Milk + Bananas
Breakfast Meal Prep
Sunday is typically the day I do a little meal prep. Nothing crazy or elaborate! I like to make hard-boiled eggs or waffle eggs, mini muffins, sheet pan pancakes, or mini waffles.
If I can kick off the week with some hard-boiled eggs in my fridge and mini muffins in the freezer, I know I can put together a quick breakfast for the kids that’s also healthy and filling.
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Make-Ahead Breakfasts for Busy School Mornings
These healthy breakfast options for school-aged kids are sure to become your new go-to ideas.
Tag me on IG @becauseisaidsobaby when you try one the ideas below!
1. Hard-boiled Eggs
Eggs are our number 1 pick for breakfast, but sometimes there’s just not enough time to make scrambled eggs (the kids fav), so I usually save those for the weekend.
For weekday mornings, pre-made hard-boiled eggs are much quicker, plus my girls love sprinkling everything bagel seasoning on them to make it fun!
Serve with muffins & fruit and you’ve got a quick and nutritious breakfast before school.
My go-to blueberry muffin recipe is in this cookbook.
How to make hard-boiled eggs:
- Add a few eggs to small saucepan (I usually make 6-8 at a time)
- Cover the eggs with cold water
- Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to simmer
- Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat
- Cover, and let sit for another 5 minutes with the lid on
- Drain, rinse with cold water, and then add some ice cubes to stop the cooking
- Store in the fridge (unpeeled) until ready to use!
There are probably a dozen ways to make hard-boiled eggs, but this is how I’ve always done it!
2. Waffle Omelet Eggs
Did you know you could make eggs in your waffle maker? We have a Dash mini waffle maker, and my favorite thing to use it for is making little “omelets”.
Get my 4 ingredient recipe, here.
I like to make these on Sunday and leave half in the fridge and then freeze the other half (instructions in the post).
You can also follow the recipe above to make mini egg muffins. These are very freezer-friendly and reheat quickly for school mornings.
3. Baked Oatmeal Mini Muffins
This recipe is packed with healthy ingredients like oats, bananas, and coconut oil, but with enough fun stuff like mini chocolate chips to make them fun for the kids!
This recipe makes a ton, and you can freeze half the batch to have more for later.
Recipe: Mini Banana Oatmeal Muffins
4. Sheet Pan Pancakes
Ever since having 3 kids and needing to feed 5 people I just can’t waste time flipping pancakes at the stove.
Once you start making sheet pan pancakes, you never go back.
They taste exactly like regular pancakes, you just cut them into a thick square shape!
My girls love to help with this recipe, and one of them loves chocolate chips on theirs, the other loves blueberries. I like both!
We cut them into square shapes and store in glassware in the fridge for the week. You can reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.
You can also freeze them in between sheets of parchment paper in a glass storage container.
My absolute favorite recipe is in this cookbook from The Pioneer Woman.
5. Healthy Store-Bought Favorites
Sometimes the best “make-ahead” breakfast is one that you bought from the store. Obviously not everything needs to be homemade, and convenience foods are convenient for a reason!
- Kodiak waffles or pancakes (pre-made, frozen)
- Stonyfield Organic yogurt pouches (great for grab-and-go)
- Jones Dairy Farm breakfast sausage
- Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal cups
- Wyman’s mix fruit (frozen – great for smoothies)
- Larabars or MadeGood granola bars
- Bananas or easy peel oranges (great for grab-and-go)
- EnviroKids Cereal
- Purely Elizabeth granola or instant oatmeal
What are your family’s go-to breakfast ideas for busy school mornings?
What to Read Next:
- Genius Organization Tips for Back-to-School
- All-Time Favorite Lunchbox Gear (Toddlers to Big Kids)
- Stress-Free Preschool Morning Routine
- Healthy Lunchbox Ideas for Picky Eaters
- How to do Preschool at Home
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