Planning a Daily Breakfast (it only takes minutes...)
The idea of a weekly breakfast came in from one of our readers. It is a great way to start if you are trying to simplfy breakfast. She has six children and another due in a couple months (wow! talk about morning chaos). Her requirements are that breakfast must be simple, inexpensive, and require NO THOUGHT. So she created this weekly breakfast schedule for her family.
- Monday – waffles, juice
- Tuesday – oatmeal made with milk, juice
- Wednesday – homemade fruit bread (banana, pumpkin, etc.) Yogurt purchased in the big tubs for less than $2.00, juice, or milk (double the recipe and freeze for the next week).
- Thursday – oatmeal again, juice. It is our cheapest breakfast and probably the healthiest.
- Friday – egg sandwiches, juice
- Saturday – cereal. Sometimes something sugary and awful, sometimes something more healthy. They only get it once a week so I don’t stress about it.
- Sunday – Out the door early, so it’s every man for himself.
Brilliant! Not only does the family know what is for breakfast, but you also know exactly what to put on your grocery list. And any time you have plan when you are shopping, you save money. Print out a blank schedule from Cindy's Porch. Then talk to your family about their breakfast favorites and plan out what is going to be cooked on Monday, Tuesday, etc. Post the schedule on the fridge and everyone will know what the "daily special" is going to be.
Twas the night before breakfast….
This is a great tip from one of our readers (thank-you!). Do you have kids (or perhaps even you) who are simply not hungry in the morning? How do you ensure everyone arrives at the breakfast table hungry and ready to eat? Eat supper at a reasonable time (i.e. NOT after 7:00 pm) and then shut down the kitchen for the evening. Limit bedtime snacks. If your little ones are hungry or thirsty, offer them a small glass of water. Within a few days, you will discover that your family has developed the breakfast habit! They will be hungry in the morning.
Take a few minutes in the evening to get ready for the next day. You will be amazed by how much time in the morning you can free up. And when you have time, you have less morning chaos!
- Dig out any cooking pots, frying pans, griddles, wooden spoons, egg flippers, and/or pancake flippers that you may need and set them up on the stove.
- Set the table for breakfast. Put some fresh fruit on a bowl in the middle of the table to encourage the family to help themselves.
- If you are a coffee or tea drinker in the morning, set up the tea kettle or coffee pot. If you are trying to wean yourself from the morning caffeine hit, ensure you have another morning drink ready to go (juice, milk, water, etc).
- If you are going to have to eat a breakfast on the run, pack some fruit, a muffin, a whole grain bagel with cream cheese, and some juice the night before. Then grab your breakfast and go. You will be less tempted to BUY something from the handy-dandy fast food drive thru (or the snack food machine at work). CHA CHING!
- Take a quick peak in the fridge and ensure that the cat hasn’t drank the last of the breakfast milk, and your husband hasn’t cooked the last of the eggs. I often keep a bag of powdered milk in the house for those mornings when we are out of the liquid milk. I use it for oatmeal or baking – no one notices!
- Make the lunches for the next day (I get the kids to help).
- Ensure backpacks, diaper bags, purses, briefcases, and car key are ready to go for the next day.
- Walk through the house and do a quick "pick-up." I encourage the kids to pick up their own things before they go to bed, and then I do the same with my things before I go to bed. No more tripping over the shoes on the stairs!
- Skip the late night news and go to bed.
- Wake up about 15 minutes before the family.
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"No more "there's nothing for breakfast!" You've got a plan." - Cindy
Click here for your own blank Breakfast Schedule (Note this is a PDF file. You must have Acrobat Reader 5 or greater to view. If you are having trouble opening the PDF file, we also have it as a GIF file. It is not as clear, but it will work too.)
A good morning starts with a good breakfast. And a good breakfast
starts with a little planning the night before.
Twas the night before breakfast....
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