We all know how hectic the school run can be, with uniforms flying everywhere, shoes getting lost and last minute homework panics. Many of these things can be out of our control, but one thing you can do to help save some time in the mornings to deal with the unexpected moments is to get breakfast sorted! We’re here with four simple morning breakfast hacks to help you save time and send your kids off to school feeling full and happy.
Lay Out Table
Before you head off to bed, we’d recommend you lay the table for breakfast. Avoid the morning scramble and spend 5 minutes getting plates, cutlery and cups out, laying out breakfast cereals, spreads and jams, putting the bread out by the toaster and pop the eggs in their shells in the pan. These are all small things but they add up to save you time!
When the kids are ready, they can come straight down, then all you need to do is get out any items from the fridge (e.g. milk, juice and butter). If you’re in a rush you can do a continental breakfast, or if you have a bit more time you have an option to cook items too.
Get Breakfast Essentials Delivered
How many times have you woken up to get breakfast ready, only to realise that you don’t have some of your essentials? Well you can solve that problem by having regular deliveries of your breakfast essentials. Choosing companies who offer local milk deliveries, along with things like eggs, yogurts and more, will take the pressure off and help you to avoid those last minute dashes to the shop!
Even when we plan everything out, there will be times when we’re running low on certain things, so this is a great way to keep everything covered. As long as you have milk on your doorstep and cereal in your cupboard, you can pull together a breakfast for the whole family!
Try Breakfast Tray Bake
Last but not least, if you have very hungry kids, then they may want something a bit more substantial than cereal and toast in the morning. Or, on a special occasion like a birthday, perhaps you want to pull the stops out. We don’t usually have the time to cook something big from scratch. So, here’s where our hack comes in – trying breakfast tray bakes!
The evening before, you can simply throw all the ingredients into a tray, put it into the fridge, then as soon as you get up in the morning, pop the oven on and put it in. When the kids are getting changed and ready it’ll be cooking away, with perfect timing for when they hit the table.
Here is some inspiration for a few different types:
- Sheet pan eggs: whisk up eggs with a splash of milk, any veggies you like and perhaps a protein source, like bacon. Line a baking tray with parchment, then pour the mixture into the tray. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the eggs are set in the middle. Serve with breakfast muffins! These are high protein, diverse and great for your gut.
- Full english tray bake: add bacon, sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes to a baking tray. Put into the fridge overnight and in the morning, cook for 15 minutes in the oven. With 5 minutes remaining, crack your eggs into the tray and cook for the rest of the time. So easy and delicious!
- Pancake tray bake: we all love pancakes, but trying to cook and flip enough for a family in the morning isn’t realistic! Instead, make your usual fluffy American pancake recipe, then line a sheet tray with parchment and pour in the mixture. Add any toppings you like, such as blueberries, chocolate chips or chopped bacon, then put into the fridge. You can also prep any more toppings at this point, like chopped fruit, and put those into the fridge too. In the morning, bake in the oven for around 8-10 minutes and chop into squares.
Grab and Go Options
Lastly, if there has been some kind of disaster in the morning and your kids didn’t have time for a sit down breakfast, then having grab and go options can help to take the pressure away.
Pre-making a few pots of overnight oats in tupperware containers at the start of the week is a great option, have some delicious sweet muffins in the freezer that you can quickly microwave to defrost, or make and freeze some egg muffins that you can defrost in the microwave or airfryer for a higher protein option.
Having options to save you time whilst keeping your kids stay full can be a lifesaver, especially when they’re frozen so you don’t have to use them that week if everything goes to plan!
