Y’all, I love a good meal prep. I love not stressing when I wake up and not having to frantically put together a breakfast for my kiddos. For me, I’m fine with just some coffee and a smoothie when I get to it, but those boys (including my husband) wake up immediately hungry. Making a big batch of breakfast food on Sunday night to make it easy on myself the coming week is a real sanity saver.
Here are my top 10 easy make-ahead breakfasts that I regularly rotate through!! They are all kid-friendly and keep them (and the adults) full until lunchtime! At the bottom of the post, I’ve got all of these recipes in a cute printable that matches my Meal Rotation Recipes so that you can add these to your recipe binder, too!
1. Muffins
Muffins are an easy one. They are super easy to freeze, too! So you can make a huge batch and have them for quite a while. You can even hide zucchini, carrots, and spinach in them to get some extra veggies in for your toddler (and for you!)
I personally love making mini-muffins so that less goes to waste. I love this massive mini muffin pan, but if you don’t have a big oven, this one is awesome, too.
Our favorite muffin recipe of all time is Sarah’s Banana Bread Muffins. We cut the sugar in half (or use maple syrup) and use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. We add nuts sometimes for some added protein, and even blend it in the blender with some spinach to add some greens (and call them dinosaur muffins). We also love these Blueberry Power Muffins.
To make it a more filling meal, we add scrambled eggs that we make ahead of time and some frozen chicken sausage links from Costco.
2. Breakfast Casseroles
If you feel like you need more protein, breakfast casseroles are the way to go. I like these even more than egg cups because you can cut off the size that that family member will eat. (Toddlers, anyone?) This Hasbrown Breakfast Casserole from A Mind Full Mom is my favorite recipe ever. It’s so easy and filling and I can add whatever veggies I want if I’m feeling it that week. I usually sauté some bell peppers, onions and spinach in a pan and pour it in the casserole before the cheese. I also usually double it to fit in an 8×13 pan. I’m kind of obsessed with these Pyrex dishes with the lid for these. That way its all in one dish.
3. Egg Cups
Now if you want more of a grab-n-go than a slice-n-dice, eggs cups are also great. Here’s a recipe to go off of, but we usually just throw in whatever veggies, cheese and breakfast meat we have on hand and do about 1 egg per muffin cup and mix with a little bit of milk and salt and pepper.
Here’s a fun one with a slice of bacon wrapped around each piece that we love, too.
4. Pancakes
Yessss. When you’re feeling it, making a big batch of pancakes to put in the fridge or freezer is awesome. I like to make this banana oat pancake recipe in the Vitamix and blend some spinach in with it. That way we can call them “dinosaur pancakes” and everyone is happy.
Once again, to make this one a little more filling, I’ll add some sausage or scrambled eggs on the side. And some fruit, if Joshua decides he likes fruit that day.
5. Overnight Oats
I absolutely love overnight oats. You can add protein by adding a nut butter and some Greek yogurt, and it’s literally completely done when you wake up in the morning. No more overflowing scalding hot bowls in the microwave.
We love this Peanut Butter Overnight Oats recipe from Minimalist Baker and top with berries.
7. Granola Bars
I love muffins and these granola bars for the mornings that we have to just eat in the car to get out of the house on time. (Yeah, my car is disgusting okay? But we are fed and happy and that’s all that matters) Both of my boys really love these Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars from Kristine’s Kitchen. If you hate the mess of chocolate chips, you can swap for raisins or just take them out!
8. Oatmeal Bake
Once again, another form of already-made-for-you oatmeal! I use this recipe from Eating Bird Food as a base and throw in whatever fruit I have on hand- slices of banana, blueberries, strawberries…you name it! Frozen fruit works just as well.
9. Scrambled Eggs
Did you know that you can make scrambled eggs ahead of time and they really aren’t nasty? Yes, you can!! Just whip them up with some milk, salt and pepper and make a big batch to keep in a Tupperware for the week. The milk is a key ingredient to avoid nasty old-egg texture. Try it! It’s a great thing to pair with a more carb-heavy breakfast to keep you and your family full.
10. Homemade Granola & Yogurt
This is probably our favorite and most eaten. We use this recipe and it is SO MUCH BETTER than store bought granola and so cheap. You can add nuts, chia seeds, you name it. It’s an easy way to sneak in those little healthy ingredients. It’s so toasty and delicious and we throw it on plain Greek yogurt with some berries or straight in a bowl with some almond milk just like normal cereal. I like to double it when I take the time to make it and eat off of the bag for a couple weeks. It keeps super well!
Click here to download the recipe sheets for your binder:
If you are interested in creating your own family binder, checkout the listing in my Etsy shop. In that document, I include a blank editable template for recipes so you can add your own! You can check it out here.
That’s all for this week folks! You all asked for these make-ahead breakfast ideas and I hope you try some and love them! Let me know if you end up trying one and keeping it around for your family breakfasts. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite easy breakfast is!!!
Peace,
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