While breakfast may be seen as the “most important meal of the day,” it is often the most difficult meal to make time for, or to enjoy properly. Every family faces challenges in the morning. These range from coping with sleep deprivation, racing out the door to work, or managing the school run.
Many people skip breakfast simply because they can’t face the thought of eating in the morning, or because the thought of cooking or preparing food is overwhelming. But eating breakfast is important, partly because you have typically spent the past few hours without food so you are in need of nourishment, and because it also helps you to build reserves to cope with the day ahead.
Most parents know the importance of ensuring their children eat breakfast. Babies and small children tend to let you know very clearly that they are hungry in the morning! However, by the time you have tended to the needs of everybody else, you will often find that you have limited time or energy to prepare something to eat for yourself.
If you’re in a hurry in the mornings, it is useful to have some quick and easy breakfasts that you can eat on the go. Smoothies, toast and boiled eggs are all excellent and portable ways to ensure that you are not only meeting your basic nutritional needs, but are quick and easy to prepare as well. They all stand alone as breakfast meal suggestions, but you could also combine the egg and toast, or skip the muesli in the smoothie recipes and have the toast instead.
Smoothies
You’ll need a good blender and a cup holder to store it in, but a smoothie is really the perfect way for a busy parent to ensure they get their breakfast in the morning. They only take a couple of minutes to whip up and you can keep it chilled and sip on it throughout the morning.
It’s the perfect way to rehydrate and introduce some vital nutrients to your body as well. It also means you are far less likely to snack on junk food or find yourself suddenly ravenously hungry mid-morning.
If you plan it carefully, you’ll usually find that you can prepare a really balanced breakfast meal in your mug.
