breakfast idea reminder (so there's no more deep siiiiighing at the table)

This morning, I woke up all smitten with myself. I got to sleep in an extra few minutes because breakfast was made: my go-to steel cut oatmeal. I filled everyone's bowls, cut up an apple and a banana, put some blueberries into a serving bowl, and called everyone in from the playroom. 

{insert melodramatic deep sigh and shoulder slump} "Uuuuggggghh, oatmeal again?!"

"I thought you guys liked oatmeal?!" {insert puzzled mom look}

"We do mom, but do we have to have it every day?" {insert second pre-tween melodramatic sigh..}

And so began our morning. This was the offering today, so everyone dug in. But, this gave me a kick in the pants to go back through my prior breakfast posts + and a backlog of photos just waiting to be posted and reinvigorate our breakfast line-up the remainder of this week. At the beginning of the year, I jotted down a more comprehensive list of go-to's, some of which take longer than I have on a school morning. So, my focus here are the simple go-to's that can be made in mere minutes... (This list is as much for me as it is for all of you!! I'll post what I end up making the next 3 school mornings on full plate's facebook page..) 

Reminder #1: keep a bowl of fresh fruit chopped up and ready to go in the fridge. I've written about prepping ahead before. Trust me. This makes breakfast, snacks, lunch sides super easy to assemble. Depending upon the week, we'll have a bowl of either melon, pineapple, oranges/grapefruit, grapes, berries (fresh or frozen), or a bunch of apples or bananas ready to be peeled and chopped....

As mentioned in my breakfast resolution post (which is going well, thank you very much), I have frequent go-to's like my tried and true protein pancakes (which we've been topping with yogurt and thawed berries,

and various frittatas (which I recently turned into a crowd-pleasing "breakfast pizza").

But for days when I don't have a batch of protein pancakes at the ready (or time to whip up a batch), I try to keep a box of Trader Joe's (frozen) french toast or Van's frozen waffles on hand and serve it the same way I serve my protein pancakes: topped with yogurt and thawed (or fresh) berries. Sure, it's less straightforward/healthy than homemade french toast, but it's perfect in a pinch on a busy school morning.

Assuming my fridge and snack drawer are well-stocked, we should be able to make yogurt parfaits with some granola (homemade ahead of time or store-bought) + cut-up fruit + yogurt .

"Sandwiches!" were proposed by my little one when I asked what else they might like for breakfast...

Can't think of any reason sandwiches aren't an option, particularly if I am already packing one in a lunchbox that morning.

So, if we're adding sandwiches into the mix, then a sweet or savory wrap would also be an idea: whole wheat tortilla, spread with your favorite cream cheese and maybe some chopped veggies if you're going savory, or chopped fruit if you choose to go sweet.

I'm a huge fan of open-faced sandwiches, particularly a hearty bread topped with harissa and smashed avocado. As one reader mentioned on the full plate facebook page, a hunk of good bread smeared with peanut butter, almond butter and banana slices would appeal to the kids.

Do you all have any make-ahead or quick breakfasts that are hits in your home? I'd love to try them, so please do share them in the comments section! Thanks, in advance, Eila