Breakfast Ideas Tips

Simple Breakfast Queche

Eggs are great for starting off your day because they contain protein. If you are looking for an alternative to scrambled eggs or eggs over easy, why not try a simple queche. In a medium sized bowl, crack two eggs for one person. Then add one cup of milk. Chop up half an onion and throw it in the bowl. Add two slices of bacon, two dashes of salt, and two dashes of pepper. Finish off with four oz. of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Pour the mixture in to a baking pan and bake at 325 degrees F. for 40 minutes.

If you are cooking this for more than one person just multiply the measurements by the number of people. So if you wanted to serve a queche for a family of four, you would use eight eggs, four cups of milk, and so on.

You can also substitute ham or sausage for the bacon.

Start Off with a Shake

To get your fruit and dairy servings in first thing in the morning, you can prepare a delicious shake. Add four ice cubes to your blender and then pour in two teaspoons of pineapple juice. Add one six ounce yogurt of the flavor of your choice. Add ten frozen cranberries and half a cup of your favorite fruit. Optional: half a banana. Blend until smooth. Drink slowly or you will get a brain freeze.

Healthy Peanut Butter Toast

Place two pieces of 100% whole wheat bread in the toaster. Immediately after the wheat bread pops up out of the toaster you need to spread a layer of chunky peanut butter over it. Next, slice a banana in to thin strips and arrange the strips on top of the peanut butter. Drizzle some honey in the shape of an S on top of the bananas and eat. You can also use creamy peanut butter instead and plop on a few raisins.

Make Your Own Cereal Bars

If you or your child take your breakfast with you in the morning, you might want to consider making your own cereal bars. This isn't that hard to do, and you can make enough at one time to last all week. In a bowl combine four cups of Honey Nut Cheerios and two cups of peanuts. Now place a small pot on the stove and melt half a stick of butter in it. When the butter is melted add 3/4 of a cup of corn syrup and 3/4 of a cup of light brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. After three minutes add one tsp. of vanilla extract. Stir in and then remove from the heat. Pour over the cereal and peanuts and mix together. Press in to a rectangular shape on a piece of wax paper. Wait for the cereal to cool and then cut in to individual bars. Place each bar in a plastic zipper bag until you are ready to eat it.

Good Morning Hashbrown Casserole

An excellent side dish for any type of breakfast eggs, are potatoes. You can take these potatoes and turn them in to a hashbrown casserole that is sure to please everyone in the family. Begin by taking out a large bowl to throw all of your ingredients in. Add 32 oz. of potatoes cut in to hashbrowns. You can make them fresh or buy them frozen. Chop a medium sized onion and throw it on top of the potatoes. Cut half a green pepper in to tiny pieces and add that to the bowl. Pour a 12 oz. can of cream of chicken soup in the bowl along with 8 oz. of sour cream. Crumble up 6 oz. of bacon and add it to the bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together. Transfer all of the ingredients to a casserole dish. Drizzle 4 oz. of melted butter over the top and then sprinkle with 8 oz. of cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes. Have each individual sprinkle their own salt and pepper over the hashbrown casserole.

Homemade Oatmeal Packets

If you don't have time in the morning to make a pot of oatmeal, no problem. You can just take some time on Saturday or Sunday and create your own instant oatmeal packets. Then when you are on the go in the morning all you have to do is add hot water or milk.

Begin by placing one cup of oats in a food processor. Process the oats until they become a powder. Set them in a bowl. Now add one cup of oats that have not been processed. Sprinkle in one tablespoon of brown sugar, one tablespoon of cinnamon, and one tablespoon of raisins. Mix together and then separate in to plastic zipper bags.

When you wake up you can heat up some water or milk and then stir it in a small bowl with the oatmeal packet until the oatmeal is the consistency that you like it. Some like it thicker than others so just add it a little at a time until you get it just right.

Pancake Toppings

Pancakes by themselves taste ok. If you really want to WOW your family at breakfast time, however, add a topping to your pancakes. Slice some bananas and lay them over the pancakes. Use strawberry or peach preserves and then a dollop of whipped cream. You could also cover your pancakes in blueberries. If you don't mind eating chocolate in the morning, you can top your pancakes with chocolate chips. Feel free to be creative. A lot of things go great with pancakes so it will be really hard for you to serve a pancake topping that doesn't taste good.

Have a Danish With Your Coffee

Danishes can be a pleasant substitute for donuts and they taste great with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. You can make them at home pretty fast just by starting off with some Pillsbury dough. You can make your own dough, but this is what takes up most of your time. Take out a rectangular baking pan and roll out your Pillsbury crescent roll dough. There will be seams in the dough, but you can just use your fingers to fuse them together. In a blender combine 16 oz. of cream cheese, 3/4 of a cup of sugar, 2 tsp. of lemon juice, 1 tsp. of vanilla, and 2 tsp. of plain yogurt. Blend until smooth and then pour over the dough being careful not to get it near the edges. Now place another can of Pillsbury crescent roll dough over the top of the cream cheese mixture and pinch the sides together. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Remove and cool. Then drizzle cherry pie filling over the top of the danishes. Cut in to squares and serve.

Granola Yogurt Parfait

It is a good idea to have at least one fruit and one dairy serving with your breakfast. This dish combines them both. Serve along side of and egg, pancake, or bowl of cream of wheat.

Get out a parfait glass and place half a cup of granola in it. Add four ounces of strawberry yogurt. Then repeat by adding another half of a cup of granola, and the rest of the strawberry yogurt. Top with half of a banana that has been cut in to slices.

Other combinations: Try vanilla yogurt with blueberries on top. Use a peach yogurt and top that with some crushed pineapples. Of course you can always stick with similar flavors such as raspberry yogurt topped with raspberries.