kallikids

Soon those leisurely mornings will be making way for the chaos of the school day morning. We all know how important a wholesome breakfast is to help prepare our children for school, but time is always a factor. Here are my top 5 breakfasts that are nutritious and quick to make:

1. Mix up those cereals!

Even if there are hooked on Coco Pops, mix these higher sugar options with lower sugar ones such as Doves Farm gluten free cornflakes or Whole Earth Honey Oaty Pillows or Rude Health Puffed Oats. Add a handful of blueberries or get them to chop up some banana to add to it.

2. Make your own granola

There is a scrumptious recipe on my website with loads of dried fruit and hidden seeds and nuts (allergy alert!). Pop some into a glass with some natural yogurt and some berries (frozen fine) with a tiny bit of honey for a ‘pudding’ like breakfasts the kiddies will love.

3. Boil some eggs!

OK it sounds like a faff but is boiling a small pan of water and adding an egg for 4.5 minutes really that time consuming? The old ad slogan ‘Go to work (well in this case school) on an egg’ really does hold true. Great source of protein to keep hunger at bay to helps concentration at school.

4. Oats

Porridge doesn’t have to be time consuming or washing-up intense these days with sachets that can go straight into a bowl into the microwave. Opt for the plain versions as the flavoured ones contain way more sugar. Mix in some ground flaxseed after heating for extra protein content to fill them up more (they will never notice!) and add some chopped banana and a tiny bit of honey for sweetness. Oats were voted in a recent Which? Report to be in the “Best Overall” category for breakfast cereals because they naturally contain minerals and vitamins (without needing to be fortified) as well as beta glucans, which can help keep cholesterol in check.

5. Pancakes!

OK so this might be a Friday morning special but again a good way to get eggs into kiddies that wouldn’t normally have them – make the batter the night before and pop into the fridge. Add some soft fruit and banana and if you don't have time, you can substitute pancakes with toast (but maybe not add as much syrup as this photo!).

Karen Newby is a nutritional therapist and is KalliKids accredited. Parents recommend Karen's nutrition advice for children: take a look at what they say.