Here we go again! The kids are heading back to school and suddenly the leisurely summer mornings are replaced with rush, rush, go, go, get to school on time! But wait, we all need to eat something healthy and nutritious to give us energy for the day and to help our brains get ready to learn! We’ve compiled a few of our favorite back to school breakfasts. These are healthy, nutritious, filling, and easy to prepare in just a few minutes!
Easy Cinnamon French Toast Sticks
- 8 slices thick-cut Texas toast
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter, for cooking
- Maple syrup, for serving
Directions:
Cut each slice of Texas toast into four sticks. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat it on all sides so that it’s well-saturated with the custard.
Shake off any excess and place the coated bread on a large plate or baking dish. Repeat the dipping process with the remaining pieces of bread.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, place several of the coated sticks in a single layer in the pan. (Do not overcrowd the pan.) Cook until golden brown on one side then flip and continue cooking until the sticks are golden brown and slightly crisped on all edges. Serve immediately with maple syrup for dipping.
No Bake Breakfast Balls
- 1/4 cup of almonds
- 1/4 cup of cashew pieces
- 1/4 cup of dried fruit (we used dried cherries, but I bet any dried fruit would work)
- 1/4 cup of almond butter (+ 1 teaspoon of coconut oil – omit the coconut oil if you decide to substitute with peanut butter).
- 2 Tablespoons of dark chocolate pieces
- 1 cup of toasted granola
Directions:
Throw all the ingredients except for the almond butter and the granola into the food processor and chop finely. Mix in the granola and the almond butter and coconut oil (or butter). Make sure that everything is well coated, then put the bowl into the fridge for about 3 hours. You want the nut meal to soak up some of the healthy fats from the almond butter. Once chilled, form batter into balls and either eat immediately or store in the fridge or freezer for a morning on the run!
Potato Omelet Breakfast Bites
- Frozen Tator Tots
- Ham, Sausage or Bacon
- Red or Green peppers (or substitute other veggies)
- 8 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- Shredded cheese for topping
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and make sure you grease your muffin tins really well, making sure to get both the sides and bottom Throw your tater tots in the microwave for a couple minutes to thaw. Then, place 3 in each standard size muffin tin. Take a small cup and squish them flat into the bottom of each tin. Bake your tater tots for 10 minutes.
While you are waiting for them to cook, you can gather and chop up your breakfast meat of choice and veggies of choice. If you don’t like peppers, you can substitute with spinach, mushrooms, onion, tomatoes, basil, zucchini, squash, etc. Just be sure to pre-cook or purchase pre-cooked meats. After removing your tots from the oven, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Sprinkle your toppings over each cup. Whip together 8 eggs and 1/4 cup milk with a fork. Pour egg mixture in and sprinkle cheese mixture on top of each cup. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the egg is cooked through. Enjoy!
Good luck this school year, Denver! And don’t forget to visit us at The Original Pancake House when you want to go out for breakfast in Denver on the weekends!