When children push away their breakfast foods and rush out the door to school, mothers everywhere worry that the most important meal of the day has been a total waste.
The following recipes are perfect for any day of the week with ingredients that are most likely on hand in any kitchen.
Playing with Food
Allowing a child to put together healthy food in a playful way will help build nutritional knowledge, kitchen skills, and give the family quality time together without much ado. Children love taking turns preparing these breakfast dishes for family members.
The mess is very minimal, and clean up is a learned skill, so let the children play! Oh, and parents, keep the camera close by, these make for very cute photo-ops.
Little Boy Blue -This Bagel's for You
This bagel is simple enough for preschoolers to help make but yummy enough for older kids to get a kick out of while eating. Even if they only have 'a minute' to eat, it won't go to waste.
Ingredients:
- blueberries
- strawberries
- 1 kiwi
- bagel, sliced in half
- raisins
- cream cheese
Directions:
- Toast and halve bagels.
- Spread cream cheese on bagels.
- Add half of strawberry (sliced lengthwise) for nose.
- Add two blueberries for eyes.
- Slice kiwi in thin circles, cut in half. Use halves for ears.
- Place raisins along head for "hair".
Miss Piggy-Muffin
Miss Piggy is simple enough for an elementary-aged child to create but has a few more components than Little Boy Blue. A few more steps, a few more creative cuts with the knife and voila, Miss Piggy appears only long enough to 'leave during breakfast'!
Ingredients:
- raisin cinnamon English muffin (sliced in half), or bagel
- blueberries for eyes
- jelly beans for nose
- strawberry cream cheese
- one red apple (most of which will be eaten while making this recipe)
- fruit roll-up (wide enough to make a bow out of it)
- strawberries for collar
Directions:
- Spread strawberry cream cheese on muffin or bagel after toasting.
- Cut thin slices of apple for ears and spread cream cheese on both ears.
- Place blueberries where eyes belong.
- Add slice of bread or bagel (2-inch diameter) spread with cream cheese for pig-face (see below).
- Add jelly bean sliced in half for nostrils.
- Tie fruit roll-up into bow and place between ears.
- Slice thin 'smile' out of red apple skin.
- Add sliced strawberries at neck to look like collar.
Egg in the Hole
A perfect meal to make when it's cold outside and a little more time is available. Still a very quick recipe to make, kids of all ages love this whether they make it or just sit down to eat it.
Ingredients:
- one slice of bread per person
- one egg per person
- butter
- jam of choice
- heart shaped cookie cutter (or one can cut the heart freehand)
- optional: blueberries, strawberries, bananas
Directions:
- Take each slice of bread and punch a heart out of the middle with cookie cutter.
- Put butter in pan, place bread in pan and saute on one side until golden. Turn bread over, drop a little butter into the heart cutout, break egg into it, sprinkle salt and pepper as desired. Cook until egg whites are not runny. Don't forget to saute the heart shaped cutout in butter and place on plate with some jam.
- Serve with fresh blueberries, strawberries, sliced bananas and a glass of orange juice.
Breakfast is the perfect time of day to regenerate and kindle the body's metabolism. Make certain to have foods available with low-fat proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies. And let the children play with their food.
If you enjoyed this article, read this one for more ideas on playing with food!
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