8 Healthy, No-Cook Breakfast Ideas
Everyone talks about dinner being the big challenge for family cooks. But that’s not my biggest challenge.
It makes sense: dinner comes at the end of the day, when we’re tired, rushed, and juggling everything from homework to bedtime routines with little, if anything, left to give. But honestly, as a meal planner (or maybe it’s that I’m not a morning person!), I find breakfast even more challenging.
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RELATED: Make-Ahead Breakfasts for Back-to-School
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In the mad rush to get everyone out the door on time, I find it hard not to fall back on cereal or quick carbs that I know will cause a crash in no time. So I keep these eight healthy, no-cook breakfast ideas in my back pocket to save the day.
Peanut (or seed) butter and banana on toast or in a whole wheat pita.
A big, round slice of apple smeared with peanut (or seed) butter and sprinkled with granola
Plain yogurt with honey (not for kids 1-year-old or younger), maple syrup, or jam, and topped with fresh fruit. Add granola if you’re fancy.
— related: How to Build a Smoothie Breakfast Bowl —
Whole grain toast with fresh ricotta, fruit slices, and honey (not for kids 1-year-old or younger; use maple syrup or skip a sweetener instead).
Avocado toast. If you have guacamole on hand, that works too. Feel free to add sliced cheese, tomato, cucumber, radish, smoked salmon, or anything else that you and your crew enjoy with avocado. Just oil and crunchy salt or everything bagel seasoning is great too.
Cream cheese swirled with jam and served as a dip with pita chips and a side of fruit.
A Quick Note About Cereal!
It’s one of those convenience foods that my family can, honestly, not live without. The kids like it, I like it, and it’s just so damn easy. The problem is that it’s a category of store-bought foods with some of the worst added ingredients. Most products are filled with sugar, artificial ingredients, flavors, and colors. And for a food meant to fuel our day, these aren’t the best options. But that doesn’t mean you have to avoid it like the scourge!
Look for cereals that avoid artificial ingredients and, if you can, limit cereal to just a couple of mornings a week. Also, consider pairing cereal with nutrient dense foods like high-protein yogurt and fruit. And if you absolutely love a cereal with all those ingredients that you normally try to avoid, maybe save it as a special treat or dessert instead of serving it for breakfast.
