Take the guess work out of breakfast planning with this simple flow and a *free* PDF with the breakfast flow to download!
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Late summer back to school planning…
Just look at that Lake Michigan sunset! As much as I hate to see the sun start going down earlier than it was at the beginning of summer, I think I am ready to get started on a new school year! Whether you are a line by line meal planner, or a “fly by the seat of your pants” sort of a home cook, I hope to bring you some inspiration to kick off your school year this month!
The meal planning “type”
I’ve never really been the meal planning type. Sure, I love a good “framework,” or a themed day that is always the same (oatmeal day, smoothie day, etc), but I have always been a little bit in between the structured meal planner, and the “winging it” home cook. With the girls getting older, and having larger appetites than when they were little when I could get away with a little boiled egg and a bowl of oatmeal, I have fallen into more of a weekly flow to make school mornings less thought.
Key Components
As you read through my breakfast meal plan flow, I invite you to swap and switch what works best for you and your household. Maybe the prep day is in the middle of the week versus prepping extra food items on the weekend like I tend to do. Maybe you have more repeats than just the 2 days of the same thing that I list in my meal plan. Maybe you swap the Baked Oatmeal day for a Breakfast Casserole or Frittata instead. There’s no one right way to create a meal plan flow, but there ARE some key components I use when building a breakfast for my family:
- Balance the macros :: Healthy fats, protein, and carbs – they all matter. Everyone in every household will have different macro ratio needs, but unless you have a major health issue where you need to go keto or other special diet, eliminating or significantly reducing full macro components will lead to not feeling well, not getting through your morning in a sustainable way, and overall inability to stick to eating well long term.
- No more than a 7 minute morning prep on a weekday :: You’ll notice that Saturday’s and Sunday’s I bulk up on a baked good or casserole of some sort to use during the week. This simple step during the weekend when I have a little extra time in the morning helps me have less than 7 minute breakfast preps on school mornings. Busy on the weekends? That happens for us sometimes too – just plan ahead and put the casserole in the pan on Friday night so you can pop in the oven on Saturday morning. Or, if you have a less busy day during the week, make that a prep day.
- Nutrient variety without overwhelm :: Sure, you’ll see eggs or sausage on the menu often for our household breakfasts (that’s the “without overwhelm” part!), but the rest of the plate is mixed up pretty good. Those “Power Bowl” days are great days to get some fruit variety, or other add-in variety options to keep different nutrients flooding your growing children’s bodies!
Ok! So let’s move on to breaking down this menu flow!
Here’s the menu to look through – below I will break it down for you further! Click on this PDF link, or on the menu below, and you can download your FREE menu PDF!
The Weekend Flow (2 days)
My meal plan starts on a Saturday versus a Monday. I know that feels a little strange compared to so many menu plans out there, but hear me out! I use the extra time on the week to give myself a head start for the week. Saturday’s are for breakfast casseroles like baked oatmeal, egg bakes, or frittatas. These items make a lot of food, so I can put away the leftovers for a school morning. And Sunday’s have been “waffle day” in our house for years. Do pancakes if you prefer! I always double my protein waffle recipe, and I have leftovers for lunchbox sandwiches and/or use on the weekday for a morning breakfast that way!
The Weekday Flow :: Power Bowls (2 days)
Power bowls are a blank canvas. This is where you can get some variety into the kids. In the winter months the base of our power bowls is oatmeal. In the summer months, we do cold yogurt or coconut milk with my own granola. From there you build the macros and flavor in! Chia seeds, nuts/seeds or nut/seed butter, fruit, acai, flax, collagen, protein powder, cacao nibs are some add-in options. If you have littles at home, these bowls will probably be more than enough for them. If you have older kids/teens, you may want to plan to have hard boiled eggs on hand, or warm up some sausage.
The Weekday Flow :: Using Weekend Leftovers (2 days)
On my weekly flow, I use the mid-week days for “leftovers” from the weekend. If you have a busier day during the week that you prefer to have these easy leftovers for, simply change the leftovers to those 2 days! I love using the protein waffles from Sunday for breakfast sandwiches. And whether you make an egg casserole or baked oatmeal on Saturday, those leftover squares are so nice to pull out for another weekday breakfast! You can serve leftovers cold, or warm them up. To warm them up, I use a sheet tray and pop the cold leftovers into a cold oven. Set the oven to pre-heat to 350 degrees, and by the time it hits the temperature, your food will be warmed through! That is just enough time to fry eggs for the side!
The Weekday Flow :: Breakfast Cookie Friday!
Friday’s menu is totally optional. If you love the idea of Breakfast Cookie Friday (you can read about this concept here!), then join us for this fun end to the week. If you need something that doesn’t need to be prepped the night before, I totally get that, and you can swap this day with another leftover day if you have some, or another power bowl day. Here’s how I make Breakfast Cookie Friday work:
- Prep the hard boiled eggs and breakfast cookies on Thursday night (or, you could prep this stuff on a weekend day so they are ready for Friday!).
- On Friday morning, set out the cookies, eggs, tea/coffee, and if you have older kids that need extra, you can warm up sausage or bacon.
- The Breakfast Cookies freeze fantastic. So you potentially could double/triple the batch to have them on hand for 2-3 weeks at a time!
Your FREE Breakfast Menu PDF!
Keep me posted how your breakfast goes this week! Here’s the PDF one more time! Just click the or the image below to take you there.
