12 (Real Food) Make-Ahead Breakfasts

Save your time and sanity with these (real food) make-ahead breakfasts! 

I love breakfast foods, but I hate making breakfast. (In the morning, anyway.) When I am tired and groggy and just waking up, I definitely do not feel like jumping into the kitchen and getting to work.

Plus, mornings are crazy enough most days. I don’t want to spend that precious time making breakfast every morning.

But I also know that breakfast is a very important meal. Some even say it’s THE most important meal of the day. And feeding my family healthy, wholesome food is a priority for me.

So what’s a mom to do?

Enter make-ahead breakfasts! All the nutrition and yumminess of breakfast without the sacrifice of already-scarce time in the mornings!

In today’s post you can find 15 of our favorite real food make-ahead breakfasts. Most of them are simple and easy no matter when you choose to make them, and all of them are healthy choices for your family!

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15 (Real Food) Make-Ahead Breakfasts

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1. Whole Wheat Waffles

Because Saturday mornings are usually more laid-back than other mornings, they are the one day during the week that I actually like to make a big breakfast.

Waffles are one of my husband’s favorite breakfast foods, so that is often what I make. They’re a cinch to mix up, and sometimes I even make the batter on Friday night in my glass measuring bowl with a lid so all I have to do Saturday morning is pour it into the waffle maker.

Any time I make them, I always make double for the coming week or to put in the freezer for later. So they pull double duty as a Saturday morning treat and make-ahead breakfasts!

Our favorite whole wheat waffles are from the 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook.

2. Egg Muffins

I love egg muffins because they are versatile and extremely cost-effective. Basically it’s scrambled eggs with a variety of fillings cooked in a muffin tin.

There are many different ways you can go with these using bits and pieces of whatever you have on hand, but here is one example from allrecipes.com.

Now, I will admit that these taste better fresh, but they are surprisingly good warmed up, and can even be stored in the freezer, making this a very healthy and convenient make-ahead breakfast!

3. Breakfast Burritos

Who doesn’t love a good breakfast burrito? But who wants to make them in the early hours of the morning?

Here’s the solution: make them ahead of time (maybe on a night you’re having “breakfast for supper” to be even more efficient) and freeze for later!

Simply assemble your burrito, wrap in tin foil or plastic wrap, and store in freezer bags. On a crazy busy morning, all you have to do is pull out the necessary number of burritos, warm them up in the microwave, and you’re good to go!

(By the way, conventional tortillas are definitely not real food, so to make this number a bit healthier, use homemade tortillas or find some with 5 or less whole ingredients.)

**UPDATE! Make breakfast burritos even easier on yourself with these breakfast burritos in a jar! I am totally in love with them. Enjoy a hot, filling, delicious, healthy breakfast in the morning in 1 minute flat! 

4. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast foods. It is highly nutritious, it can be made so many delicious ways, and there’s just something comforting about it. (Plus, for all my nursing mommas – oatmeal is a great food for boosting milk supply! *thumbs up!*)

However, I’m not at all a fan of quick oats on the stove. I can’t stand the mushiness.

Here are some of my favorite alternate ways to prepare oatmeal ahead of time!

5. Pancakes

In the same way as with the waffles, I make a double or triple batch on the weekend and store in the fridge or freezer to pull out on busy mornings! Here is a real food recipe that we have enjoyed – Banana Oat Blender Pancakes.

6. Sheet Pan Pancakes

I started making these when my older son, Aidan, was a baby. He liked them so much, and they were so convenient, that I have continued to regularly stock my freezer with them.

They are even easier than traditional pancakes because they’re made in one big sheet pan and cut into squares. To freeze, I wrap each square in plastic wrap and store them all in a freezer bag.

This is the recipe I have used in the past. Note: it calls for all-purpose white flour. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure you could substitute whole wheat flour for a real food alternative. It may just be a bit more dense. You may want to consider using white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter texture.

Related Post: 7 Game-Changing Sheet Pan Recipes (That Might Surprise You!)

7. Banana Bread (or zucchini or pumpkin)

Quick breads are one of my favorite treats to make as make-ahead breakfasts, and believe it or not, there are healthy real food options that still taste good! My favorite so far that I’ve tried is this one from 100 Days of Real Food.

8. Muffins

Muffins are the perfect make-ahead breakfast item! They’re simple to whip up, they’re versatile, and they freeze beautifully. Plus, they’re super easy to grab and eat on-the-go — perfect for mornings that just don’t go the way you planned!

We love all kinds of muffins at our house – but a few of our favorites are blueberry, pumpkin, and banana nut.

Sometimes I even make mix-and-match muffins, which is really fun for kids or family members who have very different preferences. The process is simple: mix up your favorite simple muffin batter, pour the batter into a muffin tin (I use an ice cream scoop like this one – it’s the perfect portion size for a regular muffin tin!), top with your favorite muffin add-ins!

Here are a few ideas:

• • Walnuts or pecans
  • Sliced strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Chocolate chips

9. Quinoa

Have you ever thought about quinoa as a breakfast food? I love it! It’s very easy to make ahead of time, it’s quite tasty cold, and it is FULL of protein! Here is a Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa that I think you’ll like if you’re a quinoa eater. And if you’ve never had quinoa before, give it a shot and tell me what you think!

10. Smoothies

I love a good smoothie in the morning, especially in the summer, but as I said earlier, I don’t usually feel like assembling one first thing in the morning. But if I prep them ahead of time, I’m much more likely to make them!

Here are two ways I prep smoothies:

1. Smoothie Packs – Anytime we have bananas that are a little mushy or strawberries that are about to go bad, I cut them up, portion them into snack-size Ziploc baggies, and store them in gallon freezer bags in the freezer. Then, all I have to do is pull out the bags, dump them in the blender (I have a Ninja), add a little milk, and presto! A delicious smoothie. The nice thing about using the frozen fruit is I don’t need to add any ice! I have even started doing this with kale from our garden and spinach that we buy in bulk if it’s about to go bad. The texture definitely changes after they’ve been frozen, but it doesn’t make a lick of difference once it’s all blended together!
2. Ready-Made Smoothies – If I know I’m going to make a smoothie the very next morning, I will measure my ingredients into my Nutri Ninja Cups the night before. Then all I have to do the next morning is add a few ice cubes (if I’m using them, which I often don’t), pop the cup onto my blender base and blend. It makes the process so much faster and smoother in the busy morning!

My go-to smoothie in the morning is a simple green smoothie. It’s full of protein and nutrients, and keeps me full and satisfied long into the morning! Here is my basic “recipe”:

My Green Smoothie

 

• • 1 cup of a combination of milk and plain yogurt (experiment with the amounts until you get your desired consistency)
  • 2 largehandfuls of spinach or kale
  • 1 Tbs of natural peanut butter (that’s just what I do – you can use regular peanut butter if you prefer)
  • a dollop of honey
  • a dash of chia seeds

11. Hard-Boiled Eggs

I know, boiled eggs aren’t very exciting, but they are high in protein and very easy to make ahead of time! I love that I can make a big batch on the weekend and have them ready to eat throughout the week.

Here is a fool-proof way to make perfect eggs every time!

12. Granola

I am a huge fan of granola, and it is soooo much more cost-effective (not to mention healthy and tasty!) to make your own at home. It’s really not hard at all, and you can make a big batch on the weekend that will last you long into the week. Eat it on fruit, with yogurt, in a smoothie, or even just with milk … or by itself!

Here is my favorite granola recipe!

 

Do your mornings get a little crazy like ours do? I’m guessing they do! I have found that the more I can do ahead of time, the smoother our mornings run. And a big part of prepping for morning includes making sure breakfast is ready to go with these make-ahead breakfasts.

Want more help feeding your family well in a busy season? Check out The Every Mom’s Meal Solution Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Feeding Your Family Well in Any Season, Budget, or Lifestyle!

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