6 school morning breakfast ideas that take less than 60 seconds.

My kids are so good at telling me all about healthy living, parroting all of the knowledge they have learned at school:

Milk makes our bones big strong, so can I have chocolate milk every day?
Cheese is a healthy snack, so if I eat some can I have chips after?
Yoghurt has good things in it, but can I eat mine with a straw?

When it comes to putting that knowledge into practise, however, it’s a different story. I’ve concluded that they tell me all of these things to teach me how to make the right choices for them, you know, being their butler and nurse and servant and maid and all.

While I try not to be one of those mums that does everything for their children, preferring to teach them self-sufficiency, they are just so slow at doing everything. Which is why I do in fact do it all most mornings, especially when we are running late for school.

"We are always running late for school." Image: supplied.

It’s not enough for us to just get out of the door in time; I want to send them off to school feeling as though they are healthy, happy and ready to take on the day. I incorporate dairy in their breakfasts to ensure they get all the calcium and protein they need for their bones and muscles. They also love the taste, so I feel good filling them up on something that is good for them, which they actually enjoy eating. It’s a win-win.

Here are six go-to breakfasts that take 60 seconds Not that we do that -- at least not every day.

1. Smoothies

We make our smoothies using both milk and yoghurt, and these days you can do so much more with smoothies than just adding banana. Frozen fruits give them a deliciously thick quality that make them even more filling. I buy fresh fruit, peel it and cut it up and then freeze it to use in smoothies. I also always make sure I stay stocked up on frozen berries.

"You can just add milk, berries, and yoghurt. Done." Image via The Dairy Kitchen. 

2. Overnight oats

Having time to make things like oats, pancakes and eggs is a pipe-dream for most parents. We wish! Like when I plan to get up an hour earlier in the morning so I have time for breakfast as well and instead end up hitting “snooze” instead. But saving up your jars and making overnight oats that you just grab and go is an easy win.

"Making overnight oats that you just grab and go is an easy win." Image via The Dairy Kitchen.

3. Fruit and yoghurt

Always keep tubs of yoghurt handy for breakfast or a snack any time of the day. Sometimes we sprinkle muesli on top of our yoghurt to add a bit of crunch, or eat it with a piece of fruit. This is a perfect car breakfast. When I have more than ten seconds to give the kids breakfast, I make them a fruit salad and put some yoghurt on top. When I’m feeling extra chirpy I also top that with muesli. Fan-cee!

Just a tip…squeeze some citrus all over your fruit salad to stop the apples, pears and bananas from going brown.

4. Toasted cheese sandwiches

These are another breakfast favourite because we can eat them on the run and I can make four at once using our café-style sandwich press. It goes without saying that my children all want different fillings, because apparently it’s impossible to like the same thing. Philip (12) has ham, cheese and tomatoes, Giovanni (8) has just cheese and Caterina (6) likes just ham. I usually put a bit of cheese on hers as well to give her the extra nutrition and she hardly even notices.

"Eat them on the run". Image via iStock.

5. Cheese and crackers

Okay, so the mornings they end up eating cheese and crackers aren’t my finest hour, but sometime they do happen. In my opinion, cheese and crackers are so much better than those liquid breakfasts that contain an insane amount of sugar. I prepare a few little packets of them every week in ziplock bags, as well as some bags of carrot sticks which the kids grab whenever, including those mornings when we are running so late that it’s a miracle we actually get out the door at all. You can make it more interesting by giving them cheese sticks with crackers. My kids especially love string cheese.

"Okay, so my cheese and crackers may not look like this - but still, they're good." Image via The Dairy Kitchen.

6. Cereal with milk

For years my children ate their cereal dry with a glass of milk on the side. I have no idea why how this happened, I think Philip started doing it and then his little brother and sister copied him. Now they all eat their cereal WITH milk because the dairy adds so much nutritional value, and so it’s important to make sure I have a few healthy cereals at home and to hide the trashier ones (that my husband and I sometimes eat after the kids have gone to bed).

What are your go-to breakfast ideas?