6 Quick family breakfast ideas

You can give your family a tasty, filling breakfast that’s packed with all the energy and goodness they need for the day. These delicious recipes will be ready in minutes and you won’t have to rush out the door.

A recent Kellogg’s survey found that 77% of South Africans believe that eating breakfast is essential for everyone, yet almost half of us still skip this important meal. Dietitians warn that it’s not just any breakfast that will do. ‘Often foods that are eaten on the go are more refined and less nutritious, with higher sugar, salt, and fat contents and lower percentages of fiber and micronutrients,’ says dietitian Jenny Meyer.

A good example of a balanced breakfast is one that contains little sugar or unhealthy fats and provides energy from carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins and minerals. Opt for a bowl of cereal (carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals, fiber) with milk (protein, calcium) and fruit (vitamins, minerals, fiber).

It’s also important to create a healthy eating environment at home. ‘Sitting down and eating as a family promotes a good meal structure for everyone, and ensures that [your family] starts their day in a healthy way,’ adds Meyer.

‘We believe in the power of breakfast and its impact on productivity throughout the day,’ says Sylvia Radebe, Kellogg’s head of corporate affairs and communication. Many children in South Africa have no access to breakfast at home. To help tackle this problem, Kellogg’s has set up a Breakfast for Better Days initiative, where it dishes up a breakfast of cereal and milk to 25 000 school children every day on school days in four provinces – with the endorsement of the Department of Basic Education. The initiative is part of Kellogg’s global target: to feed 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks by the end of 2016.

‘Beyond the breakfasts, we are supplying to schools in the Breakfast for Better Days initiative, our objective is also to actively promote good nutrition in schools and educate school communities through workshops with parents,’ says Radebe. ‘This arms parents and learners alike with the knowledge that helps in nutritious decision-making,’ she adds.

Try these delicious, good-for-you breakfast ideas:

1. Make your favourite cereal with milk. Toss in raisins or dried cranberries and chopped walnuts.
2. Plain yoghurt topped with a crunchy cereal and chopped seasonal fresh fruit/berries.
3. Oats with milk. Mix in ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce and sprinkle with cinnamon or a drop of vanilla essence.
4. A peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich on seed loaf bread.
5. French toast (make the night before and keep in the fridge) with cheese and tomato.
6. Egg Burrito – fill a soft-flour tortilla with scrambled eggs, refried beans and salsa.