Quick and Easy Meals for Kids: Breakfast menu

Serve your kids yummy and healthy food for the most important meal of the day. Here are some ideas for breakfast menu for kids and families in the Philippines.

What can you read in this article?

• What nutrients does a child need for breakfast?
• Breakfast menu ideas – Philippines
• Breakfast toddlers will be excited to eat

Are you a mother who is juggling work and tending to your family? Day filled to the brim with odds and ends of motherly duties topped with deadlines for work? Feel the pressure the minute you wake up and even a simple task, like whipping something up for the kids for breakfast, seems too much of an effort and the only thanks you get is a whine from your kid?

Well, it could be partly because you’re whipping up the same ‘old boring thing’ for the A.M meal. Here are a few recipes that might put a smile on your kid’s face!

But before we get to that, let’s first learn what nutrients are needed in the morning to give your child strength and energy to play the whole day.

What nutrients should be on my toddler’s breakfast plate?

• Carbohydrates – kids need lots of energy to explore throughout the day, so make sure you fill his first meal with foods like whole grains, fruit, and veggies like sweet potatoes.
• Protein – This nutrient helps little bodies to grow (build muscle), and also makes toddler feel satisfied longer (so there’s no hungry tantrums), at least until lunch time. This means that those requests for snacks may be less frequent! Protein can be found in meat, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
• Healthy fats – Up to age 2, babies and toddlers need fats for their brains to develop properly. That said, you can alway find healthy fats for toddlers in avocado, flax and chia seeds, nuts, fish (particularly salmon and sardines), egg yolks, and whole dairy milk.
• Produce – Make sure you boost your child’s immune system by adding a generous amount of fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet. Here in the Philippines, where fruits and vegetables are in abundant supply, you can add fruits to your child’s breakfast menu and make his plate colorful and tasty.

Breakfast menu ideas for kids – Philippines

Vegetable Omelet

Kids love eggs. Adding in some vegetables to a regular omelet will make it more healthy and appetizing.

You will need

4 eggs

¼ cup cheddar cheese

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 cup spinach leaves

½ cup sweet bell pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Beat eggs then add in salt and pepper.
2. Whisk until frothy.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat then pour in egg mixture.
4. As the egg mixture sets, sprinkle cheese and parsley. Then top with spinach and sweet bell pepper.
5. Lift and fold an edge of the omelette over the filling.

Banana Pancakes

Turn this breakfast favorite into something more filling and healthy.

You will need

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cup low-fat milk

½ cup banana puree

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg powder

Preparation

1. Whisk all ingredients together.
2. Make sure that there are no lumps but do not over mix.
3. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
4. Pour in about a quarter of cup of batter onto the frying pan.
5. Cook each side for about 2 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown.
6. Serve with maple syrup.

Green Smoothie

Vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables will make this smoothie not just healthy but also yummy.

You will need

1 cup frozen bananas

½ cup frozen pineapple

300g jute leaves or any other greens

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Serve right away.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

Healthy and yummy breakfast that your kids will surely love. You can substitute the peach with your children’s favourite fruits.

You will need

1 medium-sized fresh peach

1 8-ounce carton of low-fat yogurt

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup crushed wheat biscuits

2 teaspoons pancake syrup

1 tablespoon coarsely crushed almonds or walnuts

A pinch of ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. Peel and chop peaches but leave two wedges for garnish.
2. Combine yogurt and vanilla.
3. Scoop two tablespoons of yogurt mixture onto parfait glasses.
4. Then top with crushed wheat biscuits, chopped peach and another tablespoon of yogurt mixture.
5. Sprinkle with almonds and cinnamon then garnish with fruit wedges. Serve right away.
   

Burrito Wraps

This is a simple yet healthy breakfast that is very easy to prepare. It is packed with the essential nutrients that your children need.

You will need

4 8-inch flour tortillas

4 eggs

¼ cup milk

¼ teaspoon salt

A pinch of pepper

1 tablespoon low-fat butter

¼ cup green onion

½ cup shredded cheese

Preparation

1. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
2. Heat butter over medium heat and melt butter.
3. Pour in egg mixture. While mixture is still moist, stir in green onion.
4. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Warm tortillas and sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Then put in cooked egg mixture. Fold in the sides to make the burritos.

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Healthy Sandwich

This is very easy to prepare yet filled with lots of nutrients.

You will need

Wheat bread

Boiled chicken breast fillet, shredded

Honey mustard

Lettuce

Sliced tomatoes

Preparation

1. Spread honey mustard on two slices of wheat bread.
2. Top one slice of wheat bread with chicken, lettuce and tomatoes.
3. Cover it with the other slice of bread.

Chicken Rice Topping

A breakfast of rice will surely satisfy children with big appetite.

You will need

1 ½ cup cooked rice

1 tablespoon salt

Enough water to cover the rice

¼ kg chicken fillet

3 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ cup cornstarch

A pinch of pepper

Canola oil

Preparation

1. Boil water with salt.
2. Add rice and let it boil for about 5 minutes just to make it sticky and moist.
3. Remove from water and put in bowls.
4. Marinate chicken in soy sauce and pepper.
5. Then pan fry it until golden brown.
6. Remove from heat and put on top of rice.

Mini Frittatas

You can prepare this tasty breakfast treat at night. Just microwave the frittatas in the morning or you can just serve them straight from the refrigerator.

You will need

6 large eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup boiled chicken breast fillet, chopped

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a mini-muffin tin.
2. Thoroughly mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper and parsley.
3. Stir in chicken. Put cheese in all the muffin cups.
4. Then pour in egg mixture until each cup is filled.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until tops turn golden brown.
6. Let cool before removing from cups.

You can add in zucchini, whole corn kernel, onions and tomatoes. Instead of baking the frittatas, you can cook it in a skillet instead.

Nutella Waffle Sandwich

Contrary to popular knowledge, nutella is a great source of protein and nutrients. It has health benefits that can make your children healthy and strong. Your children will surely be happy when you serve them these sandwiches.

You will need

4 frozen whole grain waffles

¼ cup Nutella

½ cup sliced strawberries

Preparation

Toast waffles as directed in the packaging.

Get two waffles and spread Nutella on each.

Top each waffle with sliced strawberries and cover with the remaining two waffles.

Cut in quarters and serve.

Tips in getting toddlers to eat breakfast

Up to the age 2, toddlers are still trying to figure out food. So let them explore. Serve them their food in different cuts or shapes, and if you can, try to inject more colors on their plate. A fun and healthy way to do it is by adding fruits to the menu.

Also, be mindful of the sizes. Always cut the grapes in quarters and make sure that the pieces are cut appropriately for toddlers to avoid choking.

Keep some options available especially on busy days. You can just whip up a big batch of oatmeal for the whole family and give the kids the freedom to “accessorize” or add some toppings to their oatmeal-like some fruit bits, raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips.

If your toddler is not ready to eat breakfast yet, don’t stress it. You can just blend a quick smoothie of milk and his favorite fruit. If you and your toddler are up a bit early, you can ask him to help prepare breakfast with you to get him interested.

Remember, kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier overall and have more energy throughout the day. So try to make breakfast the most important meal of the day for the whole family.