No More Cereal for Breakfast

My family is in a breakfast cereal rut. On weekends, I do play a little Martha Stewart and make eggs to order or a breakfast casserole, but during the weekdays, it just ain't happenin! There really are some other quick and healthy and breakfast ideas that your kids can really sink their teeth into. Here are a few ideas:

• Toasted bagels with cream cheese. For some reason, my son wants these things every morning for the last week. We went to a nice breakfast at a friend's house, and that's what they happened to have. Go figure.

• Hard boiled eggs. Boil a dozen before you go to bed and then refrigerate. My kids like to take the egg slicer, slice 'em up and put them on a piece of toasted bread spread with a thin layer of mayo.

• Fruit salad. Make a bowl the night before. This one's more for me than the kids, but it's refreshing and eye-opening eating a bowl of fruit with a dollop of vanilla yogurt in the morning. I use mostly strawberries, grapes, pineapples, kiwi and then add sliced banana in the morning. Apples and blueberries work well too (just use a spritz of lemon on the apples to keep them fresh). Sprinkle with granola for some crunch.

• Ready-to-blend smoothie. I like a glass of milk mixed with a handful of frozen berries and a few tablespoons of yogurt. Put it in the refrigerator overnight. Blend it up in the morning and enjoy.

• Muffins. There are so many recipes of wonderful muffins out there. You can even hide veggies like shredded zucchini and carrots in them. They freeze well. The night before, I take however many I'll need and put them in the refrigerator and give them a quick toast in the morning before serving. They taste great with margarine or cream cheese.

• Oatmeal. Yes, we all know the instant oatmeal packets. How about a crockpot full of oatmeal that smells heavenly and requires no fuss in the morning? Here are some crockpot oatmeal recipes.

• A banana wrapped with a pita or wrap. Spread the wrap with some peanut butter, put the banana inside and wrap it up. A perfect portable breakfast!