What to Make for Breakfast

This isn't exactly a recipe. Rather, it's a list for me to refer to in the future, and hopefully the start of a discussion about breakfast.

In an ongoing effort to spend less money on groceries, I have changed how we do breakfast. We love breakfast cereal, but it is SO DANG EXPENSIVE unless you are a master shopper and use lots of coupons and match the ads . . . which I'm not very good at doing. We also eat through cereal extremely fast. In an effort to change, I am proud to say that we have only eaten cereal 5 times in the last month - WOOT! This is HUGE for our family. We also do not buy other 'instant' breakfast foods. I have discovered that making breakfast for my family is really rewarding, extremely cheap, and actually doesn't take as much time as I thought. And I love sending Katelee and Gerald off to school knowing I've fed them a healthy and hot meal.

So, here is a list of the top breakfasts we recommend that's good for your budget, your health, and your busy schedule.

• Oatmeal - we use quick oats, which only take a couple of minutes to make and add our own favorite toppings - brown sugar, raisins, frozen blueberries, fresh fruit such as diced apples, cinnamon and other spices.
• Toast. This is especially good if made from homemade bread and spread with jam, honey, or agave. We also really enjoy this cinnamon toast recipe.
• Waffles or pancakes. They really don't take that long to make, and are so much tastier and cheaper than their frozen counterparts. Leftover waffles reheat well in a toaster the next day. These pumpkin waffles are especially yummy if you have a bit more time.
• Breakfast rounds - always a HUGE hit with everyone.
• Crepes - which we call "rolly-up pancakes" around here - are a favorite around here, and I've gotten really fast at making them. I love them with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or buttered with a sprinkling of lemon juice and powdered sugar (AMAZING!). Gerald likes his savory, stuffed with ham and eggs. Katelee's favorite way to eat them is buttered with jam or maple syrup. So many options, but all of them delicious.
• Muffins. I've taken to making a batch of quick banana or bran muffins when I have a little time during the day, and freezing them. We can pull them out for a quick and delicious breakfast on a busy morning. Here's a fun muffin recipe. I also like to make my mom's banana bread recipe and bake it up as muffins rather than in a loaf.
• Eggs. Katelee LOVES her eggs hard-boiled, and so does Gerald. I'll boil several extra and we will eat them up over the next couple of days. Scrambled or fried eggs are also a quick and easy breakfast idea.
• Fruit smoothies. What else is there to say - YUM! Coupled with a muffin, this is a great and very quick breakfast!
• Puff-Over Pancakes. 4 ingredients. 3 minutes. Let it bake while you get ready. Our family LOVES this for breakfast.

Let the discussion begin! What do you eat for breakfast that is 'homemade', inexpensive, and yummy? For example, does anyone have a good granola recipe? Anyone have any other fabulous ideas?

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