Back To School: Nutritious Breakfasts and Lunches

We hear it all the time - "start the day with a nutritious breakfast." Breakfast is the fuel for a child's body and brain for the first half of their school day . While your adult body may have adapted to a regimen of a quickly guzzled coffee and muffin as your energy source for a long morning at the desk, your children need something more substantial. They need healthy breakfasts to see them through their morning's activities...and don't kid yourself about your own adaptation - in the long run, you will pay the price for neglecting your own body's needs.

How can we ensure our children have the fuel and nutrition they need, and food they will actually eat? A healthy diet can take a bit more effort than filling a cereal bowl with cold cereal and milk, and dropping some pre-made, pre-packaged, food substitutes in their lunch kit. These items look good, require no preparation, taste yummy (because of the high fat, sugar, and salt content), and the manufacturers and advertisers have told us how much our kids will love to eat their offerings.

One of our favorite healthy breakfasts on a cool morning is hot oatmeal. Even plain, instant oatmeal has more nutritional value than most cold cereals, and has the added advantage of being fast and easy to prepare.

Fresh fruit is always best, but I like to keep a bag or two of flash-frozen, no-added-sugar fruit pieces on hand in the fridge freezer - handy for breakfast time. They are wonderful additions in wintertime, once most of the fresh fruits are out of season, or too expensive.

Several delightful combinations are available at most supermarkets, and their nutritional value far outweighs any added cost. As well, the different combinations of fruit pieces and berries adds interest to breakfast, and they have the added benefit of time-savings, and waste-prevention.

For a kid pleasing breakfast, simply chop a few pieces of fresh or frozen fruit and/or berries, and add them to the packaged oatmeal to which you have added the amount of water called for by the package instructions. Then pop the dish into the microwave for the required time - usually 2 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and add milk for a delicious and nutritious breakfast alternative.

When seasonal fruits are available, I prefer to add fresh fruit and berries. Blueberries, sliced strawberries, raspberries, Saskatoon berries are all excellent sources of Vitamin C, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. To avoid waste when using fresh fruit, simply cut a few extra pieces while preparing the lunches. These extra pieces can be refrigerated for use the next morning.

Apples are always a favorite, and when time permits I core and chop a small apple, divide it among two or three bowls, and stir it into the uncooked oatmeal, along with a sprinkling of brown sugar. Sometimes I add about 1/2 cup of raisins or cranberries (or both), as well. Add a dash of cinnamon or Allspice, and this delicious combination smells just like warm apple crumble - yum!

It seems all the fast food outlets have some sort of breakfast sandwich or wrap. These are generally full of added salt and fat, which negates any nutritional value of the ingredients. A breakfast croissant with cheese and processed meat can start your day with a load of 900 calories, mostly in fat.

You can offer healthy alternatives, and still save time in the morning. As well, these can be made ahead and sent to school in your child's lunch kit, ready to be re-heated for a nutritious lunch. As a teenager, my son was always in a rush to get to school in the mornings, so I would pack a couple of these "instant sandwiches" for him to reheat when hunger struck during his first spare.

Breakfast wraps and sandwiches require no more time than it takes to scramble eggs - about three minutes in the microwave.

• Crack an egg into a small glass or china dish, stir, and place in the microwave oven for three minutes.
• While it is cooking, cut one, 10" tortilla in half (corn, wheat, or whole wheat - your choice).
• Chop and seed two slices of fresh tomato.
  
• Place the half tortilla on your work surface with the cut edge facing away from you.
  
• Place a leaf of lettuce in the middle of the half tortilla.
• Top with the cooked egg and chopped tomato. Add some shredded cheese, if desired.
  
• Fold up about 2 inches of the bottom (curved side). and then fold one side over the eggs, tuck it in, and roll up the tortilla to form a wrap.

For a breakfast sandwich, replace the tortilla with a whole wheat English muffin.

• Toast the muffin, and place the egg on half the muffin
• Top with chopped tomato or sweet pepper strips
• Sprinkle on shredded cheese

Eat while hot, or make ahead and keep cool in lunch kit until reheated. These are great with fresh fruit or a small fresh fruit salad cup to round out a nutritious meal. For extra variety, especially when you prepare these dishes the night before, add some chopped sweet pepper strips, and a slice or so of real ham, chopped fine. Avoid lunch meat as it can be high in sodium (salt) and fat. For a Tex-Mex breakfast burrito, substitute mild salsa for the chopped tomato and peppers,

Fresh fruit is the best source of nutrition for your child, but variety can also add fun to the mix, and prevent taste-bud boredom. Instead of sending the old, stand-by apple every day, try fruit kebabs, frozen fruit treats, or fresh fruitsicles.

For fruit kebabs, thread small fruit chunks onto 4 inch skewers - berries, cut strawberries, seedless watermelon, mango, cantaloupe, green and/or red grapes, honeydew melon, etc. - whatever looks tasty. Refrigerate, and place two or three in a plastic container for lunch and snack-time.

Cut up the rest of the fruit and freeze on a cookie sheet. Pack in containers for future use - will keep well if tightly sealed after frozen.

Send a small container of frozen fruit pieces with plastic picks or skewers. A small container of low-fat strawberry yogurt makes a lovely dipping sauce for the frozen fruit.

For fruitsicles:

• Blend either yogurt or fruit juice with fruit and berries - about 1 quart of juice to 2 - 3 pints of fruit and/or berries, or 1 large yogurt container to 2 - 3 pints of fresh fruit and/or.
• Pour it into popsicle molds, or fill the individual small, clean yogurt containers (filled about 3/4 full) and freeze it for a warm weather treat
  

This one doesn't pack well, but makes a fabulous after-school snack.

2010, Elle Fredine, All right reserved