Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You hear this all the time, right? If you are like me and loathe the sound of the morning alarm clock, breakfast is usually the last thing you focus on as you have timed your morning routine down to the minute to get yourself out the door. And after becoming a full-time working mom of two under two, the breakfast concept went right out the window.

Then, if I were skipping breakfast, I would be starving by 10:00 a.m., eating any snack I could find, or, even worse, contemplating running through the drive-thru to get an overpriced breakfast sammie that was gone faster than it took me to wait in line.

Making the breakfast change

So, what was a girl to do? It boiled down to being intentional and planning ahead. I knew I needed to make a change for my waistline and my budget’s bottom line.

I wanted (and needed) something that could be grab-n-go, with minimal packing effort, and easy to put together once at work. The first step was considering what my office had to offer (appliances) to help make these changes. We have a fridge, microwave, toaster, and coffee pot. I would assume most offices have these same options, but knowing what appliances you have available can help you create your morning choices.

Planning ahead and finding the time to execute the prep work were going to be hard work, but knowing the benefits at the end would outweigh those is what forced me into making this a regular routine now.

Compiling the Grab-n-Go menus

Again, I wanted to keep it simple. In my opinion, from the grocery list to packing as fast as possible in the morning to the ease of putting it together once at work, mainstreaming it was the key to success. I wanted items that were not only healthy but would also help keep me full for a long time.

I decided to focus on a few key ingredients that would help multipurpose several options and were things I use in my daily life for snacks or other recipes at home.

Here are the menu items I came up with:

· Banana blueberry muffins

· Muffin Tin Eggs

· Scrambled egg sandwiches

· Cereal in a bag

· Prepackaged oatmeal and peanut butter

· Breakfast burritos

· Egg Bake

· Yogurt Parfaits

The main ingredients list (grocery list items):

· Bananas

· Frozen Blueberries

· Eggs

· Ham (lunch meat slices)

· Tator Tots

· English Muffins

· Bagels

· Cereal

· Oatmeal

· Pre-packaged Oatmeal

· Soft Taco Shells

· Yogurt

· Granola

Prep ahead of time

Again, one of the main keys to making all this work ahead of time is carving out about an hour over the weekend to prep ahead of time. This includes thinking through what items you want to make/take throughout the week. Then, making/baking or organizing those items for an easy morning grab-n-go.

Banana blueberry muffins

These take about an hour from start to finish (bake time included) for this recipe. You can make it as a bake as the recipe calls for, or we pour them into our muffin tin for easier grab-n-go in the mornings. Kids love these, and they are super simple to pack. *Note* these do need to be refrigerated.

Muffin Tin Eggs

This breakfast idea is actually a throwback to one of my roommates in my early 20s. We both traveled a lot for work and would make these for “Fun Breakfast Fridays.” They are great on their own, or add them to a bagel or English muffin for a fast breakfast sandwich (other ideas for this are below, too!). We liked to line the tin with a piece of lunch meat to add some more protein and added cheese on top. Or scramble it, add veggies, and make a mini omelet on the go.

Scrambled egg sandwiches

Again, use the muffin tin egg noted above and compile them with your favorite bagel and cheese slice while at work. Or if that isn’t an option, compile them at home, wrap them in press-n-seal, freeze them, and warm them up on a plate once at work (or before you leave the house to eat in the car).

Cereal in a bag

It's super simple prep. All you need is a lunch baggie and a water bottle. Portion out your favorite cereal in a lunch baggie, pour your desired amount of milk into a water bottle and head out the door. This can be done the morning of, or again, for grab-n-go, take a few minutes over the weekend to prepackage everything out. *Just make sure you have a bowl and spoon at work or pack one if needed!

Prepackaged oatmeal and peanut butter

Usually, I do not encourage purchasing prepackaged convenience meal options, but I see the benefit in this case. I grab the prepackaged instant oatmeal bag and my jar of peanut butter and have a fast, healthy breakfast. I use the hot water from the coffee machine at work or the microwave to warm up the water.

Breakfast burritos

This idea has been a favorite of mine to use leftover roasted veggies (potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, and broccoli, to name a few). If I don’t have any leftover veggies, tater tots it is! I warm those up in the microwave and scramble an egg in a bowl that I bake in the microwave (yes, this is really a thing!), add it all together in a soft taco shell, and top with my favorite hot sauce I grab from the pantry at home.

Egg Bake

An egg bake is more than a Sunday morning brunch option. It’s a “middle of the work week, cut a square and go” lifesaver. Again, you will need to spend some time prepping and making this breakfast option over the weekend, but if you do, you’ll have more than a week’s worth of breakfast goodness with minimal work-week effort.

Yogurt Parfait

Let me preface I do not take the time to layer this. I scoop a spoonful or two of my favorite flavored Greek yogurt, top with some frozen berries (or fresh if we have some and they need to be used up) the night before in a spillproof container, and baggie up some of the granola to top in the morning once at my desk.

Make it fast. Make it simple. Make it Easy.

Hopefully, these ideas help make your morning routine a little easier so you are actually able to eat breakfast and help you avoid getting too “hangry” before lunch starts. Also, I want to note all these items can be used for easy breakfasts at home, too! They do not need to be working hours or office locations specific! Take these ideas and see how they can fit into your grocery lists and meal planning to help save on your budget.

If you want to talk to someone about budgeting, we have a financial coach who specializes in making your money work for you by helping you create a budget to fit your lifestyle. Schedule a meeting today to see how this could benefit you.