Chef Maki Provides Breakfast Tips and Shortcuts

Here are some ideas for breakfast that may be helpful in your quest to provide less expensive and healthy meal options for your family.

~~Rather than buying Honey Bunches of Oats or a similar product, combine corn flakes, homemade granola and dried fruit chunks in a large plastic jar. It is cheaper and healthier!

~~Sprinkle a handful of sliced almonds over your morning Cheerios.

~~Try one or several new oatmeal toppings: honey, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut, chopped nuts, fresh or canned fruit, molasses, wheat germ, pumpkin pie spice, dried or frozen fruit, sesame seeds, soy milk, syrup, etc.

~~Put frozen blueberries in cream of wheat or other hot cereal to cool it down for little ones.

~~Mix one box of frosted shredded wheat with one box of regular shredded wheat rather than eating only the frosted kind. This works well with toasted oats and honey nut toasted oats too.

~~Gather fruit that is getting overripe and put it into a smoothie or protein shake.

~~Put leftover cookie crumbs into your homemade granola.

~~Freeze leftover waffles and pancakes on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. When frozen, transfer them to large Ziploc bags for easily separated delights that are good for a quick, pop-in-the-toaster breakfast.

~~Wash up fruit when you bring it home and place it in large bowls in the fridge for easy access for the kids and hubby (and yourself!) for breakfast and snacks.

Please feel free to share your tips and tricks in the comments section. Also, you can find more tips here where "Tips on Tuesday" is being hosted. (See Oct. 21, 2008 entry)