How to Get a Smart Start with Breakfast Planning for Beginners

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Hello again! After my previous post on the benefits of meal planning and ideas for how to tackle your dinner menu, I hope you’re ready to move on to Breakfast Planning for Beginners.

Disclaimer: The following post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What’s the best way to meal plan my breakfasts? Breakfast planning will save you so much time, and there are a couple of ways to make it work for you. You can create pre-portioned heat-and-go meals, or you can have cold or pantry items that are easy to grab on the way out the door.

This is a weird order to proceed, I’m sure. The reasoning is that it’s easy to set up dinners first and feel out how much more planning you’re up for. So, here we go!

The Best Meal of the Day

I’m a habitual breakfast eater. Whatever I’ve decided to eat for breakfast, there’s a good chance I’ll eat that exact same thing every morning of the workweek for at least a year, possibly longer, until I finally get sick of it and try something else.

Like, I basically ate some version of eggs, toast, and veggies every morning for nearly four years. Honestly, I’m still into it. It’s because it’s a wonderfully nutritious and filling breakfast, and there are plenty of variations.

I actually think that if you’re wanting to get into a routine of just eating breakfast, this should be the goal. So, even if you make some jar omelets with a cup of spinach, 2 eggs, and cheese, you’re right on track for the day.

These can be microwaved for 2 minutes to fully cook the eggs. I’ll have to do a post on this in the future. You could also do boiled eggs and cold cut veggies, like peppers or carrots.

Right after my baby was born, I always had a Costco pack of hard-boiled eggs handy. That was easier than cooking eggs each morning. I usually still made up toast or an English muffin to go with my eggs along with coffee and a banana.

Actually, that post-partum period was when I started consciously having easy-to-grab breakfast foods available to save myself time and dishes. Before that, I didn’t think it took too long to cook an egg, microwave some broccoli, and make a slice of toast.

Depending on your lifestyle, it may not take too much time. But if you’re a working mom, there’s a good chance your mornings are hectic and your time is precious. Make it easy for yourself.

Enter Ball Jars…

We have a stockpile of jars (which we use for lunches, so we’ll get to that in the next post), and since I’m already prepping my lunches every Sunday, it’s not like it’s really that much more effort to make up breakfast, too.

In fact, when I decided I was sick of eggs for breakfast, I found that building jars of overnight oats took at most 5 minutes of my time. It was so fast, I could often do it before my daughter realized I had walked away. So, I promise you do have time for this.

I was able to throw together five breakfasts in under five minutes using this recipe. To serve it up, I just pop it in the microwave for a minute to warm it up a little bit. I stir it around a little, and I eat it right out of the jar.

There will be a few times I mention how great jar meals are. They honestly don’t take up much room in the dishwasher, so I end up rinsing them mostly clean and then running them through the dishwasher. I don’t have to do nearly as many dishes this way, but I’m also not creating trash with paper bags or plastic wrap.

Great Breakfast Planning!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all. How well you fill your belly determines how you’ll feel the rest of the day. For example, if you have a bowl of sugar flakes and skim milk with a side of orange juice, there’s a good chance you’ll crash an hour later and feel like you need to eat more and more all morning.

But, if you power up with some eggs and spinach with a slice of wheat toast and coffee, you’ll be full for at least three hours and more likely to make smart choices later on. This is especially true if you have lunch, snacks, and dinner planned and prepared.

So, what do you need for breakfast? Sweet or savory? Hot or cold? Handheld or sit down at the table? At home or at work? There are so many factors. The only constant is nutrition; you should definitely include a nice protein, some fiber, and a plant of some sort (greens, fruit, or colorful vegetables).

Here are some great grab-and-go options:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Fresh fruit
• Yogurt
• Protein Shakes
• Overnight Oats

These sorts of things can be organized into a small section of your fridge to quickly toss into a bag and run out the door or just grab for a fast, easy morning (if you’re pregnant with morning sickness, this is for you).

When it comes to protein shakes, it’s totally up to you if you like them premade or in powder form. I like the premade kind to mix with my coffee, and the powdered form to make breakfast shakes with frozen banana and spinach.

I am a Quest affiliate because I genuinely love the vanilla and salted caramel premade shakes. Plus, their customer service is awesome. I had a problem with one shake tasting off, and I messaged them about it. They immediately sent me a whole case for free.

But what if grab and go doesn’t actually fulfill you in the morning? It’s as much a mental experience as it is a physical one.

Do You Prefer to Make Breakfast Every Morning?

No seriously. Maybe you like crafting a tasty treat to start your mornings. It’s more fulfilling. I get it! There are options for that, too. Plan your breakfast menu alongside your dinner menu á la the Dinner post. Have egg days, oatmeal days, pancake days, or whatever floats your boat.

If you’re really creative, you can put together a beautiful table to hang on the refrigerator showing what’s on the menu for the next couple weeks. Contact me if this is something you want. I’m open to designing meal planners for a fee.

Breakfast Planning: What About Coffee?

A big part of breakfast planning for beginners has definitely got to be coffee, am I right?

There’s no force in the world powerful enough to keep me from a cup of coffee in the morning. I get it. Even pregnant, I was sipping a half cup of coffee with milk every morning. So, I’m not about to tell you to stop drinking it.

However, I am about to suggest you cut back on buying fancy coffees. Depending on what you order every morning, you could be spending $100 or more on your coffee every month. If you’re on a budget, there’s a quick way to get some control.

Did you know you can get flavored syrups in bulk for $30 on Amazon? For the price of a Venti Skinny Salted Caramel Mocha every day for a week, you could have fancy coffees for over a year instead. I mean, that’s a pretty great deal. We’ve been loving it!

How We Have Great Coffee Every Day at Home

We keep a pot of cold brew in the fridge and tasty creamers, as well. On days where the pot’s low, we set up the Mr. Coffee the night before so it’ll brew just before we wake up.

It’s super easy. We even got a cheap espresso machine, so on the weekends, we can make lattes. It turned fancy coffee into an activity my husband and I can do together, and it’s helped us stick to our budget.

We keep fun coffee mugs, both for home drinking and travel. Don’t underestimate the power of a cute cup. We also change up our creamer and syrup flavors to keep it interesting. We even got a tub of hot cocoa mix in case we want mochas!

Final Thoughts on Breakfast Planning

Meal planning is kind of a commitment, but in the long run, it frees you up in a number of ways. You don’t have to ever worry about what your healthy options are, what you’re going to fix, or if you have enough time to eat.

The last thing I want you to do is to skip meals… especially breakfast. Being hungry is just horrible, and I don’t think it really does you any good. Unless a doctor has told you to fast, please eat regular nutritious meals to help you feel good about yourself.

If I can help you with one thing, it’s that I want you to feel less stressed about eating well and eating right. Breakfast Planning, I truly believe, will help you with that.

What are your breakfast planning habits? Comment below to share your favorite tips! And don’t forget to subscribe for a weekly update and a free weekly menu planner!

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