Looking for some breakfast meal prep ideas? It’s important for teens (and you) to start the day off strong. It’s easy to get in a rush each morning and skip breakfast. That’s why doing meal prep for breakfast is such a good idea!
Breakfast is usually the first meal of the day for many people. Often, this is the first time we’ve eaten since dinner. That’s why it’s so important to get a balanced breakfast with protein, carbohydrates and fats in that breakfast dish.
One of the best ways you can guarantee that you’ll eat a healthy breakfast is to prep ahead of time. For example–if you’re busy on weekday mornings, use a weekend afternoon or evening to prepare breakfasts for the week.
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What supplies do I need to prep breakfast ahead of time?
I’m a big fan of using what you already have on hand. For meals that we eat at home, we usually use our glass Pyrex storage containers, especially since they can be heated in the microwave.
For breakfasts on the go, I prefer that the kids carry plastic containers that don’t leak.
Before you do your weekend meal prep for breakfasts, make yourself a list of the meals you plan to prepare. Then, figure out your grocery list. There’s nothing worse than starting a meal prep session just to find out you’re missing a key ingredient!
Breakfast food ideas with eggs
The great thing about eggs is that they are loaded with protein, a good option for people who don’t eat meat or just don’t like it. There are quite a few ways to make eggs ahead of time when prepping your meals, including:
Quiche and Casserole: These are both good options for cooking eggs in the oven, along with any ingredients you want, including vegetables, cheese, potatoes, and breakfast meats like sausage. If you’re eating vegetarian, try our Mexican Breakfast Casserole and Vegetable Breakfast Casserole.
Hard Boiled Eggs: Having easy-peel eggs on hand makes adding protein to breakfast super easy. Eat them plain, with a little salt and pepper. Or, slice them and top your avocado toast.
Egg Muffin Cups: We make these often since they’re so easy to reheat in the microwave on a busy morning. Make up a batch using your choice of meats, vegetables and cheese over the weekend before your week starts.
Breakfast Burritos: another favorite of teens. It makes sense to batch prep them all at once, then reheat on weekday mornings to eat for breakfast.
Breakfast food ideas with fruit
Why fruit for breakfast? It is easy to prep and prepare ahead of time, then you can store it in the refrigerator. If you shop what’s in season, it’s not too expensive.
Fruit is loaded with a vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, besides being delicious! Many fruits like bananas and kiwis are an abundant source of potassium and fiber. Eating fruit can increase athletic performance, improve cognitive abilities, and promote weight loss.
A fruit salad with yogurt or nuts (for protein) can be a light, energizing breakfast. Fruit also makes a nice side to heavier breakfasts like egg casseroles.
A fruit smoothie is an easy way to get a large variety of fruits into a single beverage.
Baked breakfast meal prep ideas
One of the easiest ways that we’ve prepped ahead for busy mornings is by making a double batch of whole wheat freezer waffles. Then, they can sit in the fridge or freezer until the kids reheat them in our regular toaster. You can do the same with dairy-free egg-free pumpkin waffles as well.
A handheld option that’s good for eating on the car ride to school or work is a breakfast muffin filled with whole grains and fruit. The key is to add protein to your muffin recipes, either by baking with Greek yogurt or using a high-protein flour like almond flour.
And you can always mix and match to balance carbs and protein–like having a fruit muffin with a hard boiled egg on the side!
Oatmeal and Overnight Oats
Another great option for breakfast that is not only healthy, but easy to make ahead of time, is with oatmeal. Especially if you’re trying to make overnight oats, which are oats you soak in milk or a dairy-free liquid at night with any ingredients you want.
You’ve probably seen the pretty pictures of prepped oats in mason jars. I don’t use mason jars–I use these Ziploc containers instead. They’re easy to store in the fridge for several days without spoiling, and I love that I can grab-and-go with a container to eat at my destination.
For example, a simple and tasty overnight oats breakfast includes oats with almond or regular milk, peanut butter, and banana slices. My favorite is frozen berries with Greek yogurt, ground flax seed, almond milk and oats (see photo above).
Another delicious option is prepping vegan baked oats. Then you can pull them from the fridge each morning and either eat cold or reheat in the microwave.
Do you prefer regular oatmeal in a bowl? If you usually buy instant oatmeal packets, consider making your own at home. You’ll save money and consume a lot less sugar!
Do some trial and error to figure out which of these breakfast meal prep ideas work best for you and your family. And, get the kids involved! They can help chop ingredients, use measuring cups, and help make the prep process easier.