How to not be crap at breakfast.
Discovering the art of sitting down together. Plus, a weeks worth of breakfast ideas and recipes.
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I am crap at breakfast.
There, I admitted it. To the whole world. As someone so proficient in the kitchen, I am embarrassed to admit that I am totally and utterly shit at breakfast.
It’s not that I don’t have the skills. Pre children, I used to make wonderful things for breakfast. Towers of buttermilk pancakes, poached eggs with chorizo and home made sweet potato mayo, blackcurrant drop scones with saffron cream, and perfectly scrambled eggs with hot smoked salmon and flecks of dill and chives. All with freshly brewed coffee, of course. I would even put little vases of flowers on the table. Before a commute!
But these days, first thing in the morning, I am not hungry. I. AM. STRESSED. I am sorting everyone else out, desperately trying not to fall into a pit of scrolling while I get the kids their breakfast, their snack packs, making sure my daughter doesn’t go to school with knickers on her head.
Despite the fact we rise at 6.30am (ish), we are always late out the door with either me or my husband shouting ‘PUT YOUR SHOES ON!’ ten times. (At the children that is, we don’t need to remind each other.) When we do manage to leave, someone has forgotten their book bag, or their swim shorts, or just has to go to school wearing fluffy ear muffs even through it is July, and we have to run back.
In all this chaos, I am lucky if I stuff a handful of almonds in my gob, let alone sit down for a proper breakfast. Because that’s the thing, my lack of hunger is a stress/busyness response. Rather than my just being naturally hungry a bit later.
I am not alone with my breakfast struggles. According to a Weetabix survey, here in Britain one in 10 (11%) women and 8% of men regularly skip breakfast, and nearly a quarter of us (24%) eat something quickly while multi tasking (checking emails, helping kids, etc), or while running out of the door.
And our go to breakfast choice? For 23% it’s cereal. Which, as food writer Lizzie Wingfield shows in this excellent post, are often highly processed and full of sugar, playing havoc with our health.
So, what impact could skipping, or not getting a decent breakfast, be having on me?
Skipping breakfast can cause dizziness, headaches and even impacts your short term memory. (I have regularly struggled with dizziness and shakes, leading me to overeat on unhealthy foods. And my once sharp recall has completely abandoned me. I now regularly forget words, dates, entire life events.)
For peri menopausal women and beyond, not eating a decent brekkie elevates cortisol levels (making peri menopausal me feel more stressed of a morning!)
Making sure you eat a quality breakfast means you will have a lower risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
And as a parent, I worry about the message I am sending to my daughter. If she watches mum - the key woman in her life - put her needs last, every single morning?
I assure you, I really have tried. I’ve made birchers and overnight oats and porridge bars and breakfast cookies. All breakfasts designed to be eaten at speed. But mostly, they remain uneaten, ignored and lonely while I run about like a headless chicken. Or snaffled by small children for after school snacks, meaning upon a morning I return to an empty tin.
Win the morning, win the day!
Donna Hay
Doctors tell us that eating together can improve well being, and even improve the taste of your food. Could making sure we sit down as a family be the answer to my breakfast woes?
For one week, I challenged myself to stand to breakfast ceremony. I set my alarm, woke half an hour earlier, and baked a breakfast we could all enjoy together at the table. With flowers!
Full of top notch tips and recipes, here’s how our breakfast experiment went…
Day 1: Raspberry, Hazelnut & Thyme Muffins
We are still in the firey depths of a heatwave and I haven’t slept well, but, committed to my breakfast project, I drag myself out of bed at 6am to bake my raspberry & hazelnut muffins from scratch. Relishing the fresh muffin smell enveloping my kitchen I actually feel hungry and able to eat two muffins with yogurt and berries.
I even manage to drag my early riser son away from his Switch to stir the batter a bit. He doesn’t join us at the breakfast table though, instead eating his usual microwave porridge alone. Habits are going to be tricky to break.
Day 2: Butternut Squash & Sage Frittata, with crispy seeds.
A high protein breakfast is said to balance blood-sugar levels and protect your muscles,1 so for day two I take on this six egg frittata with roasted veggies. If you bake the squash the night before it can be quite speedy to put together of a weekday morning. Crisping up the seeds means an added hit of healthy fats and minerals, and less waste too.
Unfortunately, I tried to push my children too far, too fast with this one. While my husband and I enjoy a nutritious breakfast, they turn their noses up and go for toast and honey instead. Reminding me why I lost my vigour for breakfast in the first place.
Day 3: The Continental Breakfast
Taking inspiration from hotel chains across Europe, today’s offering is a buffet. Including ham and cheeses with buttered baguette, veggie sticks, fresh berries, and my lower sugar fennel granola with yogurt and star anise roasted strawberries.
When the children see the loaded table they gasp: “Wow! Best day ever!” They enjoy picking at bits and pieces, sweetly asking me to take photos of their little cheese and fruit pairings. And, whisper it, they eat vegetables. For breakfast!
It is an idyllic family moment, an early morning picnic together, and makes the work worth it. Because there is no doubt that this is work. With baking granola and running out for fresh baguettes this takes me more than an hour to prepare, and is definitely not feasible on a regular basis. We did have lots of leftovers for another day though.
Day 4: Layered French Toast
Until recently, I had never heard of Layered French Toast. And now I am seeing it everywhere, from Donna Hay’s Pistachio version with lemon curd, to the Nutella stuffed brioche my son enjoyed at our favourite brunch spot recently. They had rolled it in crushed cornflakes before frying. I mean, that is filthy.
I go a little healthier with my version. We found a triple decker a bit much, so went for more of a sandwich situation using homemade sourdough - testing fillings such as PBJ, Marmalade, and a cheat’s Croque Monsieur (This was the surprise favourite and will be coming to a bonus post soon). The children enjoy the variety again, now coming to the table automatically, and we chat and laugh at their cute antics.
Day 5: Waffles (and some thoughts on sharing the load)
For our final day, my daughter excitedly requests waffles. We’ve been out late the night before and the children are exhausted. I let them sleep in a bit, but thankfully the promise of fresh home made waffles lures them out of bed and they are fed and ready in time for school.
You may have noticed that up until now, I have been getting up and doing this on my own (hubby has been doing his bit with the dishes). I have enjoyed getting up to bake and cook in the early morning quiet, but, going forward, if my daughter wants home made waffles on a weekday, she is going to have to get up and help.
My hope is to use the time to teach the children basic life skills - laying the table, filling the dishwasher, chopping fruits and veggies. To be a fun family time, rather than their usual zoning out in front of the telly before we rush out of the door.
A great go to Waffle recipe.
Am I no longer crap at breakfast?
The positive impact of breakfasting together as a family is pretty clear. We’ve had a lovely week. Particularly mornings where the dishes were buffet style and the children could pick and choose, I found them nibbling food they wouldn't usually try. Over time, I hope to introduce more savoury breakfasts, like homemade beans on toast or sweet corn fritters.
Sitting down with my family also forces me to eat. After cooking for half an hour or so, I genuinely do feel hungry again. As a result, I no longer feel dizzy, or overeat mid morning. And I do feel less anxious, chaotic and more cheerful.
It may not be for everyone, health is not a one size fits all, and I probably won't manage it every day. But this has given me a mindful morning routine. Despite my doing more work, the mornings feel less like drudgery and something I actually look forward to. Time will tell if I can keep it up.
Do you sit down for breakfast? I ‘d love to hear your thoughts and favourite breakfast recipes.
Until next time…
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According to Dr Linia Patel, Food for Menopause, p. 107
I used to go to a gym that had a poster up saying “If You Don’t Eat Breakfast Then We Can’t Help You”. Taught me to take morning fuel more seriously.
It warms my heart how you challenge yourself despite the heatwave, lack of sleep, and just wanting to connect with your family in loving, nourishing ways. In doing so, you’ve found what works and what doesn’t. Gradually, the kids, who were used to their ways began to explore new breakfast offerings Hs that their mom prepared, too! This is a beautiful playa about Mother’s love for her family. Love it! Thank you for sharing-