The Team at Nino Salvaggio's Says Eating Good Can Also Taste Good!

Sending your kids off to school with a healthy breakfast can set a positive tone for the day. As part of our ongoing series of health and wellness blog content, we’re taking a closer look at healthy food options for a healthy student - this time tackling breakfast. 

By feeding your kids a nutritious meal before stepping foot on that yellow school bus or jumping into a carpool ride can make or break their morning (and yours!). It is important for families to have a consistent and regular breakfast routine that  provides an optimal window of opportunity for consuming nutrient dense foods.  Eating a healthy breakfast allows you and your family to get a dose of nutrition if the right foods are selected. This can include fruits, veggies (yes veggies in the morning), protein, healthy fats, fiber filled carbohydrates, calcium, vitamin D and many more nutrients your kids need. You may be thinking of grabbing that same old cereal or oatmeal box you used last school year day in and out. This year, change up what your kids are eating for breakfast and it may be so good, you even eat it yourself! 

Here are some of our favorite ideas here at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace for healthy breakfast options in this upcoming school year! 

DIY Yogurt Bar: Create your own yogurt bar and let your family select the toppings. Choose your favorite low sugar, high protein Greek or Icelandic yogurt or plant based non-dairy yogurt alternative. Set up a bar filled with bowls of different toppings so everyone can make their own yogurt parfaits. You can even make it more fun by having interesting and colorful parfait glasses and spoons. Here are some DIY Yogurt Bar toppings to include: fresh cut up fruit, berries, chopped nuts or seeds (including flax seeds and chia seeds), high fiber low sugar cereals or granolas, shredded coconut,  and maybe even a few dark chocolate chips! Your kids will love creating their own yogurt parfait masterpiece! 

A beautiful Shakshuka dish.

Egg-cellent Eggs:  Skip the line at Starbucks, save money and plan ahead to make your own egg sandwiches or egg bites this year. While hard boiled and scrambled eggs are still great sources of protein and should not be overlooked, maybe your family needs some egg-spiration! Experiment with some new egg recipes for Breakfast Burritos, Egg Bites, Egg Sandwiches, Shakshuka , have an omelet station with a variety of toppings and more. These egg recipes are also great ways to get veggies into your eggs this year at breakfast time.   

Build Your Own Breakfast Station: Who doesn't love a beautiful hotel breakfast buffet on vacation? Bring that vacation experience into your home in a simplified, yet healthy and delicious way. Your family will love the concept of setting up different stations for breakfast or brunch and being able to make their own choices. You can have different offerings including a fruit station, a waffle and/or pancake station, eggs and maybe a meat option such as chicken sausage or turkey bacon. You can incorporate different healthy toppings for the pancakes such as fruit, nut or seed butters, dark chocolate chips and more. To make it even more nutrient dense, make protein pancakes or waffles using a protein infused pancake/waffle mix or one that allows you to add eggs or other sources of protein to it.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes: Looking for a completely different pancake experience for your family? Check out Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. These can be made gluten free without any pancake mix or flour at all if you use gluten free oats. 

There are so many creative and healthy variations of avocado toast!

Avocado Toast: While this may not be the newest trend on Instagram, it is certainly a tried and true family favorite. Or perhaps your family has not hopped on the Avocado Toast train yet. Maybe this school year is the time to start! There are endless ways to create avocado toast whether you add eggs, smoked salmon, melted cheese or cottage cheese. In addition, the bread choices in our Nino’s Bakery Department are endless and can be filled with fiber and whole grains. Sourdough makes for a yummy gut friendly choice as well. Just getting started with avocado? Check out our recent blog post from Nino’s: Avocado 101, How To Pick, Prep and Enjoy This Heart-Healthy Superfood

Overnight Oats: This overnight sensation is a tried and true favorite. Whether you are grabbing them off our shelves at Nino’s ready to eat or you are making your own in a glass mason jar or container, Overnight Oats can also be a wonderful way to keep your family full, satisfied and energized for the morning. Starting with a basic Overnight Oats Recipe is helpful but know that there are tons available out there on social media and the internet for you to explore. However, be sure to add lower sugar, higher protein and higher fiber toppings or make your Overnight Oats with more nutrient dense options such as fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, nut butters, protein powders and more! 

We hope this helps you get your mornings off to a wonderful start this school year. We are standing by at Nino’s to help you find all of the ingredients you need to make these creative breakfasts and plan ahead this school year. It is not too soon to start your meal planning calendar and get your family involved in the breakfast discussion! 

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