Filling the breakfast box

Here we are in mid-August and life has gotten serious again. Whether or not children factor into your daily routine, there’s a good change this month marks a return to order and responsibility. Mornings take on new urgency, and thanks to Baton Rouge’s unforgiving commute times, we’re hard pressed to sit down to a decent breakfast. Those commutes, however, are also an unlikely opportunity for your crew to eat something wholesome before arriving at work or school.

Here are 10 ideas for grab-and-go breakfasts that ensure everyone’s off to a strong start, and they can be eaten in one’s lap with relative ease. Some break the rules and seem more like lunch fare, but give them a chance because they’re packed with the right kind of calories. Bring along portable water bottles rather than juice boxes or sodas. Adults and kids both need to drink more water.

10 To Go

1. Whole wheat toast, slices of good cheese and an applesauce cup. Keep plastic spoons in your glove box.

2. A peanut butter and banana sandwich with raisins and honey drizzles on whole grain bread.

3. A small food storage bag filled with dry cereal and dried fruit.

4. A bag filled with carrot slices, apple slices, raisins and grapes and a toasted whole grain waffle with peanut butter.

5. A biscuit baked the day before, warmed in the microwave and stuffed with a patty of rewarmed turkey sausage (also cooked the day before).

6. A homemade muffin. Fruit muffins always work well, but don’t forget savory ones filled with sausage, vegetables and cheese.

7. A container holding a slice of fruit pizza. Include a plastic fork.

8. A cup of yogurt and a banana.

9. A whole wheat wrap filled with hummus, sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots and chopped tomatoes.

10. A toasted bagel with cream cheese and sliced strawberries.