The AM Rush: A recipe and some tips

One of the conveniences of homeschooling is that we don’t often have to rush in the morning to get everyone up, dressed, groomed, fed, together, and out the door. However, when there are six kids in a family, mornings that have commitments need to be carefully orchestrated.

Of our six, two have a phenol sensitivity, one is allergic to eggs, and four come from hard places. I am a firm believer that how we fuel our bodies greatly affects how our bodies function, physically and emotionally. This means I take breakfast pretty seriously.

A family favorite breakfast is homemade granola. I make it myself so I can control the ingredients to meet our family’s needs, and because it is more economical.

Here’s the recipe we use. It’s pretty versatile. You can adjust the dry ingredients to your preference or add nuts and berries. These items are high in phenols so we leave them out. Our favorite way to eat our granola is with vanilla Greek yogurt.

Ingredients

• 7 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat germ or oat bran
• 1 cup raw or roasted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raw, shelled pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup Grape Nuts cereal
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 TBS ground cinnamon
• 1 TBS pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a saucepan, stir the oil, vanilla, honey, and agave. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Spread the mixture out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. I love baking on stoneware. If you’re not using stoneware, line your sheets with parchment paper. I find I can fit mine on 2 sheets if I do a thicker layer or you can toast it in batches.
5. Bake in the oven until golden and crispy. Stir occasionally for even toasting. I find mine takes about 30 minutes depending on how thick I layer it and where it is in the oven.
6. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container. I find a large empty oatmeal container works well.

Here are some other tips for a smooth morning routine.

Pack or prep lunches the night before. Back when I only had one lunch to pack, I would prep what I could the night before. Then, my son would pack his own lunch in the morning.

Make meal choices easy with a meal choice board. Make choices the night before. This is helpful if your kids always answer “What is there?” anytime you ask what they want to eat.

Pre-dispense supplements or medication. I have a chart taped inside our vitamin cabinet door that helps me keep track of what everyone needs at each meal.

Keep kid-friendly dishes accessible so the kids can help themselves. We keep cereal and granola bars in this cabinet as well.

Lastly, get up before the kids to get a jump start. That one extra step ahead makes all the difference in the world.

This post is part of BlogHer’s Rush Hour Tips editorial series, made possible by Got Milk.