13 Realistic Breakfasts for Busy Mornings — The Sweet Stuff
I just want a filling, pan-less breakfast!
If you're like me and want to make *truly* ADHD-friendly morning meals, then this is your Breakfast Guide.
We're gonna keep it quick (10 minutes or less). We're gonna keep it easy (no fancy cooking). And we're gonna make sure we're satiated (filling n flavorful).
We're also not gonna wash a bunch of dishes afterward.
Like the recipes on this blog, this handy dandy Breakfast Guide is broken into two main categories—The Sweet and The Savory.
Today, we're talking Sweet Stuff, so let's get to it!
01. Smoothies & Shakes
Besides toast, Smoothies are the quintessential, fast morning food. I have a bunch of Smoothie recipes to try, or you can use your intuition.
Most simply, all you gotta do is throw everything into the blender and pour into a glass. Include Walnuts, Hemp Seeds, or Peanut Butter for a more filling Smoothie. Top with fresh Fruit, Nuts, or Seeds. Stick with more mellow fruits like Banana if you want to make something Chocolatey.
Or, just buy a pre-made Bottled Smoothie from the grocery store. I like the Mango Smoothie from Trader Joe's.
For fast blender cleanup— fill your blender halfway with warm water and a few drops of soap. Stick back on the blender base and blend till frothy. Give a quick rinse and it should be clean!
02. Baked Goods & Company
Sure, pre-made Muffins, Scones, Croissants, and Cinnamon Rolls are all good on their own. But if you need a lil extra oomph— pair with a scoop of Peanut Butter or serve with a protein-enriched Milk Alternative.
03. Fruity Nut Butter Toast
As you may have noticed, Peanut and Almond Butter are excellent in the morning.
Toast up some of your favorite Bread, slather with Jam and Nut Butter, and top with some sliced Fruit. Bananas, Pears, and Apples are great. Add Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, or Cranberries for some extra texture. Drizzle with Chocolate Sauce, Caramel, Honey, Agave, or Maple Syrup.
Use a Tortilla instead of Bread to make a more portable Wrap. Use English Muffins or a Bagel if that's more your jam.
04. Sweet Waffle Sandwich
Experiment with the ingredients suggested above (Fruits, Nut Butters, Jams, Seeds, etc), but instead of using Toast, smoosh between two, warm Toaster Waffles. Or, substitute pre-made, toaster-warmed Pancakes for a softer Sandwich.
05. Ants on a Log in a Bowl
I mean, the title says it all. Stir some Raisins into a scoop of Peanut Butter. Add a lil Cinnamon and a drizzle of Maple Syrup/Agave. Use as a dip for Celery sticks— you can even keep the Celery whole if ya want.
This also makes an excellent snack for when you're hungry mid-day but gotta multitask.
06. Cinnamon Sugar Toast
Mix 1 part Cinnamon with 4 part Sugar (like, 1 tbsp Cinnamon, 1/4 cup Sugar) in a sealable container.
Toast some Bread and spread with Butter. Sprinkle with Cinnamon Sugar mix. Eat as-is or top with Bananas, Syrup, and Raisins. Save the leftover Cinnamon Sugar for later.
07. Apple Slices and Peanut Butter
It's so simple, it's a little forgettable. But it's so good when you remember to make it!
Buy pre-sliced apples to make it even quicker. Add some CInnamon Sugar to sweeten it up. Squeeze a lil Lemon juice over top to keep slices from turning brown. Swap for Pears and Almond Butter— or any other Nut Butter, for that matter.
08. Warm Instant Oats
Pour Instant Oatmeal packet(s) into a microwavable bowl. Add Milk or Water per instructions, and microwave for a few minutes. Top with Fruit, Nut Butter, Syrup, and Cinnamon. You could also mix in frozen Berries, mashed Banana, or Applesauce before microwaving— just add an extra 30 seconds or so.
9. Protein Fortified Milks
I mentioned this paired with Baked Goods up above, though it's a pretty excellent option as-is if you're in a super rush.
I absolutely looovve the Chocolate Cashew Protein Milk from Silk. And I'm sure there are other great options out there for non-chocolatey stuff. Grab a handful of Nuts or a Granola Bar to round it out.
10. Fruit with Chili and Lime
Pre-chop or choose 1-2 of the following fruits to prep— Mango, Watermelon, Cucumber, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Jicama, Papaya— and top with fresh Lime juice, Tajin, a pinch of Salt, and Chamoy.
You can buy Chamoy pre-made, or make a batch from this excellent Mangonada Recipe, by Dora's Table ↗ .
11. Overnight Oats
This is gonna require you to do a lil work ahead of time— or, let this sit at room temp for an hour and it'll be good to go. I have a recipe here for you to try that involves Instant Oats, Chia Seeds, Peanut Butter, and Agave or Maple Syrup. It's topped with Pear, but use whatever Fruits you'd like.
My friend Louise shared her awesome adaption in the comments— it's Chocolatey, Almond Buttery, and sounds so good. Plus, it's Chia Seed-less if you don't have those around.
12. Yogurt and Granola
Another one where the title says it all. Grab a cup of Yogurt and top with some Granola and mix in some fresh Fruit or Berries. Simple, but so good.
I like the Cashew Yogurt from Trader Joe's, and the coconut-based "Oui" Yogurt from Yoplait.
13. Cereal
It's just too classic not to list. It comes in a box, you pour some Milk all over it, and you can go about your morning. Keep it super easy, or add some Fruit to top it off.
I fell off the cereal train for many years until I started listening to The Empty Bowl Podcast ↗. It's a silly, meditative podcast about Cereal and it’s a lot more entertaining than I could ever make it sound.
bonus reading!
If you’re looking for some gentle nutrition commentary regarding sweet breakfast foods, I love this article:
“Why Your Sugary Breakfast Isn’t ‘Bad’ ↗”, Refinery 29 (Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CDN).
The text itself is a little bulky on a desktop screen, but there’s a lot of good info and helpful suggestions in there. Happy reading!
P.S. If you’d like to help financially support this project, you can follow this link to access my Tip Jar on Ko-fi ↗. Any and all donations are sincerely so appreciated.
did I skip your favorite sweet breakfast?
These are the meals I'm gonna opt for if I want something quick and I want it sweet. That said, I'm more of a savory person overall...so my ideas are a lil limited.
I wanna know— if you have a personal adaptation of the ideas listed above? Or did I skip your go-to altogether?
Lemme know in the comments! I'd love to hear about your busy morning breakfast.
A wholesome and cozy meal for when you've got a lil extra time to make something warm. Improv friendly and adaptable to whatever Greens you've got.