Make Ahead Breakfasts for Busy School Days

(Family Features) Looking for some great new ideas for make ahead breakfasts in the new year?

Preparing feel-good breakfasts can be as easy as picking and putting together the right ingredients if you know where to buy them. At grocery stores like ALDI, parents can conveniently find choices they can feel good about feeding their families, including fresh produce and organic, non-GMO and gluten-free options. Parents can also shop easier knowing ALDI private label items – which make up 90 percent of its products – are free from certified synthetic colors, added trans fats and MSG. For those who like to make savings on their weekly shop, it could pay off for you to check out promo code and discount sites like Raise to see what you can shave off your receipt – https://www.raise.com/coupons/walmart.

After the shopping trip, try these make-ahead breakfast ideas to give the busy mornings a boost:

* Homemade energy bars are an easy breakfast option that can keep you fueled until lunch. For simple bars, heat coconut oil and vanilla in a saucepan until combined then transfer to a large bowl and mix with cashew butter, oats, dried fruits, and granola. Press the mixture between two cookie sheets to flatten, refrigerate 2 hours and slice into bars.

* Portion out produce for daily breakfast smoothies. You can keep the honey in its bottle if you want to use it as a sweetener. Remember that you can find out how to decrystallize honey so don’t throw away the stuff that has. Seal each weekday’s smoothie ingredients in separate plastic bags and simply toss the ingredients in a blender each morning. Of course, to be able to reap all of the benefits that your breakfast smoothie can provide you, you’ll need to have an efficient and well-working blender at your disposal. For example, something like these top rated ninja blenders could be the perfect appliance for you to create your smoothie in, as well as soups and sauces down the line. Once you have blended your ingredients, you can enjoy your smoothie in a tumbler or try something new, such as this Blackberry Avocado Smoothie Bowl.

* Use your slow cooker to make oatmeal. Before heading to bed, simply add milk, vanilla and your favorite sweetener to rolled oats and cook on low 7-8 hours. Include dried fruit to soak up moisture and provide a sweet, juicy addition. Or try these Morning Oasis Overnight Oats for a no-cook variation on traditional oatmeal for a quick, crunchy start to the day.

Make school mornings a breeze with more quick recipes at aldi.us.

Make Ahead Blackberry Avocado Smoothie Bowl

Recipe courtesy of Chef Audrey, ALDI Test Kitchen
Prep time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1

• 3/4 cup blackberries
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup Friendly Farms Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
• 3/4 cup Friendly Farms Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 teaspoon Stonemill Pure Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon SimplyNature Organic Wildflower Honey
• 2 teaspoons lime juice

Optional garnishes:

• SimplyNature Flax Seed
• Southern Grove Chia Seeds
• Southern Grove Sliced Almonds, toasted
• Blackberries\Blueberries
• Lime zest

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl and add garnishes as desired.

Morning Oasis Overnight Oats

Recipe courtesy of Chef Michelle, ALDI Test Kitchen
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus overnight to set)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3

• 1 1/2 cups Millville Quick Oats
• 1 teaspoon Southern Grove Chia Seeds
• 2 cups Friendly Farms Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1/8 teaspoon Stonemill Iodized Salt
• 3 tablespoons SimplyNature Organic Wildflower Honey, divided
• 1/4 cup SimplyNature Organic Quinoa, toasted
• 1/4 cup Southern Grove Whole Almonds, toasted
• 1 mango, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped coconut
• .45 ounces Moser Roth Premium Dark Chocolate 70 percent Cocoa, shaved
• .45 ounces Moser Roth Premium Dark Chocolate 70 percent Cocoa, melted

Heat oven to 400 F.

In a large mason jar, combine oats, chia seeds, almond milk, salt and 2 tablespoons of honey. Refrigerate overnight.

In a medium bowl, combine quinoa, almonds and remaining honey. Spread onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove, cooling completely and crumbling. Store in a re-sealable bag overnight.

The next day, stir oats and pour the desired amount into a serving bowl. Top with mango, coconut, shaved chocolate and candied quinoa. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Source: ALDI

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