...to ask you about breakfast?

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My children are top loaders, they like a big breakfast and then hardly eat anything at dinner. It's always been this way and we largely just go with it now. So, breakfast is our main family meal where we all sit together and have a natter etc.

But...since starting school it's harder to fill DS up in the time available. We still sit together, but just don't have as long so overall DS eats less and as a result is often walking out the door to school saying he's still hungry. I thought by now maybe his appetite would have shifted so he would be more hungry in the evenings, but it hasn't happened. So I'm trying to find some filling, easy breakfasts which are going to give him energy for the day but can be consumed relatively quickly. Or even something which we could take with us on the school run, sort of a grab and go style loaf or bake type breakfast if such a thing exists?

Cereal doesn't seem to keep him full. Porridge does the trick better than most things, but noone wants to eat it every single day of the week even with different toppings etc. We tried overnight oats but no-one was a big fan.

Does anyone have any filling, healthy breakfast recipes which work for manic mornings?

YABU - just stick with cereal, his metabolism will shift eventually
YANBU - and here's a recipe you might want to try

My DS9 has scrambled eggs and toast every morning. It fills him up and I can make it in minutes.

Alternate the porridge with buckwheat kasha or lentils. Both can be served with sausage or mixed with onions and a dsmall pasta like farfalle or spaetzle.

Farmer's omelets - omelet with cubed potatoes plus whatever veggies are around.

Greek yogurt.

Cereal isn’t ultimately very sustaining. A big bowl of fruit followed by toast and then gradually progressing to eating at more usual times of day. It will happen, not least because a whole world of food out there that’s not really available at breakfast will begin to appeal

DS is also always 'starving' in a morning so I have the same challenge. I do make porridge a lot in winter and jazz it up to make it interesting - our favourites are Christmas pudding porridge and cherry Bakewell. None of us really want it daily though so other hits that are filling are cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and banana toastie (see a theme?), breakfast cheese and egg bagel or time permitting baked oats.

My DD was like this. Eventually as she became a teen she prioritised staying in bed as long as possible and there physically wasn't time to eat a big breakfast. She adapted eventually- now has a poached egg on toast most mornings and we eat in the evening as a family.

Hard boiled eggs made the night before

Banana bread, toasted, with peanut butter

Scrambled eggs

You can also make a batch of sausages to reheat during the week

Quick scrambled egg done in microwave too, serve with brown toast

Mumsnet you're the best!!! So many inspirational ideas on here <3 writing them all down to try over the next few weeks and see which ones go down well.

Brilliant, looking forward to breakfast tomorrow already 😋

Banana bread...toasted...with peanut butter. I'd just never have put those together and it sounds so delicious!!

Ham, cheese and mushroom omelette and a Kvarg yoghurt (really nice and high in protein).

Cereal has never been a "big breakfast", so it's a bit concerning if he regularly isn't eating in the evening. Is it just that he doesn't like the evening options? How much does he eat for school lunch?

Breakfasts - you need protein as others suggested. Some extra ideas:
Peanut butter, almond butter and cashew butter work well here on toast. You can also add a nut butter and honey to porridge to pad out a bit.
Burrito wraps - you can also add a big spoon of refried bean to scrambled egg, tomato and bacon; very filling and can be finished on the way to school if you have a long journey.
Not healthy for every day, but south africans taught me the joy of a bacon medallion in a peanut butter sandwich; incredibly filling and tasty.

What do you usually have for dinner? Just make a big batch and have it for breakfast. You don’t need to limit yourself with ‘breakfast’ foods, especially if it’s their big meal of the day. My friend often has curry for breakfast, on toast with a fried egg on top!

Agree, eggs are your friend here, mine love eggy bread (French toast), omelette, egg on toast, mini egg muffins etc. Most can be prepared in advance or take minutes in the morning. Sometimes with bacon, mushrooms etc. Also consider adding other protein rich foods like avocado, ham, cheese, soft cheese, beans etc.

Also google breakfast made in slow cooker- not one for every day but you can essentially put the whole breakfast in a slow cooker overnight and it is ready by breakfast time. You can pick up slow cookers online for next to nothing second hand.

Similar with my kids...they need a decent breakfast.

I batch cook breakfast wraps then freeze them: wrap, omelette, hash brown, bacon, handful of spinach and bit of ketchup. Wrap them in baking paper & couple of minutes in the microwave. Also do them with chicken instead of the bacon.

Beans on toast (sausages with beans on toast is popular at the moment...not the best thing for them, but they have SEN so always just happy they're eating!)

If they're saying they're still hungry on the way to school I try to have homemade flapjacks or homemade granola in a pot for them to munch on in the car.

Bagel and peanut butter plus banana

"time available" you say? everyone gets up half an hour earlier?

Big frittata made with veg, cheese, ham etc...can just cut a big wedge of it for breakfast....or even stick a piece of it in a roll for a breakfast sandwich.

In my book 'eggy bread' is the simple savoury kind - bread soaked in egg, then fried.
'French toast' is sweet - once egg soaked bread is fried sprinkle with cinnamon and icing sugar.

I usually have those small brioche buns in the cupboard in case DD needs to eat on the run.

But I agree definitely do not give cereal. Greek yogurt with berries and nuts is good,also peanut butter on toast or boiled eggs.

Toast, peanut butter and banana

If you make the batter the night before, pancakes are quick and easy in the morning. My Gdcs like them with sliced banana. They would like Nutella even better but that’s only for the odd weekend treat. I make theirs with 2 eggs instead of one, to be extra nutritious.

Scrambled egg on wholemeal toast then a couple of sausages to go wrapped in foil.

They are eating at usual times of day. It's the 'eat little or nothing in anticipation of a big dinner' method that's wrong, hence it not working for them. Some people cope better than it than others, but it's still unnatural.

Fruit and toast is still unsustaining carbs so as likely as cereal to not work for them.

OP can you take portable (second?) breakfasts that can be eaten at the school gate or morning break?

You can slice croissants and add ham and cheese. Wrap in foil and bung in the freezer. In the morning, grab one or two and put them in the oven for 15 mins. They can be taken with you or eaten at home.

I make the kids breakfast muffins (plenty of recipes online) but their favourite is one made with oats, banana, frozen raspberries and white chocolate chips. They can also be made in advance, I make 24 at a time and freeze them in ziplock bags, just get them out the night before.

Eggs or porridge is what mine have most mornings. Scrambled eggs on toast don't take that long to make, would he get up a little earlier to make sure he has time to eat?

I've never done it but I've always wondered about making breakfast wraps (sausage patties, bacon and a bit of omelette) in advance and freezing them and reheating in the oven. I might give it a go.

You can also make pancakes with oats - the smaller milled ones work best. Soak oats in yogurt overnight and mix in an egg or two, a bit of baking powder, sugar if you want and fry like normal pancakes.