If you are a seasoned mom, you will have heard of the concept of serving breakfast for dinner and taken advantage of it many times!  Even this food blogger, who plans meals ahead by cooking all weekend and stores sauces and soups in the freezer still hits a Thursday or Friday where there is little food and even less imagination for what to serve.  That is where breakfast for dinner comes in.

Breakfast foods, if done right, can incorporate protein (eggs) grains (toast) and vegetables (omelets with veggies and home fries) covering all your nutritional basics if you include some fresh fruits.  And still be made in 30 minutes or less in a mad dash on a weeknight.

Eggs:  Tricks I know for fluffy eggs include using a little splash of milk in the eggs before whisking; heating the eggs on a low flame only, they get tough if you cook them too fast; and, salting them after they are cooked.   Another tip is to dump the eggs out of the pan onto the plate right BEFORE you think they are cooked.  The eggs continue to cook on the plate a bit, so don’t dry them out completely in the pan or they won’t be fluffy.

Pancakes:  I have already covered how I make the dry ingredients ahead of time on this post:  Pancakes.  That will save time when you are in a hurry, and because I make the dry ingredients myself I include whole wheat flour and everything is all natural.  To top the pancakes honey or real maple syrup are not bad options, but you can use fruit sauces to boost the nutrition.  These are quick and healthy and can convince the pickiest of eaters to include fruit in their diet.  You can also make French toast for dinner, if my twins can make it for me on Mother’s Day at 8 years old, a grown-up should be able to make enough for the family in about 20 minutes start to finish!

Boosting the flavor and the nutrition with omelets and potatoes:   I have already shared our family favorite:  Hot dog omelets.   But when it comes to omelets you can be more nutiritious in your choice of ingredients.  My eldest son enjoys omelets with cut peppers and a side of salsa, my husband enjoys mushrooms, onions and cheese in his omelet.  Eggs are a blank canvass, so try something new.  Fold in fresh herbs, (my co-worker Loves tarragon in her eggs) and blend in different cheeses depending on your mood.  You could try fresh mozzarella with sausage and fresh oregano or thyme for an Italian flair.  Just like with quiche, sharp cheddar and bacon would go well, or Swiss cheese and spinach, sky’s the limit!

For potatoes, I would recommend cutting them very small square chunks, and throwing them in the pan with some diced onions and warm them in oil for 20 minutes while you work on the eggs and fruit.  Then add some salt, pepper, paprika and butter and continue to cook until browned, another 5 minutes.  You can up the flavor in the eggs by adding in pepper to these as well, colorful red or yellow pepper would work nicely.

Best Served with a devious look and a wink, letting the kids think they got away with something eating breakfast at dinner!