We’ve all heard the important role healthy breakfasts play in helping power kids through their day. But let’s face it: breakfast time arrives way too early in the morning for most of us.

Morning time at our house is always a frantic flurry of activity. And now that school is starting back up, things won’t be calming down anytime soon. However, making sure my son's first meal of the day is nutritious is a top priority for me. The problem is, if I'm not super organized in planning healthy breakfasts in advance then a mountain of dishes and a giant mess is the end result. I only have a few minutes to clean the kitchen in the morning, so if I have to leave a big mess behind I end up feeling frazzled and totally disorganized as I race out the door. And then of course I dread coming home to a kitchen in disarray.

The only way I can possibly keep things organized and in order in the mornings is to have make-ahead breakfasts that don’t require any cooking or assembly. Even pulling out all of the ingredients to make a smoothie can sometimes be too stressful (and messy!)

Make Ahead Clean Cuisine Breakfasts

These are a few of my go-to make-ahead breakfast recipes that keep me sane in the mornings. After my cup of coffee, of course (wink).

All recipes below fit our clean eating criteria and are nutrient-rich. They are also rich in fiber and have no dairy, no refined flour, no refined sugar and no refined oil. And not to worry, they are most definitely kid-approved!

Superfood Breakfast Cookies

Yup! Healthy breakfasts can even include cookies. The kids will never guess what secret superfood is lurking in these nutrient-rich breakfast cookies. Beans! Believe it or not, you can make incredibly moist and super tasty superfood breakfast cookies by mixing a full can of pureed garbanzo beans in with your cookie dough. And no, the cookies taste nothing like bean dip. Along with the "super clean" bean-based plant protein, these cookies deliver a hefty dose of antioxidant-rich raisins and omega-3 rich walnuts. Note: To maximize nutrition, I prefer to use Biodynamic Whole Wheat Flour but if you can’t find that, just look for organic whole wheat flour instead.

Make it a complete meal by adding a piece of fruit (a banana is my favorite!) and a glass of unsweetened hemp or almond milk.

Serves: 12 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 can (15-ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons hemp milk or almond milk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 organic egg (I prefer to use organic eggs raised on pasture, such as Vital Farms)
• 6 tablespoons organic, extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour (I prefer Isis Biodynamic brand flour)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar
• ¾ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped raw walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor add the garbanzo beans, applesauce, hemp (or almond) milk, vanilla, and egg. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add in the flour, baking soda, salt and coconut palm sugar. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients together. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
4. With a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each scoop about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Glazed Donuts

Gluten-free donuts are truly a ‘hole’ lot easier to make than you might think!

But seriously, is there a kid alive who wouldn't want to eat donuts for breakfast? And there is certainly no reason to let them in on the fact these are healthy donuts either. Baked, not fried, and made without refined sugar or refined flour, these are donuts you can feel good about serving. By the way, did you know the maple syrup used to sweeten the donuts is not an empty calorie sweetener? An analysis of pure maple syrup reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows this delicious natural sweetener also contains phytonutrients including lignans (which are found in flaxseeds), coumarins, and other health-promoting antioxidants.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free oats (ground into flour) or gluten free oat flour (***If gluten-free is an option rather than a necessity, you could substitute whole wheat flour)
• ¼ cup plus ⅓ cup raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 1 banana, chopped
• 3 pitted dates
• 2 organic pastured eggs
• ½ cup unsweetened almond or hemp milk
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons plus ⅓ cup organic, extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon plus ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, divided
• ⅓ cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand)
• ⅓ cup coconut palm sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil the doughnut pans and set aside.
2. In a food processor, add the whole oats (or oat flour),1/4 cup cacao powder, baking powder and salt. Process until oats are the consistency of flour and all ingredients are well blended. Set aside.
3. In a high speed blender (such as a Vitamix), add the chopped banana, dates, eggs. hemp milk, pure maple syrup, 4 tablespoons oil and vanilla extract. Process until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the food processor with the dry ingredients; process until everything is well-blended.
5. Spoon batter into the doughnut pans. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove donuts from pan and let cool on a wire rack.
6. For the Chocolate Glaze: Place the remaining ⅓ cup oil and chocolate chips in a small saucepan; heat over low-medium heat until chocolate starts to melt. Stirring, add in the remaining ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup cacao powder and coconut palm sugar. Continue stirring over low heat until chocolate melts and ingredients are well blended. Set aside to cool. Once the donuts have cooled, glaze the tops and then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Banana Ice Cream with Peanut Butter and Honey

Ice cream for breakfast?!? Once again, this is not your typical ice cream. Not only is it dairy-free, it's sweetened primarily with nutrient-rich bananas. And it's a way cool alternative to yogurt (smile).

Ingredients

• 3 bananas
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup and 2 Tablespoons peanut butter (Note: If peanut allergies are an issue, you can substitute almond butter)
• 1½ cup water
• 3 Tablespoons raw honey
• 8 dates
• pinch of unrefined sea salt

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) and process until very smooth and creamy.
2. Pour contents into an ice cream maker and follow manufacture's instructions.