Our 2yr old has been on a pretty impressive hunger strike. Im not sure what exactly she is striking for. And I’m not sure she does either, besides a vague sense of power and control.

We try to hold steadfast. Don’t give in and serve cheerios 24/7.

There are always frozen waffles and boxes of cereal on hand, but I strive to stay as creative and varied as possible – I read somewhere that kids fall so quickly into food ruts, that it’s important to try not to serve the same thing more than once or twice in row. Keep it varied to keep them open minded.

(Pancakes are on frequent rotation)

Ellyn Satter writes about the “division of responsibility”, a concept that I find so comforting.  

As she reminds us, we as parents are responsible for the what, when and where of eating, and children are responsible for the how much and whether of eating. 

We generally follow this rule – our kids don’t have to eat, but we won’t make them another option. Either they eat the healthy family meal, or they don’t eat. This often means that meals are skipped. Sometimes two meals in a row are skipped.

So that brings us back to breakfast – what are good options to start the day, besides cereal, cereal and more cereal?

Here are four of our recent attempts at thinking outside the (cereal) box:

1.) Smoothies, of all kinds. Sneak in some fresh spinach if you can.

2.) Hard boiled eggs with butter and sea salt.

3.) Avocado toast. A surprisingly HUGE hit.

4.) Sourdough toast with raw honey, orange slices.

So how do you breakfast? 

One friend suggested these muffins with carrots and zucchini baked in – they were awesome. Another friend has been known to serve homemade apple pie (brilliant – feels special, but is really just apples and bread).