(WFMW) Let's eat cake!

I've wracked my brain for quite some time on how to make mornings a bit easier around here. It is often 10 or 11am by the time we have gotten up/dressed, prepared/eaten breakfast and then cleaned up. We get a good groove going with school and then it's time to start on lunch.

Since my kids have numerous, complicated food allergies/intolerances/issues meals are a less than simple affair around here. Nearly everything is made from scratch, which I realize a lot of people do, but it's not really "my thing". With all the other duties of the morning it just seems like it takes forever.

Something simple like oatmeal or storebought cold cereal just isn't an option. We've tried doing double and triple batches of pancakes, freezing the leftovers and then just pulling them out for quick breakfasts. The problem is doing even a quadruple batch doesn't provide enough for more than a couple of days...my kids are big eaters apparently. I also have one child that doesn't care much for pancakes or waffles. This child definately struggles to eat them when they are in the form of frozen then toasted leftovers. Since we deal with a lot of "issues" surrounding food, I choose to let the food battle slide most of the time and try to cater to their preferences when possible. Spending that much time for something that only lasts a few days and causes a showdown with one child just isn't worth it. That means I need a different solution.

Finally, after much trial and error, I think we've hit on well...a hit. A solution that is fairly quick, easy and everyone happily eats.

Cake for breakfast...every day. Yay, for cake!

Here's what really makes this work for us.

1. I have several different recipes and we rotate so no one gets sick of eating the same thing everyday. (doing this also keeps them from literally getting sick, but that's a different blogpost for a different day)

2. We double each recipe to make two 9x13 cakes. This means breakfast only has to be prepared every other day, as we eat one cake a day.

3. The cakes are baked the afternoon before one is needed. Tomorrow during chore time, Jerald will bake two cakes for Friday and Saturday mornings. It fits easily into the afternoon chores and there is no rush to get it done that morning.

4. Cake is easier than muffins/cupcakes because you don't have to worry about the tedious task of greasing individual muffin cups or cleaning muffin tins (using paper cups is wasteful and more expensive). It's much less time intensive to grease and wash a simple cake pan.

5.To round out the breakfast is rather easy. If it's a fruity type cake like pineapple upside down cake, than we just have a glass of milk to go with it. Otherwise, we alternate having strawberry smoothies or yogurt (homemade plain) with a dab of maple syrup and apple slices or occasionally another fruit. (we also use real butter instead of oil so that's more protein and a better fat, no crisco or veggie oil for us)

**I should note that we don't eat cake with icing unless it's for a special occasion. Even then it's a cream cheese icing with just a tiny bit of sugar or it's whipped cream made with heavy whipping cream and a tiny bit of sugar. So, I'm not talking about sugary, unhealthy storebought birthday cake for breakfast.

A Morning that requires little work in the kitchen works for me! Even if cake isn't your thing, maybe just preparing the day before would make your day easier. For more great tips and ideas, check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer (usually hosted at We Are That Family).