When my son was a senior in high school he would sleep as late as possible on school

mornings. I discovered that one way to help him get out the door on time was to have
a breakfast sandwich ready. He didn’t have time to spend in a drive-through lane or the
extra cash to spend.

As a mom who spent nearly three decades feeding little people who grew up to be
adults, I considered the sandwich the least I could do to help keep him on
schedule. Those breakfast bundles took very little of my time: They were just
scrambled eggs and a little cheese, or a slice of Canadian bacon if I was feeling
generous, sandwiched between toast or an English muffin.

I wrapped it all up in a paper towel square that not only served to keep the sandwich
warm until he’d inhaled it, but gave him something to wipe his hands with afterwards.

To switch things up, I’d sometimes substitute corn or flour tortillas for the bread, and
toss on a dollop of salsa, transforming it into a breakfast burrito. I know my son
enjoyed them because I looked into his car once and spotted little balls of wadded up
paper towels in the cup holders and on the back floorboard — reminders that my last-
born had indeed eaten his breakfast.

All three of my kids are grown now and out of the house, but fall still feels like a reset,
and a return to breakfast is part of that. Summer breakfast is a different matter. Who
can resist ripe peaches or blueberries on yogurt or granola, or a leisurely brunch of
frittata with family in the backyard?

Fall breakfast, on the other hand, means business: Mom’s scrambled eggs. Dad’s
oatmeal. A protein bar, a bagel with a schmear. At this time of the year, breakfast is
back, whether you always feel you have time for it or not.

What I’m saying is that back to school can be a reset, not just for returning school kids,
but for anyone interested in fueling your body first thing. The arrival of fall is a return to
regular order. No more sleeping in on lazy mornings, and that summer vacation is now
a hazy memory. A proper breakfast is back on the schedule as well.

What’s surprising, though, is that so much of what’s on the menu for breakfast, which
we know to be the most important meal of the day, isn’t good for us. Foods that are
seen as the highest expression of America’s morning cuisine — pancakes, waffles,
blueberry muffins, French toast — could also be a path to early onset diabetes if
consumed too often. And what about the savory, keto-friendly bacon and eggs? Are
they not artery-clogging, and therefore best avoided?

Just last week, I checked out at Costco (where you can’t help but notice the items in
other people’s carts) and I spotted a jumbo box of what appeared to be a month’s
worth of frozen sausages and biscuits.

I bought some once: Have you ever glanced at the sodium and fat on pre-packaged
breakfast biscuits? I did, and I don’t think we finished the box once I looked. It goes
against my grain to begin the day — breaking your fast, as the name of the meal
implies — with such highly processed foods.

My mother was a child of the Great Depression and she fed us a continuous rotation of
school morning breakfast that, thinking back, worked for everyone. Scrambled eggs
and toast on Monday, oatmeal on Tuesday, eggs returned on Wednesday, oatmeal
was back on Thursday.

On Fridays, it was cereal — she didn’t care, even if it was Cheerios, Fruit Loops or
Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a house favorite. But that was before Americans
began questioning sugar in morning cereal. I wonder if she’d have allowed it today.

We can eat breakfast healthier. And we can make it healthier by keeping things
homemade simple. Sweetened, store-bought cereal came before many of us realized
that we could make healthier versions of the store-bought breakfast sandwiches at
home. It was before we realized we can smear a ripe avocado onto a slice of toast, or
some diced avocado on top of scrambled eggs. It was before protein bars, fresh
bagels and granola. It was before a lot of things!

By simplifying the meal and making it ourselves, we don’t have to accept the “bad” in
breakfast — not even cholesterol. It’s possible, for example, to use just egg whites, or
remove a yolk or two as my husband does when it’s his turn to scramble eggs, since
he’s watching his cholesterol. Not necessarily egg-yolk-free, mind you. Just fewer of
them.

Then again, I am not going to argue with him if he skips breakfast. Lots of adults do,
looking to lose weight with intermittent fasting or or taking certain meds without food in
the morning. If you’ve made it to adulthood, breakfast can be up to you. (Personally, I
have to eat something in the morning, or I get terribly crabby by noon.)

I rely on peanut butter or half a smashed avocado on toast, or a scoop of Greek yogurt
topped with berries. I make hard-boiled eggs even more delicious by bringing them to
a boil, removing the pan from the heat, and letting them sit in the cooking water
for exactly 18 minutes so they gently cook until the yolks are bright orangey yellow and
jammy in texture — more appealing, I think, than rock-solid. Then I sprinkle on good
sea salt and cracked black pepper.

One day, before you know it, the kids will be gone and you’ll miss having someone to
hand a breakfast sandwich to as they dash out the door. Below, I’ve shared my
overnight oats recipe, as well as an easy skillet frittata to make ahead and serve
straight from the fridge, pack into a lunch box or zap in the microwave until warm.

There’s one more realization I’ve made about breakfast after all these years.

If you’re not hungry for it, that is indeed a privilege. Many schoolchildren go without
breakfast and not by choice. So as school begins — and making breakfast is once
again on the schedule — embrace it.