When you've got to be somewhere between the hours of 5 to 7 a.m., setting your alarm requires a precise calculation to maximize sleep and still have time to make yourself presentable enough for public.
Then there are those who prefer the "roll out" (of bed) method — going from bed to door without really waking up.
Though breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, it is also the most neglected. For kids who get up early for seminary, temple trips or other early morning activities, breakfast usually isn't important enough to make the alarm-clock-calculation cut.
The beauty of breakfast is that it comes in many forms, and today we're talking travel size.
Breakfast cookie
Dessert for breakfast? For this, we're fudging the line a bit. Transform a bowl of hot oatmeal into an out-of-hand breakfast on the go. Use any variation of your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe and throw in fruits and nuts, depending on your family's taste. Apples, coconut, raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, bananas, pumpkin filling, berries, shredded carrots, maple syrup — get creative (and healthy) and create your own portable breakfast of champions. Store them in the cookie jar on the counter for quick access as you head out the door.
Breakfast-in-a-baggie
The night before an early morning activity, fill a sandwich bag or snack size container with your favorite breakfast cereal, dried fruits and nuts. Too dry? Add yogurt and cut fresh fruits to transform your mix into a breakfast parfait.
For mornings where you've primped fast enough for a five-minute breakfast instead of a snatch-and-go, scramble some eggs and roll them up in a tortilla or make up a breakfast sandwich the night before that you can pop into the microwave to eat on your way out.
Breakfast for early mornings only requires a little planning the night before, and then you can be snoozing for five minutes more.
e-mail: hloftus@desnews.com