At some point before my kids hit middle school I pledge to get the hang of the school morning routine. It’s quite honestly pathetic that I am still struggling with getting the girl and husband out of the house by 7:20, especially since generally I’m not trying to get myself or the boy out of the house at that hour too. At one point in my life all four of us were leaving the house by 7:30 – the husband and I both for work and the kids for daycare – but somehow with the whole stay-home mom gig, I’ve simultaneously eased up on the morning schedule and created a harried pace. Ironic juxtaposition – my middle names.
I have learned that having a pre-made breakfast like pumpkin bread, peanut butter and banana breakfast cookies and/or Oatmeal and Wheat Bread Machine Bread for toast cuts a good 5 minutes out of the breakfast prep. And those 5 minutes are golden. Those 5 minutes are the difference in me getting to drink me tea or not. Which, truthfully, sets the tone for the rest of my morning. Hot tea = gonna be a good day! Cold tea (or, worse, no tea) = oh dear.
(I’ve also learned that packing the entire lunch for the girl and husband the night before saves me a good 10-15 minutes, but that requires mammoth motivation in the evening hours when the couch and a good book are screaming at me to join them.)
I modified my Baked Vanilla Doughnuts recipe recently when I was craving something with apple cinnamon flavors. They turned out great and made two mornings into hot tea mornings.
These could be baked into muffin tins too – just watch them closely the first time to determine bake time.
Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts
Enough for 6-7 doughnuts (or about 6 muffins)
- 1/2 c whole wheat or spelt flour
- 1/2 c white flour
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- dash nutmeg
- 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp buttermilk
- 1/2 -3/4 c shredded apple
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Optional Glaze Ingredients: 3/4 c powdered sugar + 2 Tbsp milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly coat a donut pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir well with a whisk.
3. In a second bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, apple and vanilla, stirring well with a whisk.
4. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t over-stir, as it will make the donuts less tender.
5. Either spoon batter into the donut pan, or, if you’re a perfectionist like me, pipe the batter into the pan using a large plastic bag with the corner cut off. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until donuts are slightly golden on bottom.
6. Cool in pan about 5 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
7. When doughnuts are cool, top with glaze.
8. Enjoy.
The Lively Kitchen 
I am here to report that it will get easier! Our mornings have become quite relaxed as I casually stroll downstairs 30 minutes (sometimes less!) before needing to leave the house to two kids already dressed and have already eaten breakfast. All I need to do is make their lunches while I sip my hot lemon water and remind them to brush their teeth. (I shouldn’t complain but, really? Still?! Every single morning with the teeth brushing?)
Or, maybe it’s not that it has gotten easier but that I stopped caring if their clothes match perfectly or if they eat the same breakfast nearly every day. The toaster is our friend in the mornings. I make big batches of waffles or french toast and freeze them. And sometimes our friend Trader Joe’s helps me out too. My boys are both creatures of habit and are perfectly happy with the same breakfast every day during the week. Bring on the snooze button.
These yummy donuts will have to wait until the weekend at our house! 🙂
Cute! They would feel like a treat too!
Mornings are a beating. It helps that I do as much as possible the night before, but there are still many stressful mornings. Now that both kids dress themselves and Ashlyn won’t let me touch her hair, I have a few more minutes for myself. Also…I have already decided next year Ashlyn will be packing her own lunch (and maybe even brothers’) the night before. I need one of those donut pans…my kids would anything if it was shaped like a donut!
mornings are super rushed for us too, and it’s just 2 of us! i do almost everything the night before & that helps alot. this breakfast looks fabulous!
Hi Michelle!! Thanks for the Mother’s day note! Hope you guys are doing well. As for the morning routine, I can barely get L and I out the door for her 9am program twice a week… 3 year olds are as slow as molasses. 🙂