So. The Youngest Member, when queried this morning about his breakfast wishes, announced that he wanted cookies, ice cream, cake, cupcake, and a chocolate milkshake. We, his parents, explained to him that those were desserts, and that they were not breakfast foods. Nobody eats cake for breakfast we told him, and then a few minutes later, in the kitchen, I appended to my Best Reader except doughnuts, of course. She agreed. Doughnuts, clearly an allowable breakfast food. Sure, it’s a treat, still, it’s nothing at all like having a piece of cake for breakfast, right?
Although, as my Best Reader pointed out, coffee cake was also potentially an allowable breakfast food. Not just corn muffins and bran muffins and blueberry muffins, but chocolate chip muffins are allowable as well, as are (again, as special treats) those chocolate muffins. Totally different from cake.
Also, danish. And pain au chocolat. And pancakes, with syrup, and possibly with chocolate chips. Also Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs, of course, and Honey Grahams, but not under any circumstances Graham crackers. Bread and honey, approved for breakfast. Honey cake, not approved for breakfast.
Apple danish, by the way, perfectly fine for breakfast. Apple strudel, OK. Apple pie, no. Pumpkin pie only allowable for breakfast in the state of Vermont.
Also, milkshakes must have some coffee in them. Right? Or am I wrong here?
Tolerabimus quod tolerare debemus,
-Vardibidian.
Agreed on all accounts. But milkshakes are allowed for breakfast if you put some fruit in them and call them a ‘smoothie’.
We’ve been having some back-and-forth about honey bread, lately, which may have to get put into the category of Occasional Breakfast. We’ve also had requests for cinnamon toast with sugar, on which I’ve ruled “no”, although cinnamon toast without sugar is fine.
There are some interesting things in the other direction as well (too savory to be breakfast, rather than too sweet). Bagel with lox: breakfast. Bread with tunafish: not breakfast. I like to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast if I feel in need of fortification; certain parties (in my own home!) feel that this is Weird.
In Mexico they often have beans for breakfast, which I came to like a lot when I was there, and then there are those English pub breakfasts (eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, beans, kidneys) which I could not stomach.
If I ate a donut for breakfast, at around 10:30 my blood sugar would drop like a rock and I would lose 75 IQ points within a few seconds.
Jacob: I once freaked out some people at the farmers market when I told them that I preferred peanut butter on my pancakes instead of maple syrup. My sweet tooth is much less than it used to be; also I’ve really figured out this last year that I do much better on days when I have enough protein at breakfast. I’m more productive and less cranky. Also, agreed on the blood sugar drop.
You’re making me glad that, for the time being, all that J ever wants for breakfast is boo-bah. (Oatmeal with blueberries.) As long as our supply of frozen blueberries from last summer and the summer before holds out, we’re good.
We do attempt to offer protein at every breakfast, usually in the form of eggs or cheese, but occasionally sausage (of which he is fond), cottage cheese (runs hot and cold) or in dire circumstances, deli lunch meat.
Our daycare has “breakfast for lunch” (eggs, sausage, toast, OJ) as part of their regular lunch rotation.
Apple pie is an excellent breakfast. As is pear pie. Pumpkin is fine outside Vermont, though I like apple and pear better.
For that matter, leftover sienipiirakka (mushroom pie) is breakfast too.
I think the key with pies is that they need to be not terribly sweet, or they get moved into the “cake is not breakfast” camp.