Getting your child to school on time is a challenge. Getting them there with a nutritious breakfast in their belly can feel impossible. No one understands this struggle more than The Chew's Carla Hall. The TV personality, chef, and mother is always on the go and knows how hard it can be for kids to eat something healthy in the morning — or anything at all. Hall recently teamed up with Fuel Up to Play 60 [1] for the launch of the It Starts With School Breakfast [2] campaign to increase school breakfast participation across the country. The program hopes to push the idea that good nutrition, which starts with a good breakfast, and increased physical activity can lead to better academic performance and healthier lives.
I got to sit down with the beloved TV chef and chew her ear off about healthy eating, getting kids in the kitchen, and the best on-the-go breakfast recipes.
POPSUGAR: Why did you decide to get involved in Fuel Up to Play 60?
Carla Hall: I like that the program encourages kids to be advocates for themselves. When an adult tells a child what to do, it sometimes falls on deaf ears. But when you are fostering children to be their own advocates, it's exciting to them.
PS: As a mom, how do you instill these healthy habits in your child?
CH: The key is getting them involved — getting them to take responsibility and see their work. When my stepson helps make the food or puts his lunch together, he's going to eat it. Even taking them grocery shopping and asking them, "What should I get?" or "What veggie should we try today?"
PS: Why the push for better breakfasts over other meals?
CH: It all starts with breakfast. Even as an adult, when I don't eat, I'm cranky. I'm distracted and thinking about my stomach. I get the foggy brain. I know if it's happening to me, then it's happening to the kids.
PS: What's your big tip for making a great on-the-go breakfast?
CH: Prepare the night before, or even on Sunday. Take an hour or two to set up three to four days' worth of meals.
Need some new ideas for on-the-go breakfasts? Check out four Carla Hall-approved dishes that the kids will love!
Source: Greg Tietell