Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Breakfast Mug Cake

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When school starts in a few weeks, we’ll be early out the door, early to the bus stop and chatter happily down the street getting there. And for a little while, that’s how it will be every day.

Eventually, though, those early days of bright-eyed walks to the bus stop will become bleary-eyed mornings. The kids will sleep through their alarm. Or just get up late. And they’ll drag themselves to the breakfast table … and sometimes, it will be so late, I will send them right back upstairs to get dressed.

Instead of calm, happy walks, we’ll be dashing to the bus stop — or worse, missing the bus altogether.

On those days, it’s important to have portable, quick options for breakfast that can be eaten on the run — or in the car. This easy breakfast mug cake recipe is all that. It takes less than 3 minutes to make, and can feed both of my kids at once (with a little fruit on the side!). And best of all, it’s totally portable — perfect for carrying to the bus stop on those mornings we’re running late.

Or digging into in the car.

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Breakfast Mug Cake is somewhere between a pancake in a mug and that favorite bowl of oatmeal. Made with Quaker Instant Oatmeal, a single packet of Maple Brown Sugar (my favorite!) oatmeal flavors the cake while giving it a light but hearty texture. It’s finished off with a drizzle of maple syrup for an extra pop of sweet goodness.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal is one of the breakfast foods I make sure we always stock up on before school starts. Whether you use it in a cake like this, or just make that yummy oatmeal to enjoy as oatmeal, it’s quick, easy and nutritious.

Recently, when I was stocking up at Walmart for this post, I was also asked to pick up Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter cereal and Chewy Dipps granola bars, both of which make good “treat” foods to pack in lunch boxes too. In addition to fruits, veggies and a yogurt, I always include a little treat to enjoy at school — whether it’s a tasty granola bar dipped in chocolate like Chewy Dipps or a little cereal. It keeps lunch and snack time fun.

What are your best tips and tricks for quick breakfasts for back to school?

Also, check out Quaker on Walmart’s site, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for more great breakfast ideas.