This Grab-And-Go Breakfast Drink Packs Protein, Nutrients — And Zero Complaints From Your Kids

Whether your kids spent the summer at camp or in the backyard, it’s likely that their mealtimes were a bit less structured than they are, let’s say, during the school year. At least, that’s definitely how it went down at my house. My son ate weird breakfasts (true story: one morning he asked for pickles and I said yes) in weird places (read: on the couch) as he whiled away his little kid summer.

But fall is getting closer every day. It’ll bring new teachers, new friends, and new routines, and my son will need a morning meal that’ll fuel him for his long, busy days. As far as what I’ll need? Amidst all the getting ready chaos, I’ll be looking for breakfast options that are easy on my routine, that start the day on a nutrient dense note, and that my son will willingly enjoy. Essentially, I need an easy “yes” for both of our sakes.

That’s where Carnation Breakfast Essentials come in. Convenient, delicious, and packed with nutrients — like high quality protein and 21 essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and calcium — Carnation Breakfast Essentials drinks are an easy way to send kids to school feeling unstoppable (without dirtying every dish in your house in the process).

Here are all the options I’ll be stocking and serving this fall. Pro tip: They come as powders or in fully recyclable ready-to-drink cartons, so you can choose whatever works best for your family.

The Original

Let’s start with a classic: the Carnation Breakfast Essentials Original Nutritional Drink. With as much protein as one and a half large eggs, as much vitamin D as three (yes, three) 8 ounce glasses of milk, as much calcium as two 5.3 ounce servings of Greek yogurt, and as much vitamin C as one orange (1), it’s a simple and quick way for the whole fam to get a seriously nutrient dense breakfast drink — minus squabbles about who got what plate or who was served first. And with flavors like rich milk chocolate, cookies ‘n creme, and caramel, your kids will think they’re in heaven with options that taste like a treat but helps fuel like a meal.

The Remixes

Budding athletes in the fam? Prep them for game days (and scrimmage days, and grueling practice days) with Carnation Breakfast Essentials High Protein nutritional drinks. It comes in flavors like creamy strawberry, and, with 15 grams of protein — or the equivalent of two large eggs (2) — it helps to support growth and build and maintain muscle in your active kids. Featuring key nutrients for immune support, these drinks provide 100% of your daily vitamin C and 50% of your daily vitamin D. They also provide 25% daily value of calcium to help build strong bones, plus 20% daily value of iron to help blood deliver oxygen throughout the body, so you can feel great about offering this to your crew. Serve it up as an on-the-go breakfast or a much-needed, nutrient-packed snack to enjoy between packing up their backpacks and hitting the field. That’s an easy yes.

And for those looking for a little less sugar content compared to the Original drink, might we suggest Carnation Breakfast Essentials Light Start? Available in a Rich Milk Chocolate flavor with 70% less sugar than the Original drink (3), Light Start (4) still has 13 grams of protein and 150 nutrient-rich calories. It also contains key nutrients for immune support like vitamin C and vitamin D, plus 25% of the daily value for calcium and 20% of the daily value for iron. In other words, it’s a lighter (but still chocolatey) way to grab something delicious that has everything you need to take on the day.

With nutritious options for everyone in the family, stock up on your favorite varieties and flavors of Carnations Breakfast Essentials drinks and say hello to easier (OK, well… maybe just “less chaotic”) weekday mornings.