Most Amazing, Easiest Grab and Go Breakfast Ever

Grab and Go Breakfast post disclaimer: I’ve included affiliate links to products I love! They’re scattered through the post for easy shopping. If you make a purchase from the link, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase at no extra cost to you!

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Grab and Go Breakfast

This grab and go breakfast was so much fun! It was a blast to prepare. (And it was super easy!) 

Read on to find out how to plan your own awesome grab and go breakfast!

I’m the Chapter Adviser for the Phi Mu chapter at Lyon College. It’s a volunteer role and my main volunteering opportunity. 

The role is a big time commitment and can be challenging, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I’m absolutely certain that I’ve learned more from my advisees than they’ve learned from me. It’s incredibly rewarding! 

College was a time of huge personal growth for me, and Phi Mu was a big part of that. I just want to help provide my advisees with a safe, positive space to grow like the one I had in Phi Mu!

This breakfast was a treat for the girls in the chapter!

I’d been envisioning doing this fun, take-to-class breakfast event for the girls for a while, and my new blog gave me the perfect opportunity to finally do it! Everything was completely portable so the girls could drop in before class and grab breakfast to go!

Choosing the Grab and Go Breakfast Menu

So how did I choose the grab and go breakfast menu?!

I based most of my decisions on saving time! I worked until 6:00 pm the night before this breakfast and had to have it set up by 7:30 am so the girls could grab it on their way to 8:00 am classes. And I am NOT a morning person!

22 girls said they would be coming for breakfast, so I decided to prepare enough for 24. 

With quite a few mouths to feed and limited time, this menu had to be super QUICK and super SIMPLE and super EASY! There couldn’t be any actual cooking going on that morning!

I chose to make scones for the main attraction. The recipe makes quite a few scones (16 actually!), so I only had to make 2 batches. I made two flavors so the girls had an option. They’re easy and quick and I could make them the night before and load them up in the car for the morning! 

Along with the scones, I did berry cups and yogurt jars with granola and honey. (No actual cooking there!)

I ordered the coffee from a local coffee shop and picked it up on my way! I didn’t have to wake up early and brew a bunch of batches of coffee! The coffee also came in handy dispensers that kept it warm and made for easy serving! And I didn’t have to clean them up after! They just went back to the coffee shop!

Thanks to the Pinto Coffee and Comida for doing the coffee!

Creating a Grab and Go Breakfast Chalkboard Menu

I attached some links to help you make your own chalkboard menu below! The Bistro chalk markers are my favorite! I use the skinny one to write the words and then the thick one to fill in the downstrokes for a calligraphy look! I use this chalkboard over and over for lots of events!

Grab and Go Breakfast Menu:

Scones: The Main Attraction! 

One of my coworkers has been making these delicious scones for years! They’re easy, beautiful, quick, inexpensive, and come out perfect every time!

She actually found the recipe on Pinterest but can’t remember where so I can’t tag the writer.

You can also make about a billion different versions with the same batter to fit any party theme or holiday!

See the WR flour in the back? My great grandmother always used it! Now my grandmother and my mom always use it and so do I!

Coffee

I’m glad I ordered the coffee out! My pot brews 8 cups, so I would have had to wake up extra early to brew enough. 

These held 20 cups each, saved me a ton of time, saved me clean up, and kept the coffee warm. 

I love saving money for events, but it can be worth it to spend a little more and save yourself some stress if you can!

The girls love the Pinto, so it made the breakfast even more fun for them! 

And I loved supporting a local business too! 

Yogurt and Granola Mini Mason Jars

These were easy and a hit! All I had to do was scoop in some yogurt, put some (store-bought) granola on top, and drizzle with honey.

I actually used honey from our honeybees that live on our farm!

The jars were adorable! They even had rose gold lids! But they also traveled well and were easy for the girls to grab and take to class!

I served them with mini bamboo spoons. They fit in the jars just right, were cute, and were even sustainable!

Berry Cups

The berry cups were incredibly easy! I just washed my fruit and filled the cups up!

I actually think the girls liked these better than anything else. They ran out first!

I put strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries in mine, but you could sub any berries or fruits you like better.

You could put some sugar or a sweet glaze on top, but the girls ate them up just like they were!

They traveled well in their little cups and looked really pretty on the table!

Easiest, Fastest, Best-Ever Scone Recipe

I’ve already said this, but these scones are DELICIOUS! I knew I wanted them to be the main attraction at our grab and go breakfast! One of the girls took a bite, turned to me, and said, “Megan. This is the best scone I’ve ever eaten!”

You can customize them to be just about any flavor you’d like, but I went with triple chocolate and also blueberry with white chocolate and a lemon glaze. Other flavors I love are triple berry, chocolate and strawberry, and peanut butter chip and chocolate! I’m planning on trying out a Funfetti recipe next!

Make sure you use an Airbake pan to cook these on! It really does make a huge difference! I used a normal baking sheet once, and they just weren’t right! 

Move them onto a cooling rack when you take them out of the oven so they cool faster! 

I brushed melted butter onto the chocolate ones while they were warm and sprinkled them with sugar. I drizzled a lemon glaze over the blueberry ones.

Groceries

• self-rising flour (3 ¼ cups per batch)
• heavy whipping cream (2 cups per batch)
• oil (¼ cup per batch)
• sugar (½ cup per batch)
• unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 bag (11 oz) white chocolate chips (for 1 batch blueberry scones)
• powdered sugar
• 1 bag (11 oz) chocolate chips (for 1 batch chocolate chip scones)*
• 2 lemons
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 pint blueberries (for 1 batch blueberry scones)

*I used ⅓ bag each of dark, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate chips

Supplies

• wooden spoon
• mixing bowl
• baking sheet
• cooling rack
• measuring spoon
• measuring cups
• liquid measuring cup
• storage container for transport

The Coffee

I told you I ordered the coffee! Just sticking to the grab and go breakfast theme!

I served it with soy milk in case someone couldn’t have dairy and half and half for the milk drinkers. And I put out some sugar. These adorable pink cups were just waiting on me at TJMaxx one day!

The girls loved it!

Pink House Alchemy Syrups

These syrups from Pink House Alchemy are the BOMB! Pink House is a small, Arkansas business. I started using their products years ago when I was living in Little Rock and found them at a kitchen store there. They’re great for cocktails too!

I saw these on an episode of Pioneer Woman the other day! 

We stuck pumps in the bottles for easy serving!

Groceries

• 32 oz half & half
• ½ gallon soy or other nondairy milk
• flavored syrups of choice
• coffee
• sugar

Supplies

• coffee cups (lids, sleeves)
• coffee stirrers

Yogurt and Granola Mini Mason Jar Directions

To Make 24 Jars

I ordered these 8 oz jars from Amazon, and they were perfect. 

They were just the right size and had cute rose gold lids! They even came with labels for the lids! I didn’t use them, but they would be handy if you’re doing different flavors. Link below!

I bought the granola to save time, but you could always make yours! It would be fun to add some fruit or chocolate chips to the jars too!

Having an event away from your home can be tough because of all the packing and transport involved, but these were easy to move!

They double as a little favor too!

Groceries

• yogurt: 2 tubs (32 oz)*
• granola: 3 bags (11 oz) of granola**
• small jar honey

*You’ll have most of a bag left over if you order 3 bags. If you don’t want to keep any granola, just get 2 bags and make your tablespoonfuls a little small. I just ate the rest of mine later!**I went with Honey Bunches of Oats French Vanilla Almond.

Supplies

• jars (keep the box they ship in)
• measuring spoon
• measuring cup
• honey drizzler
• spoon

Directions

The week before: 

1. Wash your jars! Throw them in the dishwasher, and then let them dry so they’re ready to go when you need them!

The night before: 

1. Open all the jars and put them out on the counter. It just makes the process go faster!
2. Use a measuring cup to scoop ⅓ cup yogurt into each jar.
3. Replace lids and store in refrigerator.

Morning of:

1. Scoop 2 tablespoonfuls of granola into each jar.
2. Drizzle a litte honey on each one.
3. Replace lids, and then stack them back in the box they shipped in to transport!

Tip: I went with regular yogurt because: 1. it’s cheaper to feed a crowd with than Greek yogurt and 2. it scoops easier than Greek yogurt, making filling the jars easier!

I used vanilla yogurt, but you could always use flavored yogurt. You could even add fruit or chocolate chips or make several flavor options! I have this super handy honey tool I used. It’s called a honey dipper stick! See the link below! You can use a spoon, but this tool sure is helpful! It’s also adorable to decorate with!

Grab and Go Breakfast Berry Cup Directions

To Make 24 Berry Cups:

Night Before:

1. wash berries
2. place in plastic cups
3. store in fridge

Morning of:

1. place plastic cups in kraft paper sleeve
2. add cute pick for easy eating
3. place on display

I used the little plastic cups because I needed to divide the berries out the night before and wasn’t sure how the paper cups would hold up in the fridge!

Groceries

• 1 box (12 oz) raspberries
• 1 box (12 oz) blackberries
• 2 boxes (18 oz) blueberries (½ of 1 is for scones!)
• 2 boxes (1 lb) strawberries

Supplies

• plastic cups
• kraft paper cups
• wood food picks
• colander 

 I got the kraft paper cups I used at Hobby Lobby but linked another cute option below!

Setting a Beautiful Table

I really loved how this table turned out! We actually had the breakfast on Valentine’s Day and Phi Mu’s colors are light pink and white, so I went with a pink and white theme! Spring was just around the corner, so I pulled in some floral elements to brighten things up! I have white dishes, so pretty much all of my events feature white dishes. But I added in some pink with the vase and sugar container! 

Because we live in the South, I went with kind of a rustic, Southern theme with the rest of the elements. I added in some mason jars and the wood round under them and the galvanized cupcake stand!

I think this would be a fun set up for a baby shower or wedding shower brunch! Or you could change the colors up and do it for any event! 

Top Tips for Setting a Beautiful Table

• Pick serving pieces of different heights.
• Start tall in the back and get lower as you go. 
• If you don’t want to go for a full tablecloth, try a kraft paper runner or a table runner!
• Never put anything straight on the table if you don’t have to.
• Think about what will go behind your table.

Notice I’ve got the tall cupcake stand, the medium height scone stand, and the low wood round. The tall coffee and cupcake stand go in back and the lower scones in front!

If you don’t want to use a full tablecloth, that’s okay! They can get pricey! A table runner can really make a big impact. And this kraft paper roll was very inexpensive. I keep one at the house all the time for art projects, events, and more! If you do use a tablecloth, make it sure it goes to the ground, fits the table well, and is the correct shape. And iron that sucker!!! Nothing looks messier than a wrinkled tablecloth. 

I could have just put the jars right on the table, but they looked much better on their little wood round. If you have silverware, it always looks better in a holder or even just on a plate! I put my spoons in a glass creamer in a pinch! I wish I would have put the cups and lids in a little basket!

I knew there was nothing hanging behind the table in the Phi Mu apartment, so I grabbed the rose and jute wall hanging at Hobby Lobby the night before in a pinch. It ended up being really cute! I also love using balloons and streamers in the background at events. They’re cheap but pack a big punch!

The Flowers

These flowers were CHEAP, y’all! Well, no flowers are cheap but relatively cheap! I bought them at Kroger. Kroger has the best grocery store flowers. I think they cost $18! 

If you’ve ever bought flowers from a florist, you know how expensive they can get! I would love to buy beautiful, professional arrangements, but that’s just not in the budget! I also love buying grocery store greenery to fill space! Eucalyptus is always fun, and it smells good!

Make sure you choose the right vase to hold your arrangement. If you pick a vase with a tiny opening, not many flowers will fit–which can be good if you’ve just got a few skinny stems! If you pick a giant opening, you’re going to need a lot of flowers!

I actually had a little extra room in this one and stuck in a couple fake flowers to fill space. Leave me a comment if you know which one is fake!

Don’t fill your vase with water until you reach your final destination. You don’t want water all over you and your car!

Don’t forget to cut your stems at a bias so your flowers drink better and stay fresh longer! 

Also don’t cut them too short right off. You can always cut them shorter, but you can’t add length!

Top Tips for DIY Flower Arrangements

1. Look for grocery store flowers!
2. Add in a few fake stems if you don’t quite fill your vase!
3. Be careful picking your container. Look at the opening size!
4. Greenery is cheap and can fill in a lot of space!
5. Don’t fill your vase too full of water until it’s reached its final destination.
6. Cut your stems at a bias so they absorb water well.
7. Leave stems a little long at first.

Supplies

• flower shears
• flowers
• vase

Preparing for Your Grab and Go Breakfast Event

When you’re doing a big event, you have to stay organized! There’s nothing worse than showing up to your own cocktail party still in your apron with no makeup on! (I’ve heard it’s not fun anyway……)

Timeline

2 Weeks Before

1. Finalize your decoration plan.
2. Make a list of all decorations needed.
3. Finalize your menu.
4. Make your grocery list.
5. Make a list of serving dishes needed and utensils needed.

I really, actually do follow this timeline! If it’s a really big event, I’m might even start earlier! I hate feeling rushed and stressed more than anything. It just takes all the fun out of it! So to keep from feeling that way, I start early and stay organized!

Figure out how you want to decorate early! That way you can go gather supplies and order things from Amazon that you can’t find! Put all the supplies you buy in a box ready to transport as they come in the mail or as you buy them!

Come up with your menu early. You might have to make some changes depending on what’s available in the store, but that’s okay!

Go item by item and make a list of everything you need from the grocery store for each item! I love to use Wal-Mart pickup and keep a list in my app!

Next go item by item again and make a list of everything you’ll need to present and serve each item! Think of serving pieces and utensils and condiments!

Lists are your best friend!

1 Week Before

1. Go pickup your groceries.
2. Make any decorations you have to make.
3. Do any lettering you need to do.
4. Pack your serving pieces and decorations.

A few days before the event, go pickup your grocery order. I love grocery pickup! I work full time and sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day! Grocery pickup can save me hours when I have a big event coming up! 

Get your groceries a few days ahead because something won’t be available and you’ll forget something. Then you can just pop in later and get what you’re missing quickly! It’s good to find out you forgot something or that there’s no blueberries in your bag for your blueberry scones earlier than the night before!

If you want to make a menu sign or labels for dishes or place markers, do it early! It just won’t happen if you try to do it the day of!

If you have to make or assemble any decorations, do it early! You don’t want to be scrambling the day of!

Use the list you made earlier to pack your serving pieces and decorations in a transport box. I like to keep some clean plastic storage boxes for this purpose!

The Night Before

1. Do any cooking you can do early.
2. Load your car or set your table.
3. Decorate if you can!

Get any cooking you can do ahead of time done! It’s better to be ahead than behind!

In this case, I made the scones the night before, washed the berries and put them in their cups, and loaded the jars with yogurt.

Load your car with anything that you can!

For this event, I had all the decorations and serving pieces in the car the night before. I even loaded up the scones once they cooled! If you’re having the event at your house, try to have your table set and your decorations up the night before!

The Morning or Day of:

1. Get yourself ready first!
2. Put the food out.
3. Enjoy!

I’m not a morning person, so I don’t normally catch the sunrise. But I got to see it on this morning! It was beautiful!

Get yourself together first. If you don’t, you’ll keep putting it off until it’s too late. Having guests show up for your party when you haven’t even started your makeup isn’t fun! If the party is at night, take a break in the afternoon and get yourself as ready as possible!

Just before people come, put the food out! You can keep it covered with plastic wrap or a napkin until they arrive.

Have fun! Treat yourself to something you’ve cooked, because you deserve it!

And if a friend offers to help you carry things in from your car or keep your cheese tray stocked or keep your drink decanter full, let them!

Top Tips for Preparing for a Big Event:

• Lists are your best friend!
• Use a grocery delivery service!
• Start earlier than you think you need to.
• Get yourself ready first. 

I forgot the creamer for this event, because it was in my fridge! (Rookie mistake!) 

How many times have you heard your mom say at Thanksgiving, “Well shoot! I forgot the deviled eggs! They’re still in the fridge,” after everyone has gone home?

Tip: Even make a list of everything that’s in your fridge that needs to go on the table or in the car!

Your Grab and Go Breakfast Shopping and Packing Lists

Okay! Here is everything you need to recreate this Grab and Go Breakfast party!

I placed some Amazon links below for easy preparation! Hopefully by the time you finish reading, you can have your cart full and ready to go!

Decorations

• floral wall hanging
• Command hooks
• kraft paper roll
• paintbrush
• white paint
• vase
• flowers
• flower shears
• scissors
• tabletop chalkboard 
• chalk markers

I got that floral wall hanging at Hobby Lobby but linked something similar from Amazon. 

Don’t forget you need something to hang it with!

I decorated the kraft paper when I got there and wished I had done it earlier, because I was rushed and didn’t do a great job. But that’s okay!! I’ll know next time!

Serving Pieces

• cupcake stand (berries)
• cake stand (scones)
• wood round (yogurt jars)
• creamer (to hold spoons for yogurt jars)
• sugar dish (coffee)
• spoon (for sugar dish coffee)
• soy container (coffee)
• milk container (coffee)
• coffee servers (coffee)*

*my coffee servers came from the coffee shop

I go through my menu and assign a serving piece and utensil to each item!

Grab and Go Supplies

• paper bag
• napkins
• plastic cup (berries)
• kraft paper cup (berries)
• wood food pick (berries)
• kraft paper bakery sleeve (scones)
• jars (yogurt jars)
• bamboo spoon (yogurt jars)
• coffee cups (coffee)
• coffee stirrers

I got cute pink bags for the girls to pack their breakfast in and take to class. What is more grab and go than a paper bag?! The berries traveled in their little cups, and I included a little wood pick to eat them with. I got some kraft paper bakery sleeves to put the scones in so they weren’t just floating in the paper bags. The yogurt traveled in the jars, and I included a cute, mini bamboo spoon for eating. The coffee cups came with lids and cute sleeves for easy transport!

Again, I go menu item by menu item and think about what each item will need to travel! I also think about what each item will need to be eaten with (spoons, forks).

Supplies

• colander
• wooden spoon
• mixing bowl
• baking sheets
• measuring cups
• liquid measuring cup
• measuring spoons
• honey drizzler
• spatula
• cooling rack
• mason jar shipping box
• storage container for scones
• clean storage box for berry cups
• clean storage box for serving supplies
• box for decorations
• vase
• scissors
• flower shears

Tip: I love my Mason Cash mixing bowls! I saw them on the Great British Baking Show and knew I needed some! I got mine as a gift!

Groceries

• 6 ½ cups self-rising flour (3 ¼ cups per scone batch)
• 4 cups heavy whipping cream (2 cups per scone batch)
• ½ cup vegetable oil (¼ cup per scone batch)
• 1 ½ cups sugar (½ cup per scone batch plus 1 cup sugar for coffee)
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 bag (11 oz) white chocolate chips
• 1 bag (11 oz) chocolate chips*
• flowers
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 lemons
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 32 oz half & half
• ½ gallon soy or other nondairy milk
• coffee
• 2 tubs (32 oz) yogurt
• 3 bags (11 oz) granola
• small jar of honey
• 1 box (12 oz) raspberries
• 1 box (12 oz) blackberries
• flavored syrups of choice
• 2 boxes (18 oz) blueberries**
• 4 boxes (1 lb) strawberries

*I used ⅓ bag each of dark, semi-sweet, and milk chocolate chips.
**Half of one box of blueberries is for the scones.

How to Get My Grab and Go Breakfast Outfit:

This was actually my Valentine’s Day outfit! My Galentine had a matching shirt (of course)!

• Headband: My headband is from Amazon! Link below!
• Shoes: You can also get my shoes from Amazon. They are my fave travel shoes right now! They go with everything and are super comfy! Link below.
• Shirt: My “Lovers Gonna Love” shirt is from Bellabird Boutique. Order online!
• Jeans: I LOVE these jeans and get compliments every time I wear them. They’re from Main Attire. Shop them online!
• I added a couple other fun options in the Amazon links!

Grab and Go Breakfast Follow-up Information:

• I’m a Phi Mu alumna and am incredibly grateful for my time as an active sister and for my time as an alumna volunteer. For more information on Phi Mu visit the website! Thanks to my advisees for coming to breakfast!
• The Pinto Coffee and Comida in Batesville provided the coffee. They do take-out coffee (and food) if you need any for your event or business! The Pinto is an adorable little shop on Batesville’s Main Street that sells coffee and tacos. If you’re ever in Batesville, it’s a must! (And it’s about the most Instagrammable place ever!) Check out their menu!
• Lyon College is a small, liberal arts college tucked away in the foothills of the Ozarks in Batesville, AR. And it’s MY alma mater! For more information visit the website!
• I want to send a special thanks to Katherine Jeane for helping me set up and taking amazing pictures!
• Check out Pink House Alchemy! They make shrubs, bitters, and syrups in ARKANSAS, and they’re all GREAT! I’ll share my fave shrub cocktail one day! You can order from their website online, from Amazon, or get them at Real Goods Market and Eatery in Batesville!

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