Childhood Breakfasts You Forgot Existed

For some reason or another, our affection for some foods never makes it past childhood. Dinners like Tater Tot casserole and corn dogs just aren't as acceptable to eat in adulthood, and desserts like Cosmic Brownies probably don't make it on your much more mature grocery lists. What breakfasts have become bygones now that you've left home?

Those were the good old days — when you didn't have to make yourself a balanced breakfast because your parents had something ready and waiting for you before you left for school. It is the most important meal of the day, after all! And the best breakfasts from your childhood were sugary and colorful and tasted fantastic. Here are some of the greatest childhood breakfasts you probably forgot existed.

It's time this retro recipe made a comeback. You love bacon. You love pancakes. So why not put them together? These strips of breakfast perfection are best served with syrup and whipped cream. Here's the recipe!

Banana bread is 100 percent dessert, but it was once perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast. Spread a slice of banana bread with Nutella or peanut butter and bam! You had a meal.

Jimmy Dean still makes these. They are, quite literally, breakfast served on a stick. They are basically corndogs, but sweeter. Maple breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake... Why not? Dip these in maple syrup for an even more elevated experience.

This diet tip (thankfully) died decades ago, but there was a time when the breakfast everyone and their mother ate each day was a broiled grapefruit. Sometimes there was cottage cheese on the side. Yes, this breakfast is low-fat and low-calorie, but at what cost?! Plus, fat is good for you. Haven't you heard?

Why eat breakfast when you can drink chocolate milk instead? Let's be real — Carnation Instant Breakfast was basically just chocolate milk masquerading as a nutritionally complete meal. Now they're called Breakfast Essentials and they're a little healthier than the sugary drinks of yore. But who was complaining? These bottles allowed you to eat a delicious breakfast on the go. Instantly.

Cinnamon toast was the best thing to happen to sliced bread since sliced bread. Simply toast a slice of white bread, butter generously (or, if you're making it in true '90s fashion, spread it with margarine), and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Yum!

Coooooookie crisp! Because who says you can't eat cookies and milk for breakfast?

Is it grits? Is it oatmeal? In all honesty, the consistency of Cream of Wheat resides somewhere unappetizingly in the middle. This porridge product debuted over a century ago and is best served warm.

Quaker may not always be the best tasting instant oatmeal packet on the shelf, but they did get one product right. Dinosaur Eggs oatmeal packets were the highlight of your morning growing up. The little eggs melted into your sugary mess of a "healthy" breakfast and revealed little dinosaurs floating in a pool of porridge.

These sugar-dusted dishes always make for brunches worthy of royalty. A fluffy, egg-based souffle creates a base that was then covered in fresh fruit and baked to perfection — but you probably haven't had one of these since you were in your pajamas in Grandma's kitchen.

Why eat your eggs and toast separately when you can eat them together? The best part about eating egg in a hole for breakfast is munching on the little extra piece of bread you cut out from your toast and smothered in butter. Delicious!

These chocolate chip-studded waffles were the epitome of childhood bliss. You popped one or two of these sugary little discs in the toaster every morning or microwaved them if you were short on time. There's nothing like the smell of melty chocolate chips in the morning. Even better were the Eggo waffles with Disney characters printed on the inside. Leggo my Eggo!

French toast is one of the greatest breakfast foods of all time, but even sweeter are French toast sticks. Dip these in maple syrup (or the sugary, artificial kind of syrup that comes in a to-go packet) for a breakfast that's as fun to eat as it is delicious.

These crunchy, crispy, creamy bars come in all your favorite cereal varieties. They're essentially made from your favorite sugary cereal stuck together with frosting and (you guessed it) more sugar. Heck, if you're going to eat something with as much sugar as a candy bar before 10 a.m., this isn't a bad way to do it. Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch... On the go! Since they reached peak popularity in the early 2000s, these bars have since been appropriately branded as "Treats Bars." Not breakfast.

Grape-Nuts contain neither grapes nor nuts. They're a low-sugar, high-fiber cereal made from wheat and barley. Grape-Nuts were invented in the 19th century by Dr. Kellogg himself, and have since stood the test of time. You can still buy yourself a box of Grape-Nuts to this day.

Back in the day when parents thought drinking milk with every meal was a nutritional necessity for children, Ovaltine was a life saver. Why would you drink normal milk when chocolate milk is an option? Plus, Ovaltine powder had vitamins and minerals. Health!

Were you Team Pop Tart or did you prefer a soft, warm Toaster Strudel? It was always fun to draw silly faces on your breakfast with icing, but Pop Tarts had all those fun flavors like S'mores and Wild! Berry. No matter which you preferred, these breakfast pastries were always a treat.

This breakfast, popularized by IHOP, brings a smile to everyone's face. What's better than a pancake? A pancake painted with a smiley face made from whipped cream. This was a kid's menu item at the popular breakfast chain, but there's no shame in ordering it as an adult — or making it yourself at home.

Now you might prefer an everything bagel with onions and cream cheese, but back in your younger days the sweet bagels always called your name. Chocolate chip bagels with strawberry cream cheese or French toast bagels were acceptable to eat for breakfast, and you were all about it. When you were done eating, your face was covered in melted chocolate and caked-on cream cheese. You probably licked your fingers at the end, too — one of those childhood traditions you now realize are super gross.

More from The Daily Meal:

25 Candies From Your Childhood You Didn't Know Still Exist

What Dinner at Home Was Like 50 Years Ago

Guilty Pleasure Foods That We Won't Apologize for Loving

How Fast Food Has Changed Since You Were in High School

25 Childhood Desserts You Forgot Existed