How to Make a Healthy Breakfast for Kids

The key to getting kids to eat healthy is making the food look fun and appealing. Be creative and make it colorful, entertaining, and healthy at the same time. Breakfast doesn't have to be boring to be nutritious.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Based on the age of your kids, their tastes will change. Keep this in mind as you experiment with different foods.

2. Make fruit kabobs. Use fruit such as strawberries, grapes, banana slices, pineapple chunks, apple chunks, kiwi, mandarin oranges. Throw on a few miniature marshmallows or maraschino cherries for extra pizzazz.

3. Make fruit dips using yogurt, peanut butter, or cream cheese. Use the fruits above and serve with toothpicks. Let your kids dip the fruit into the yogurt. They won't even realize what they are eating is good for them.

4. Make healthy muffins. Try flavors like blueberry, apple cinnamon, banana nut, or strawberry cheesecake. For an extra fiber boost, use part whole wheat flour or add a fiber powder like Benefiber.

5. Try smoothies. You can use fat-free frozen yogurt or fruit sorbet blended with milk, fruit (bananas work wonderfully), and peanut butter. Smoothies are a fantastic way to get the "grumpy morning" child to eat before he leaves for school. You can hide all kinds of nutrition in a smoothie! Pour the smoothie into a fun glass, top with some Redi-Whip, and use a crazy straw.

6. Peanut butter is great on toast, bagels, waffles, bananas, and apples. It also contains protein for brain power and is filling. Make it fun by pressing the peanut butter through a cake decorating tube and creating designs. Try additional toppings such as nuts, coconut, or a few mini-chocolate chips. Add a glass of milk and you have a delicious balanced breakfast.

7. Cookies. Yes, you read that right. You can find healthy cookie recipes all over the internet. When cookies are made with oatmeal, raisins, nuts, or dried fruit, they can actually be healthy. Look for recipes with low sugar content and high fiber or whole wheat flour or other nutritious grains. Now that ought to get them out of bed!

8. Consider deviled eggs. Many kids don't like fried or scrambled eggs, but they love deviled eggs. Make up a batch of deviled eggs to keep on hand and serve with other fun foods above.

9. Sandwiches. Try grilled cheese, ham and cheese, pimento cheese, or peanut butter and jelly. Focus on what your child will eat that is both nutritious and tasty.

10. Avoid sugary cereals, donuts, Pop-Tarts, and pastries. They raise the blood sugar fast, and your child will experience a "drop" later. Most of these foods are high in calories and low in nutrients. Also avoid sugary chocolate milk and juices that contain high fructose corn syrup. These are also high in sugar and low in nutrients. Stick to 100% juice.

11. Breakfast doesn't have to be breakfast. My daughter went through a phase where she ate refried bean burritos with cheese and salsa for breakfast. Protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables! Do what works for your child and don't worry about what is "normal." It is more important to send your child off to school with a full stomach than to try to force them to eat foods they don't like. Everyone's morning will be more pleasant!

Tips & Warnings

• Keep experimenting. What works today might not work next week.