Most of us already know breakfast is the most important meal of the day… This is especially true when it comes to kids. We need to ensure their little bodies receive nourishing foods to help them grow and thrive.

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas the whole family will enjoy.

Smoothies - Smoothies are certainly a great way to get a good dose of fruit. Chop up some fresh fruit, throw it in the blender and you have a healthy and delicious breakfast. For a heartier breakfast smoothie add some yogurt or a little high-fiber cereal.

Breakfast Muffins - For breakfast try a savory or fruit muffin. For a healthier muffin use whole wheat flour and instead of sugar mash a ripe banana or a little honey into the mixture. Unless you’re an early riser you probably won’t have enough time to make muffins in the morning. Simply make them ahead and either freeze or keep in an air-tight container for a few days.

Wholesome Eggs - Eggs are very versatile and most kids enjoy them. Try a ham omelet with a little cheese or scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes. Try a prepare-ahead breakfast casserole for a hearty family breakfast.

Don't Forget the Oatmeal - Making your own oatmeal is much healthier than the instant packets. Cook up according to  instructions and add a little fruit or honey.

Healthy Breakfast Bar - Make up a batch of healthy breakfast bars the day before and use them for a quick, on-the-go breakfast. Use a low-sugar recipe and include lots of healthy dried fruits.

Fantastic Fruit Salad - Serve a chopped fruit salad with a yogurt dip. Mini muffins are delicious dipped in yogurt too.

Breakfast Burrito - Scramble some eggs and place them in a tortilla with chopped tomatoes, a little grated cheese, ham or other favorite toppings… roll up and enjoy a yummy breakfast burrito.

Spruce up your Toast - Try whole wheat bread and serve with peanut butter and sliced bananas, cream cheese and raisins (sprinkle a little cinnamon on top), or cream cheese and a fruit jam (pure, no-sugar added jam is best).

Pizza for Breakfast - Split a couple of English muffins in half, top with a little pizza sauce, grated cheese and some chopped ham or even eggs. Place under the grill for a few minutes and you have a nutritious breakfast pizza. You can make bagel pizzas too.

Those are just a few healthy breakfast ideas to help keep things interesting. And don’t forget parents need breakfast too… we’re usually so busy looking after the kids, we end up skipping breakfast ourselves. Here’s a trick we use quite often in our house.

Take a selection of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.) and mix together in a bowl. Then place a handful or two of the mix into individual plastic bags.

So even on the busiest of mornings you just grab a bag on the way out. This makes a great on-the-go healthy breakfast idea.

For lots of easy kid friendly recipes, nutrition information, meal planning tips and fun kid cooking projects, visit www.easy-kid-recipes.com