8 Fast, Healthy Breakfasts Even Picky Kids Will Eat

You know the drill: It's 6:30 a.m. and it’s time to get Junior dressed, cleaned, and fed in the scant 60 minutes before everyone has to run out the door. But wait, your mom robot is broken and you didn't get up extra early to create a gourmet, multi-course, nutritious breakfast for your tot. No worries, that doesn't mean you have to remain content with frozen waffles and toaster pastries. With these easy tips for fast, healthy breakfasts, you can have a mostly home-cooked morning meal out in under five minutes, and your child (even the pickiest eaters!) will actually enjoy eating it.

Toast with jam. Toast with peanut butter. Toast with a fried egg. Toast with leftover tuna salad, butter, sliced avocado, Vegemite, any cheese—you name it and toast can carry it. The best part, is that if you find yourself really running late, toast proves totally portable. And, if you want to impress your kids, consider backing the Toasteroid on Kickstarter, it's a machine that creates edible pictures on your sliced bread.

Sure, this dish is what we adults called a parfait, but in kid speak that sounds too fancy, and fancy means boring adult food. Hence, the breakfast sundae, a simple dish that starts with a hefty scoop of good, full-fat yogurt into a clear cup. Next, layer the yogurt with berries, granola, honey and repeat. Make it on demand, the night before or, better yet, have everything in easy-to-access bowls and let your kid make their own.

Eggs are a great, healthy way to feed your kid. Not only are they packed with protein and nutrients—you can cook an egg in two or three minutes. Add a handful of cheese, chunks of cooked vegetable, salsa, leftover chicken from last night, and whatever else you have on hand. The sky’s the limit when it comes to making a scramble, all you need is a slice of toast to sop it all up.

Unless your kid is like me and mostly hates cereal, this is a great thing to have on hand. While many youngsters will beg for the sugar-filled brands, this isn't the best breakfast to get Junior ready to go for the day. Instead of fighting it, compromise by mixing in a healthy alternative such as granola, Kix, Fiber One or Grape Nuts. Then, throw on some sliced banana or berries on top for a nutrition boost. Just make sure you are stocked with plenty of milk.

Hey super parent, you don't have to make pancakes from scratch every time. After all, plenty of instant pancake mixes are available, allowing you to whip up the batter in a mere minute as the pan heats up. Watch that butter melt away and then create quick-and-easy pancakes. Guaranteed, your children will appreciate this minimal effort as they gobble the goods.

For some reason kids love to eat things out of objects they normally wouldn't. For example, a fresh muffin out of a mug. Make your life easier and start whipping up blueberry muffins this way, everyone will be happy for it.

Is it a breakfast burrito or a wrap? Frankly, who cares? What does matter is how quick and easy it is to whip together an egg-filled tortilla, which has the added benefit of being hand-held. Simply beat two eggs as your frying pan and while the olive oil warms up, pour the eggs into it along with salt, pepper, some cheese, bacon, or whatever you have lying around. Let it cook, about two minutes each side. Microwave a flour tortilla for 20 seconds and then lay the egg circle on top and roll.

Okay, maybe this last one is a little bit of a cheat. But darn it, you are tired, Junior woke up late and nothing says, "Have a great day honey," like cold piece of supreme pizza (or even homemade breakfast pizza) shoved into a little hand as you waltz out the door. And, it just so happens that a leftover slice offers a balanced meal to boot.