Jacob is like me, he’s never been much of a breakfast eater. While we both love breakfast foods, especially pancakes, we just don’t really feel like eating first thing in the morning. Of course, I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s especially important for children to eat healthy, but I can’t very well force-feed he child, now can I? So I have to get creative and come up with fast and easy breakfast ideas that actually appeal to him.

Ideally, breakfast should contain most of the food groups, but when you’re dealing with a picky child who doesn’t really care for the morning meal, the best you can do is try to sneak in most of the food groups and take what you can get. You could try mixing and matching some of the lighter options to hit all the groups.

Fast and Easy Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Finicky Kids

• Dry cereal and a glass of milk. Jake rarely eats cereal the “regular” way, with the milk on top. I think the soggy texture bothers him. He does, however, love dry cereal. I buy cereal that is easy to eat with his fingers, and give him a glass of milk on the side. Same concept as regular cereal, but customized to fit his preferences.
• Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, half a banana, and a glass of milk. This one actually hits all four major food groups! Either give half a regular sized bagel, or a couple of the minis. Minis are usually more fun though.
• French toast sticks and orange juice. The good thing about French Toast sticks is that they’re thicker, can be eaten by hand, and are perfect for dipping.
• Strawberries dipped in yogurt.
• Breakfast Pizza– Make mini breakfast pizzas with ready-made crust, scrambled eggs, cheese, and salsa. Or, just roll all those ingredients up into a soft taco and make breakfast burritos.
• Breakfast Snack Mix– Throw some granola, almonds, raisins, dried fruit, dry cereal, or just about any other healthy bite-size bits into a baggie, shake it up, and let your child go wild.
• Smoothies made with yogurt and fresh fruit.
• Breakfast quesadillas.Take two soft tortillas, spread with peanut butter. Place thinly sliced apples on top of the peanut butter, and slice into triangles. You can use other fruits, and switch out the peanut butter for cream cheese if you want.

One thing to keep in mind, breakfast does not have to consist of actual breakfast foods. If your child wants leftovers from the night before, a sandwich, or something else that seems unusual, as long as it’s healthy, go for it. If you have any great fast and healthy breakfast ideas to add to this list, I’d love to hear them!