Source: 4 Don'ts For Your New Breakfast

When it comes to meals, breakfast is the champ. Instead of grabbing a muffin at the coffee shop to fuel your day, give the mealtime the attention it deserves. Here are four don'ts for the most important meal of the day.

• Don't skip it: Eating breakfast helps jump-start your metabolism after it slows down during your sleep. Not only that, but eating breakfast is an important tool in maintaining weight loss. So don't wait until lunch to nosh; eat a filling, healthy meal early in the day to keep your energy up, brain on, and weight loss goals in check.
• Don't delay: The best time to eat breakfast is within an hour of waking up, so don't delay! Unless, of course, you are working out first, in which case you should make sure you fuel up with a pre-workout snack before you go (read our tips for choosing a pre-workout snack here). Afterward, be sure to eat a protein- and carbohydrate-filled breakfast 30 minutes to two hours after a workout in

It's funny how many traditional American breakfast goodies could actually be considered to be dessert. Maple-slathered pancakes, giant muffins, donuts, cinnamon buns, pastries and more. But I'm going to show you a few of my favorite healthy breakfast recipes that could also fall under the category of dessert. And we all know kids will love eating dessert for breakfast! These fifteen recipes may appear to be sinfully sweet, but they are all vegan. Dairy-free. And many of them are rich in protein, fiber and other nutrients (some more than others).

Take, for example, this almond banana shake. This smoothie is a good source of vitamin E, fiber, protein and potassium. Plus it is packed with energy from healthy fats (from the almonds) and high quality carbohydrates (from the bananas, natural sweetener and non-dairy milk). Choose a well fortified non-dairy milk and you should be getting some healthy, essential vitamins like vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Plus those bananas are easy on your

No time to a healthy breakfast? Au contraire!

By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople.com

For those days when cooking breakfast just isn't an option, SparkPeople members share ten meals that are healthy and ready in no time, for 400 calories or less:

Source: How to Get more Out of Your Breakfast

Your first meal of the day jump-starts your metabolism, gives your body fuel to move, and energizes your brain. That's why breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. For under 400 calories, you can choose some pretty healthy options such as yogurt with fruit, oatmeal, or an omelet. To make your meal even healthier, check out these tips.

• Add milk to your yogurt and granola. Pour on half a cup of skim milk and you'll add 4.4 grams of protein, 158 mg of calcium, and 210 mg of potassium, all for just an extra 45 calories. Not only that, but it makes your bowl much creamier.
• Eat whole eggs rather than egg whites. Egg whites might be lower in calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat and contain most of the protein, but the yolk contains all the vitamins like B12, vitamin D, and iron. If you eat two large eggs, it's about 142 calories, and three egg whites is 51, but remember those 90 calories are packed full of vitamins

Toast a whole grain honey oat English muffin sprinkled with fresh sliced strawberries and topped with a dollop of Nutella®. Placing the other half on top makes this into a delicious and healthy breakfast sandwich.

It's hard enough to get out of bed in the morning without having to whip up some intimidating Martha Stewart masterpiece for the kids. Fueling your little ones for the day can be fun and easy with these "junk food" inspired breakfasts. We promise, they're totally guilt free and kids (and adults) love 'em!

• Banana Splits. Slice a banana in half lengthwise, top it with vanilla yogurt (we like to use f-- e Total Classic Yogurt since there's less sugar), then sprinkle on handfuls of healthy fixings like nuts, raisins and granola. You can even add a big red cherry for extra authenticity!
• Pizza. English muffins topped with sliced turkey (without nitrates) or turkey bacon and melted Monterey Jack cheese make for tasty little morning pizzas with a great dose of protein. If your child likes tomatoes, dice one up and sprinkle on top along with a little grated Parmesan.
• Cookies. The first time we ever heard the phrase "breakfast cookies" we screamed "sign us up!"

Photo: "Toad in a Hole"

Steam-Scrambled Eggs Know a bored barista? Or, better yet, are you one? Then go have fun with the milk-steaming wand attached to the espresso machine. Instead of using it just for milk, hold a mug full of egg yolks and whites underneath the steamer wand and let the wand dip in. Turn on the steamer and swirl those eggs up until they're soft and scrambled. The eggs become creamy and melt-on-your-tonguey.

Eggs Blindfolded: This is halfway between poached and fried. Just start as you would a normal fried egg on a frying pan, then drop a couple of ice cubes around it and cover with a dome-shaped skillet or pan cover. Just keep it on there for a couple minutes max, and the result is an egg that's flat around the edges but runny and poached inside.

Defrosted Eggs: Did you know you can freeze eggs? We're not endorsing egg-sicles on a stick. But if you ever run into a surplus of eggs and don't want to toss them, this is a safe, easy way to store them. Just crack them

I'm always looking for ways to get more out of my morning workout and eating the right breakfast might be my newfound secret. I was psyched to read that eating a breakfast made with "slow-release" carbohydrates, such as oatmeal or bran cereal, 3 hours before I exercise may help me burn more fat, according to a recent study. Here's why: in the study eating "slow-release" carbohydrates didn't spike blood sugar as high as eating refined carbohydrates, such as white toast. In turn, insulin levels didn't spike as high and because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having lower levels may help you burn fat.

While I like oatmeal, I can't eat it every day. So here are 5 delicious breakfast recipes to help fight fat:

1. Scandinavian Muesli (recipe below): Serve this Scandinavian cereal with low-fat yogurt or nonfat milk to start your day off with whole grains and some protein and calcium-rich dairy. You can substitute any combination of chopped dried or fresh