Parents are getting ready to send their kids back to school in a few weeks and a big part of that routine is a healthy, balanced breakfast.

Holly Doan is a nutritionist at GIANT and says parent should be looking for three things when deciding what to serve; carbohydrates for energy, protein to make that energy last and healthy fats to nourish their brains.

Carbs can come from grains, fruit or dairy. Doan says you should try to reach for whole grains as much as possible.

Healthy fats can come from almonds, nut butters or avocado. Protein can also come in a variety of forms.

“Protein doesn’t have to be this large, elaborate breakfast where we’re making eggs and bacon,” Doan said. “It could be something as simple as Greek yogurt or hard boiled eggs you make the night before, or a little bit of nut butter or a handful of almonds. There’s a lot of products that already contain protein within the pre-packaged product.”

One of those products is the Kodiak line. Doan says it’s easy to pop frozen pancakes or waffles into the toaster or microwave, then customize them with peanut butter and strawberries or ricotta cheese and fruit. They contain a lot of protein and whole grains.

Another fun, but not overly complicated idea, is to put a bunch of healthy foods into a muffin tin and let kids pick what they want to eat. Doan says whenever you change it up and make the meal seem more exciting, kids are always more likely to actually eat it.