Healthy and Easy Breakfast Ideas

In late summer, making ratatouille is a natural choice; serving it with poached eggs adds a twist.

The crunchy topping is a perfect foil to the soft and juicy pears inside. Enjoy these muffins for breakfast or anytime you feel like a snack.

Note: Low-fat yogurt replaces much of the usual butter to produce moist muffins with a subtle tang. The addition of whole-wheat flour makes them even more wholesome.

Usually served in savory side dishes, quinoa -- a high-protein seed -- also makes a wonderful hot cereal.

Light and airy beaten egg whites are the secret to a fluffy frittata.

Breakfast shakes made with blueberries and yogurt are a healthy way to start the day. In this refreshing smoothie, yogurt provides protein as well as calcium and B vitamins. Blueberries rank third as a natural source of antioxidants after prunes and raisins.

Marissa Lippert is a registered dietitian in Manhattan and knows great food when she tastes it. Voted by Citysearch as one of New York's "Best Nutritionists" for the past three years, Marissa is the founder of Nourish, a nutrition counseling and media communications firm, where she helps individuals live, eat and cook more healthfully without giving up delicious food.