While the humble muffin has been a breakfast staple in busy families for decades, it may surprise you to know that it is not always the healthiest choice. With the start of the back-to-school morning rush, try these 6 muffin makeovers to make sure your morning muffin fix is actually full of good stuff.

You can create your own healthier alternatives to the “grab it and go” muffin. Get your kids out the door fast and full by following the 6 steps below

1. No More Massive-Muffins!

   It’s time to put an end to the “mega-muffin.” Ditch the super-sized muffin tins and opt for 2 oz paper liners, then only fill the cups halfway with batter. This will give you 18 slightly smaller muffins instead of 12 in each recipe.

2. Swap Your Grains!

   Substitute whole wheat flour for half of the white, all-purpose flour in your favorite muffin recipe. Your kids won’t notice the difference. Then just slowly increase the percentage with each batch until you’ve replaced all of the white flour with whole wheat.

3. Go Totally Nutty!

   Pump up the protein with chopped nuts instead of sugary chocolate chips. You can also mix in a spoon of peanut butter or substitute nut-based flour for up to 25% of the wheat flour in a recipe.

4. Cut Your Sugar!

   You can cut 25% of the sugar from most standard muffin recipes with no impact on flavor or texture. When you cut back, try substituting raw sugar or agave nectar for some of the white sugar.

5. Get Naturally Sweet!

   Fresh whole fruit and unsweetened dried fruit balance their natural sugar with fiber and important nutrients, making them a healthier choice than processed sugar. And lots of fruit in your muffins means less added sugar necessary for taste.

6. The Incredible Egg!

   There’s no need to cut out the eggs in muffins and other baked goods. In fact, folding whipped egg whites into a batter can help lighten it up, which is a great trick to use with whole grain muffins, which often have dense batters.  A lighter batter also means that you can use a touch less baking powder, helping to curb sodium.

So there you go…six easy ways to provide your kids with a healthier breakfast that fits into the modern-day “grab and go” lifestyle.