Back to school or back to the grind, August marks a turning point in the flow of our year. For many of us, that sense of life speeding up again means mornings can feel more rushed — and our breakfast routine is the first thing to take a hit.

It’s tempting to go for something simple and portable, like coffee and toast, but we feel so much better when we start the day with a thoughtfully nutritious dish instead. Integrative nutritionist Jennie Miremadi is sharing a few simple tips for making a quick and healthy breakfast even when you don’t have the time…

If you’ve been on summer break with lots of free time to create healthy meals, don’t let going back to work or school throw you off track. The key is to create a system that enables you to incorporate healthy eating in your busy life.

Prep in Advance. Prepping your meals in advance is one of the best ways to help you accomplish this — it will not only help you cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen each day (particularly in the morning when you’re getting ready to head out the door), it will also help ensure that when you start getting hungry at work or school you have healthy food that’s immediately accessible so that you avoid grabbing whatever happens to be convenient.

Stick to a Schedule. Organize your meals by creating a calendar that sets out what you’re going to eat for the week. Once you’ve got your food planned out, shop, prep and cook your meals on a single day of the week. Make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need to prepare your dishes so that you can buy everything during one visit to the grocery store.  If you’re making salads, you’ll want to wash, peel, and chop your raw vegetables and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them. You should also cook your proteins, non-glutinous grains, starchy veggies, soups and one-pan meals — divide them into meal-sized portions, and then label, date and freeze them. The evening prior to each meal, transfer what you’ll be eating the next day from the freezer into the fridge so that it can thaw.

Keep It Simple. Healthy eating is more likely to be sustainable long-term it doesn’t require a lot of effort, so pick dishes that are quick and easy to prepare. Salads, wraps and bowls are a good choice for lunch and one-pan meals are a great dinner option. If you’re stumped about what to eat for breakfast, here’s a healthy and delicious recipe to try that’s also easy to prep:

Fuel your mornings with healthy and beautiful breakfast recipes like these.