School work, keeping up with friends and family or a change to your sleep pattern can take its toll and one of the first things to be overlooked is your diet.

Teenagers who are stressed or tired during the day very often snack on sugary or greasy foods for a quick fix. But the fact is that bingeing on these foods will only leave you satisfied for a short period of time and within an hour you will be hungry all over again.

Some teens skip breakfast because they sleep in too late or because they think it's a way to stay slim. But skipping breakfast is never a good idea and studies have shown that someone who misses breakfast generally snacks on high calorific foods during the day. Take a look at our first recipe for a nutritious and easy to prepare breakfast.

Breakfast Banana Dogs

Because there is no cooking required even pre-teens can make this breakfast. Spread peanut butter; high in calcium and iron onto your bun, then place on top of this your banana, for added nutrition you could even sprinkle some raisins onto the banana before devouring.

• 1 small banana
• Peanut Butter
• Wholegrain bun
• 1 handful of raisins (optional)

Cheesy Corn Muffins

These are really easy to prepare and can be made at the weekend with adult supervision. The recipe makes 12 so there will be plenty for you to take to school all week. They can be eaten at break time or with your meal if you prefer a change to chips or pasta. I love them with a plate of baked beans!

• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 cup of cornmeal
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ c. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• ½ c can of sweetcorn
• 1 handful of your favourite cheese

Ask an adult to set the oven to 200o C. Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into muffin cases. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are a nice and brown on the top.

Fruit Kebabs

For an eye catching desert, guaranteed to impress your friends these fruity kebabs are easy to make and count as 2 of your five a day.

• Wooden skewers
• 1 apple
• ? c. red or green seedless grapes
• ? cup pineapple chunks or melon
• 1 cup your favourite yogurt
• ¼ cup of dried and shredded coconut (crunchy oats if you are vegetarian)

Ask an adult to help you prepare the fruit by cutting it up into bite size squares. Now spread the coconut and yoghurt onto two separate plates side by side. Thread the fruit onto the wooden skewers and then roll in the yoghurt until the fruit is covered, then quickly roll in the shredded coconut.

Finally, ditch the chocolate and crisps and try these instead!