Stuck in a neverending cycle of boring — or worse, nonexistent — breakfasts? We've all been there. Nutrition experts have long lauded  the health benefits of a balanced breakfast, and yet it's still the most-overlooked meal of the day. But we need dishes that are worth waking up earlier for, and bland, soggy oatmeal just won't cut it. However, a flatbread pizza topped with a fried egg, crispy bacon and sun-dried tomatoes might do the trick. Or how about ham, eggs and cheese served atop a bed of chewy quinoa and fresh spinach? Yep, that's more like it. These recipes are no more complex than scrambled eggs with a side of toast and hash browns, but hopefully our refreshed presentations will inspire a new passion for the morning.

Salad for breakfast? Trust us on this one. Since egg yolk is a crucial ingredient in traditional Caesar dressing, it makes perfect sense to top crunchy romaine with a sunny-side-up egg for your morning meal. The Food Network Kitchen chefs recommend swapping out the anchovies for sun-dried tomatoes, which have the same familiar umami pop, minus the fishy flavor.

You haven't experienced casserole's full potential if you've never had it for breakfast. This egg and spinach rendition studded with satisfying hunks of lean turkey sausage and whole-wheat bread packs a whopping 30 grams of protein and just 340 calories per serving.

This high-protein, low-calorie salad has everything that makes eggs Benedict a breakfast favorite — including a creamy lemon dressing that stands in for hollandaise sauce. It's super-satisfying and a really great way to start your day.

Pizza before noon? It seems so wrong but tastes so right (especially when there's a fried egg involved). Start with your go-to brand of store-bought flatbread, then pile on your favorite omelet extras, like bacon, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

You'll find all the fixings of a Western omelet — egg, ham, peppers, onions and cheese — in this made-for-breakfast salad. But what an omelet doesn't give you is this salad's hefty 6 grams of fiber and 21 grams of protein per serving, thanks mostly to the spinach, egg and quinoa.

Yep, Ellie serves cookies for breakfast — but these are a nutritional powerhouse. They also couldn't be easier to grab and go. Her secret ingredient? A jar of pureed carrot baby food.