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Back-to-School: 3 easy, healthy breakfast recipes for busy families. Blue Shield's certified nutrition coach Angie Kalousek Ebrahimi shares simple, protein-packed breakfasts that help kids and families stay energized throughout the school day. August 28, 2026 As students are heading back to the classroom, mornings can quickly become a race against the clock. Between packing lunches, coordinating schedules, and getting everyone out the door on time, breakfast is often an afterthought. But according to Angie Kalousek Ebrahimi, senior director of Clinical Product Strategy and Innovation at Blue Shield of California and a certified nutrition coach, a protein-filled breakfast can help both kids and adults start the day strong. "Protein helps you stay fuller longer, supports steady energy, maintains muscle health, and can help regulate blood sugar throughout the morning," she said. "The good news is that healthy breakfasts don't need to be time-consuming or expensive." To make school mornings easier, Kalousek Ebrahimi recommends three simple, protein-rich recipes from the Thrive Global Cookbook, a collaboration between Thrive Global and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. The cookbook is available online at no cost and includes dozens of nutritious recipes designed to be affordable and easy to prepare. 3 quick, protein-packed breakfast ideas * Energy-boost smoothie: Made with yogurt, milk, frozen strawberries, spinach, and nut butter, the energy-boost smoothie comes together in just minutes and can be customized based on dietary preferences or allergies. For families looking for additional sweetness, a ripe banana is a great addition. * Strawberry parfait: Layered with yogurt, fresh strawberries, and almonds or seeds, this strawberry parfait provides protein, fiber, and nutrients in a grab-and-go format. It's also easy to adapt using seasonal fruit or pantry staples. * Four-ingredient muffins: A simple make-ahead option, these four-ingredient muffins can be personalized with add-ins like blueberries, coconut flakes, or chocolate chips. The smoothie and parfait both feature yogurt, an easy source of protein for busy mornings. For an extra protein boost, Kalousek Ebrahimi recommends using unsweetened Greek yogurt, which typically contains about twice the protein of traditional yogurt and less sugar. Making healthy eating easier One of the cookbook's biggest advantages is its flexibility. Many of the recipes use everyday ingredients that families already have at home, and can be adapted to fit different tastes, dietary needs, and budgets. "At Blue Shield Promise, we know families are balancing a lot, especially during back-to-school season," said Kristen Cerf, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. "The Thrive Global Cookbook offers simple, nutritious recipes that make healthy eating more accessible and achievable. Whether it's a quick breakfast before school or a healthy dinner after a busy day, having easy, nutritious options can help families build healthy habits that support their overall well-being." The Thrive Global Cookbook includes dozens of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and beverages, with options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and diabetes-friendly diets, and many meals can be prepared in 15 minutes or less. Download the Thrive Global Cookbook - available in 11 languages - a collaboration from Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Thrive Global, the behavior change technology company founded by Arianna Huffington. For more nutrition tools, recipes, and lifestyle support, available at no additional cost to most Blue Shield members, visit its digital lifestyle-medicine platform, Wellvolution. Click below to watch Angie Kalousek Ebrahimi's FOX40 appearance featuring healthy back-to-school recipes

New York Sports Club inks biomarker testing, GLP-1 partnership. March 13, 2026 1/3 free articles used this month. One of the east coast's top fitness operators is joining the gym-as-a-clinic trend, partnering with Thrive to offer its members access to wellness and longevity protocols. New York Sports Club (NYSC) is tapping into the booming gym-as-a-clinic movement through a new partnership with digital health platform Thrive. The partnership gives NYSC members access to Thrive's personalized plans, which include biomarker testing, longevity care, hormone balance and weight-loss treatment including GLP-1s. "Fitness is no longer just about workouts. It's about measurable health outcomes," NYSC CEO Bill McMenamy said of the partnership. "The lines between healthcare, technology and training are blurring, and NYSC is intentionally building at that intersection." The operator's partner strategy is designed to increase membership value across its locations in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C... The deal with Thrive adds to NYSC's suite of wellness solutions, as the brand aims to deepen engagement and boost retention without complicating in-club operations or raising costs. The partnership functions similarly for Thrive, according to its chief operating officer Kiersten FitzGerald. "Strategic partnerships allow us to extend our impact without expanding physical footprint," FitzGerald said. "By aligning with NYSC, we can integrate medical-grade care into the broader fitness journey and remain relevant in a rapidly evolving wellness landscape." NYSC has other partnerships spanning fitness, recovery, nutrition, longevity and lifestyle brands, with offerings such as Hyrox classes at select locations, member-only Garmin pricing, Fay Nutrition dietitian support, Bespoke Physical Therapy discounts and member perks at fast-casual restaurant Dig Inn. The move comes as gyms increasingly incorporate amenities beyond traditional fitness offerings to meet growing demand for wellness and longevity support. Other operators have joined the telehealth trend, with UFC Gym recently partnering with NexGen MD to give members access to in-house longevity clinics that administer GLP-1s, hormone replacement therapies and peptides. Planet Fitness, meanwhile, has partnered with Ro to offer its members access to GLP-1s.