Remember the commercials for all those fun kids breakfast items? “Part of a complete breakfast.” Of course, the cereal, or waffles, or whatever was being advertised was always shown with fruit, eggs, milk, juice, etc. to actually be a balanced and complete breakfast.
I’ve never been good at eating breakfast. I’m usually not very hungry in the morning, and I prefer to sleep an extra 10 minutes than make and eat breakfast at home. A couple of years ago I worked with a health coach (also a close friend) in preparation for my wedding. I found that by adding in breakfast I had more energy and stamina, got fewer headaches, and felt better overall. My goal at the time wasn’t to lose weight, but I was training for my first 5k and I found that adding breakfast made exercising much easier on my body.
In the two years since my wedding, eating breakfast has continued to be a struggle. I get to work as early as 7AM most days, so in order to eat breakfast not only do I need to remember to pack breakfast for myself, I need to actually remember to eat it once I’m in my groove at work. The easier the breakfast, the likelier I am ti actually follow through!
In the winters, I am a big fan of oatmeal (those recipes to come later… like 6 or 7 months from now, when Arizona gets colder again), but I can’t stomach it in the warmer months. So what could I eat that’s quick, easy, and packed with nutrients to get my day started?
Muffins!
I love breakfast pastries. Someone brings donuts to the office? I’ll have three, thanks! I love croissants, danishes, whatever sweet treat is available. Obviously, shooting yourself up with sugar is not exactly the best breakfast plan, either, so I came up with a recipe for a sweet, delicious, AND nutritious breakfast treat.
This may not be the “breakfast of champions”, but this “breakfast of the rest of us” is packed with nutrients. Both bananas and avocados provide plenty of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Avocados are a veritable superfood, filled with omega-3 fatty acids, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin K, and folate (amongst many more nutrients). Flax seeds add even more protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, and apples enhance the vitamin C content. The walnuts add their own power punch of protein, fiber, and magnesium. I also like to add a scoop of hemp protein (this is my favorite) to boost the protein levels.
All the ingredients in these muffins, other than the small amount of honey, are low or very low on the glycemic index, so eating one or two of these won’t spike your blood sugar. I guarantee this will fill you up and satisfy your morning sweet tooth!
Enjoy!
Power Breakfast Muffins (yields 12-15 muffins)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 C honey (raw/organic is preferable)
1/2 C applesauce
1-2 ripe avocado(s)
2 eggs, beaten -OR- flax or chia eggs (recipe here)
1/4 C water
1 C chopped walnuts
1/3 C freshly ground flax seed meal
1/4 C rolled oats (for topping)
cooking spray or oil (to coat muffin tin)
OPTIONAL: One scoop of hemp or other natural protein powder
Large mixing bowl
Smaller bowl
Heat oven to 350F.
Combine the flours, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
**Recommended: To reheat I highly recommend toasting these up in a toaster oven. Yum!
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