Morning Treats: Banana Oat Breakfast Muffins & "Breakfast" Cookies

You'll go bananas over these muffins. Seriously, bananas.

I'm always trying to find a way to make breakfast more interesting. I love my whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana, and I love my overnight oats with chia seeds and fresh fruit. The next logical step? Combine them! High in fiber, omega-3's and potassium, these muffins pack a nutritional punch. 

Here's what you'll need to make Banana Oat Breakfast Muffins (makes 10-12 large muffins):

• 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBS chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk - vanilla is great!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, chia seeds and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine bananas, egg whites, vanilla extra and almond milk. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing thoroughly with a spatula until evenly combined.

Line muffin tins with cupcake cups or spray well with non-stick cooking spray. Fill muffin cups until almost full - they will not rise much. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the muffin is completely set in the middle. Allow the muffins to cool before removing from the muffin tins, or serve warm with some peanut butter and extra chia seeds! A giant cup of coffee makes this breakfast complete and satisfying.

Breakfast & snack tip: Make these muffins Sunday evening, and you'll have a quick, easy Monday morning breakfast. Grab one for a mid-day snack and serve with some yogurt and fruit.

Are you checking to see if you have the ingredients? Get creative - throw some blueberries, nuts or flax seed in there!

With no added sugar, these breakfast muffins are great for those watching your sugar intake. If you like to have a more indulgent breakfast, which I sometimes do, then this next recipe is for you. Having something sweet in the morning may curb your afternoon sugar craving. Personally, I can have chocolate any time of day, and I will usually reach for any dark chocolate or raw cacao nibs.

While many say that chocolate "can help you lose weight," or "is healthy for you," it's all up to how it makes you feel. If you're going to have sweets, do it right, and skip the artificial sweeteners.

These cookies were not originally meant to be for breakfast, but they definitely could be. If you're not one for a big breakfast, having a small treat loaded with whole grains, protein and antioxidants is the perfect solution.

Here's what you'll need for my Peanut Butter & Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 12-15 small cookies):

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (or 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 TBS peanut butter - creamy or crunchy, your choice!
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup roughly-chopped dark chocolate or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup chopped frozen cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour (or oats), baking powder and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Add in vanilla, sugar, peanut butter and applesauce and mix well. Fold in chocolate and cherries gently, as to not break up the cherries too much. 

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookies out onto the baking sheet with a tablespoon. If you use a large ice cream scoop, you will yield 8-10 large cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are completely set and golden in color. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving - they are awesome served warm.

Creative variations: chopped nuts, 1 medium ripe mashed banana (add more flour or oats if you do this), cinnamon, chopped crystallized ginger, and/or chia seeds

Make your mornings more delicious - have dessert first. 


*Learn more from the blogs that inspired these breakfast treats: muffins & cookies

Nina's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Banana and Zucchini Bread

Banana bread is one of those treats that usually passes as the "healthier" option. I hate to break it to you, but the banana bread you're ordering at your favorite cafe is most likely very high in fat and sugar. Hey, I'm all for indulging once in a while, but I'm here to give you this fool-proof banana bread recipe that will allow you to indulge in this treat more often. I see you over there wincing a little at the zucchini. Do not be alarmed! The zucchini has a very mild flavor, gives a little more texture to an otherwise soft bread, AND gets you to eat some veggies. Everyone should incorporate veggies into their desserts.

Since I started my new job, I've been inspired to get more creative in my cooking and especially my baking, something I've never really gotten into because it requires true patience and measurement. I know, ME? NOT patient? NOT into precise measurement? Who knew. I also wrongly assumed that you couldn't bake anything worth eating without dairy. I've obviously proved myself wrong and I am loving taking classic treats and making them both healthier and dairy-free. The original recipe used whole wheat pastry flour, but I wanted to accommodate all of my co-workers' dietary needs (I tested this out on them the first time, needless to say it was a HIT), so I swapped the whole wheat flour out for brown rice flour. I've never used brown rice flour before, but I am a convert! It gives this bread such a lovely nutty flavor and smooth texture.

I truly believe that the simpler the recipe, the better. No need to pull out the electric mixer or 12 different mixing bowls or having to scramble to do the dishes. You will need just one large bowl (see above) to mix your wet and dry ingredients together. 

By now, you might have caught onto the fact that I love blueberries. I would put them in everything if I could, but that would be weird... right? The beautiful blue/purple color oozes out into the bread and, if you're lucky, you bite into a whole, warm blueberry that bursts with a fresh sweetness. You totally want a piece now, don't you?

If this couldn't get any better, this recipe yields TWO loaves. Keep one out, freeze one for later. Take the frozen loaf out for unexpected guests, a lazy Sunday brunch, or even a last-minute potluck.

Here's what you'll need (yields 2 loaves; 1 loaf serves 6-8)

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups raw, organic cane sugar
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated (2 small zucchini)
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups brown rice flour (or your gluten-free flour of choice)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, bananas and vanilla. Mix with a spatula until thoroughly combined.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Make sure you get all of the flour off of the bottom and sides of the bowl - you don't want dry spots in your bread! Add blueberries and fold in softly, trying not to break the blueberries. 

Spray two 8x4 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray (I used olive oil spray - gives the bread a beautiful golden color). Pour the batter evenly into both loaf pans, and bake for 45-50 minutes. Check the bread at 45 minutes, stick a toothpick in and if it comes out clean, it's done! Once done baking, remove the bread from the pans and let cool on plate or cooling rack. If you're like me, you'll want to cut into it right away while it's still steaming. But, I recommend letting it cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Cut yourself a thick slice, pour a cup of coffee, and you're going to have the perfect Saturday morning.

-N