Experimental Cooking: Protein Packed Breakfast Cookies

Yesterday morning I spent a couple hours scouring the internet on an empty stomach, looking for a breakfast cookie that was actually healthy and didn’t require a ton of specialty ingredients. I didn’t consider 1/4 cup or more of sugar to be considered healthy and I was amazed when people said the cookie was high in protein when they had less than 2 grams per serving.

So I finally pried myself off the couch and went to work in the kitchen, challenging myself to make a healthier breakfast cookie. I concocted a cookie batter from various ingredients in my cupboard and hoped for the best!

The batter seemed a bit soft, but I put them in the oven anyway. After about 11 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised that they had maintained their shape.

They were fluffy in the center and slightly crispy on the edges (which is just how I like my cookies). The flavor was quite light and enjoyable. Next time I would probably not use the banana protein powder though, and keep it to vanilla (or maybe chocolate).  The peanut butter did not come through, so next time I’m going to try to add more vanilla and cinnamon to taste like a regular oatmeal cookie, or perhaps replace some of the Greek yogurt with more peanut butter. I liked the cookies with the chocolate chips the best (who wouldn’t). The next day these cookies still had great texture and they weren’t overly soft (nor did they harden) like some cookies can get when you use fruit puree.

I will label this recipe as a success and will make again – with less than 3 grams of sugar and 11 grams of protein for 2 cookies, these might come in handy as a quick snack for when the baby gets here (they say oats helps with milk production, right?)

Protein Breakfast Cookies Recipe

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3 Days Until Christmas: Christmas Breakfast

Just a few more days until Christmas and I’m super excited! My holiday celebrations kick off tomorrow evening so I will have a festive filled Christmas weekend. To elevate my mood even further, I was able to enjoy a real food breakfast this morning and a real food dinner last night (which has been few and far between since becoming pregnant)!

I’m spending today decorating our traditional sugar cookies and prepping grain-free meatballs so I can throw them in the crockpot tomorrow morning.

I’m also getting the final ingredients to make our traditional Christmas breakfast. On Christmas morning my brother and mother (and maybe some cousins) are joining me and my husband for breakfast and a gift exchange and while my husband cooks eggs and bacon, my brother will be making biscuits and chocolate gravy. Yes, you heard right; chocolate gravy.

My father has a lot of family from Tennessee and the South and I am sure chocolate gravy is much more popular over that way than here in CA. When we visited some maternal family in Oklahoma our great aunt Sue made us chocolate gravy and biscuits as well.

My brother won’t let me post our family’s recipe, but this I found a recipe online that is pretty similar. We don’t usually let it get as thick as pudding, we like it a bit more runny, so we substitute some of the milk for water.

Mom’s Chocolate Gravy from Redneck Epicurean

Ingredients:
Serves: 6

1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (we prefer Hershey’s)

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a heavy saucepan with a whisk. Using a whisk blends everything better than a spoon. Stir in the milk.

Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove the pot when the mixture is thick like pudding.

Add the butter. Stir in until completely melted. Serve over biscuits with a teaspoon of butter dolloped on top.

Even though our preferable lifestyle/eating habits are whole foods (and generally grain-free) I think it’s ok to have a special treat once in a while.

I think a great healthier alternative would be soaked cinnamon rolls from Modern Alternative Mama’s new book, Treat Yourself, which you can win!

What are you making Christmas morning?

Summer Berry Goodness Part 3 – My Favorite Muffins

Muffins: a very-much-loved breakfast food for kids and adults alike. Unfortunately they don’t give much love to your waistline (or maybe they give too much love). Store bought muffins or prepackaged mixes are filled with sugar and preservatives and other chemicals; even if some of them do taste pretty tasty.

I like to eat grain-free or only sprouted grains and I love almond and coconut flours (as you can see from the past). I have some friends who are on the Paleo diet and don’t eat wheat flour either. One of them posted a link to Banana Nut Muffin Loaf and I knew I had to try it.

I made a few changes and the results were stellar. These muffins do not taste like any diet or health variety. They are moist, sweet, and hard to resist. Even my brother absolutely loves them and he likes to commit himself to junk-food-only meals.

Banana Nut Blueberry Muffins

Soooo tasty!

Makes 12 muffins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease muffin tin with coconut oil or use muffin papers

Ingredients:
3/4 C Almond Meal
1/4 Cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 super ripe, large bananas – mashed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp honey (optional – really doesn’t need it)
3/4 cup walnut halves – then put in food processor or chop finely
1 cup blueberries

In one bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine all wet ingredients and mix with hand mixer until well blended. Add blueberries and walnuts and mix again. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Spoon into 12 muffin cups. Bake 8-12 minutes or until firm to touch toothpick comes out clean when inserted into muffin.
Serve with butter or as is!