Category: Breakfast

Smoothies, Starring Gayle & Deann

For those have-to-get-your-butt-out-the-door-in-record-time mornings, smoothies are a good way to go. I’m a big fan of drinking and driving. Only for me, it’s usually Starbuck’s, then I show up for a job with a big coffee stain on the front of my shirt. Always the professional. I’ve been thinking about investing in one of those adult bibs, seriously. But I digress…..

Cousin Gayle sent me the recipe for her daughter Deann’s breakfast smoothie, which will work for our gluten free, dairy free people. My bonus daughter Angela is a big fan of the morning smoothie also. Maybe she’ll share some good recipes.

I saw another interesting take on the old smoothie this morning in a Facebook post. This won’t work with my blender, but might be worth a try if you have one of those old style blenders with the blade that screws onto the bottom.

Supposedly your basic blender blade housing will also screw onto the top of your basic Mason jar. So you fill jars with your cut up fruit &/or veggies of choice and pop them in the freezer for up to two weeks. In the morning you just add milk or your liquid of choice, screw on the blender bottom, and blend your smoothie right in the jar. Be sure to hold onto the jar while you’re doing this! Then you have your smoothie in the jar, ready to drink on the run.

Since I can’t try this with my blender, some intrepid soul will have to try it and let me know how it goes. If it doesn’t go well, remember, it wasn’t my idea. I don’t always do the things I propose, I just propose them.

What Mom was cooking this morning was protein power pancakes. Not going to give regular pancakes a run for their money, but a lot better for you. I always have some protein powder hanging around, also good for sticking in a smoothie, so pancakes are yet another way to put it to use, and a good way to feel better about having pancakes for breakfast, right?

Mug Muffins

I’m really obsessed with the idea of a mug muffin, a single serving tasty treat ready in only minutes, fresh from the microwave. I’m also not really a big fan of breakfast. Sometimes I really love to dig into the whole big breakfast, but on a day to day basis, not so much.

My idea of the perfect breakfast starts with coffee, ends with coffee, with something sweet with no redeeming value somewhere in the middle. Like donuts, scones, cookies, toast. Pretty much anything I can stick in my face that requires no effort, just to keep the coffee company. I know I should be ashamed, but hey, it is what it is.

I am trying to be better though, working on the challenge of having a healthy breakfast, a little tasty treat, while making as little effort as possible. Voila! Enter the mug muffin.

This sounds like a great solution, but execution has proved to be difficult. If it tastes good, you might as well eat a cupcake. If it’s healthy, you might as well eat cardboard. I finally gave up trying other people’s recipes and came up with a banana nut mug muffin that’s easy, healthy, gluten free, and best of all, Mr Man actually LIKES it! Hey Mikey! (If you don’t get that, you’re not old yet.)

So I submit my recipe for a banana nut mug muffin. It firms up a little as it cools off, but who can wait that long? So you pretty much have to eat it with a spoon. It’s soft, moist, sweet, and pretty darn good. It would even pass as a dessert, maybe with a little cream cheese frosting or vanilla glaze. So much for healthy!