Healthy Gluten-Free Breakfast Muffins

Mornings in a busy household can be hectic. Whether is getting ready for a job, school, or simply juggling all the tasks with which a busy mother finds herself occupied, our daily schedules frequently encourage the use of shortcuts and time savers. Often, we either skip breakfast altogether or opt for a quick “grab and go” item that unfortunately is seldom the healthiest option available! For families with special dietary needs like gluten or dairy free diets, this convenience can be hard to find without a notable strain on the family budget as well. Fortunately, I have found that some simple planning ahead can easily help ensure healthy snack and meal choices are available to you and your family.

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Muffins are one of my favorite easy to make ahead items. They make a great “grab and go” breakfast or anytime snack. These breakfast muffins or “healthy cupcakes” as my daughter likes to call them are gluten-free and sweetened with a just a tad of pure maple syrup. The recipe is also dairy free and thanks to the added protein powder that I use, comes with two servings of greens! Giving you another great way to sneak added nutrition into your children’s diets.

This simple recipe makes a moist muffin that pairs well with our Dairy-Free Egg Custard and/or a side of fresh fruit. My husband loves them slathered in butter and served with sausages. My son, on the other hand, tops his muffins with peanut butter and decorates the surface with an array of banana slices. Another added bonus is the simplicity of this recipe. It can be easily mixed up using just one bowl. After all, who wants to start their day with a sink full of dirty dishes?!

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups Gluten Free Oat flour OR
Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, providing you have a good quality blender*
2 large bananas
2 large eggs (or 2 chia eggs**)
1/3 cup plant based Protein powder of your choice***
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup of your favorite dairy free milk
1 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil

*Note: If using rolled oats, commonly called oatmeal, place the oats in your blender and blend until you achieve oat flour. 🙂 Oatmeal comes in both quick oats and regular cut aka old fashioned rolled oats. The difference is the size/thickness of the flakes. Quick oats are smaller/thinner pieces. While either can be used to make oat flour, the thicker regular/old fashioned oats are preferable for most recipes. I use organic regular cut rolled oats that are certified gluten free.

**Note: To make a chia egg simply place 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and 3 tablespoons of
warm water in a small dish. Let it sit for a few minutes until the mixture thickens into a gel. (This normally takes about 3-5 minutes.) Remember to double if you are making this recipe with only
chia eggs. I like to use 1 chia egg and 1 large chicken egg in this recipe to get the best of both worlds for both texture and health.

***Note: I find that chocolate protein powder compliments the bananas very well. I prefer to use a plant based, gluten, soy, and dairy free one, with added greens in this recipe.

Variation: For another flavor variation use vanilla protein powder with only 1/3 cup milk, paired with 1/3 cup of orange juice and 1 tea of lemon juice. You can also add in additional chia seeds as well as citrus zest, vanilla or nuts if you wish.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
In a large bowl, pre-smash your bananas. Then add in the remainder of your ingredients (Remember if using chia eggs to let them gel first.) Mix well. The consistency will be similar to a slightly runny brownie batter in nature. Carefully spoon batter into your muffin cups or pan equally dividing the batter. You can use cupcake papers for a festive look or simply grease the muffin pan sections thoroughly with coconut oil to achieve a dinner roll look. If choosing to grease your pans, it is necessary to use a saturated oil like butter or coconut oil to achieve the desired easy removal. Lighter greases like grape seed oil does not work well for greasing pans. This recipe should make 12 muffins. (My daughter loves putting in the muffin papers, but I actually recommend going with the greasing the pan option for the best results.)
Place in preheated oven and bake at 400° F for about 30 minutes or until a knife or tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

While you are at it, don’t be afraid to get your kids involved in the cooking processes with these easy and fun to make muffins. Getting them involved in planning and creating their meals is one of the best ways to encourage and teach healthy eating. Cooking together is a fun way to offer your kids nutrition skills that will last a lifetime! There are lots of little jobs from holding the measuring cup over the bowl while you pour to dumping the measuring ingredients and even stirring that are sure to thrill small helpers. Have older helpers be the boss by reading the recipe and showing off their math skills with using fractions!

Social/emotional extensions also abound with these healthy breakfast muffins. Use them as a tool to strengthen relationships bonded over the joint effort or as a gift that encourages a friend or co-worker to eat healthier. We do both. My daughter loves helping make any form of muffin or cupcake! Stirring, pouring and even cracking eggs are all serious business with her. She also finds great pleasure in passing the completed product out to friends and family as her personal love gift. What better “thinking of you” gift for Grandpa than muffins that his little granddaughter helped make? So give your family a healthy and quick “grab and go” morning option by providing muffins, the “healthy cupcakes” as my daughter says, a try!

Working toward a year of health and happiness, the Homesteading Hen

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