I don’t like breakfast. For as long as I can remember I haven’t eaten breakfast. Save your lectures on how it’s the most important meal of the day because I’ve heard them all. Because I’m not a breakfast eater, I often forget that my children need to eat before school. I have friends who prepare a full-on breakfast for their families. TBH, I’m too selfish to fix a huge breakfast that my kids will complain about, and they have, but I have found a great substitute for a filling, healthy breakfast for my kids.

About four years ago I had a friend tell me about a blender she purchased off QVC. Her brother had passed away suddenly and because of it, she couldn’t sleep. She said her new blender was the most incredible thing she had ever used. She said she could make hot soup, smoothies, frozen desserts, and the kicker was she would throw things in her blender: peels, skins, and seeds from her fruit and veggies and it would whip it all up into a smooth concoction. I start to think I might be able to use one of those, but the price tag was a little scary.

I decided to be brave, and Christmas 2015 I asked for one. My beloved CPA husband was totally silent on the phone while I explained why I wanted said blender. He even had the audacity to ask me if the salesman was right in front of me. He was, but that is beside the point. I really wanted this blender. Luckily, he gave me the go-ahead to purchase one with the foreknowledge that it was part of my Christmas, birthday (12/26), and 22nd anniversary present. YES! He had the notion that he would get me what I wanted and it would sit in the cabinet to gather dust. He has been eating and drinking his words every day since Christmas.

I now blend breakfast for my fam almost every day, and it is healthier than anything I would cook for them. I whip up 8 cups of smoothie every morning, and that 8 cups contains 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 heaping scoop of protein powder, flax, hemp, chia and pumpkin seeds, whole almonds, 3-4 cups raw spinach, 2 cups frozen fruit, ice, and water. Yes, you read correctly: I put spinach in a smoothie, and the fam loves it. I love the fact that it has helped them not crave so many sweets, and they’re not starving before lunch everyday. So now when they ask for breakfast, I’m more than happy to serve it up with a straw.

On a breakfast side note, a friend shared a great flourless gluten-free muffin recipe that you mix in your blender, and I want to pass it on. Good things are meant to be shared! I thought this recipe was too easy to be good, and was surprised to find out the muffins actually fluffed up like regular muffins and were divine, especially hot out of the oven. I usually triple the recipe because I don’t have time to make them hot every morning. The original recipe can be found on www.averiecooks.com.

You can use a mini or regular muffin pan.

Flourless Gluten-Free Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 medium ripe banana
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I use a named brand natural PB that is not too gritty)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (I often forget to add this)
• 1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in the blender. Mix until very creamy. I will let it blend until I’m done spraying my muffin tin with my non-stick spray. As you pour your mixture into a bowl, try not to eat too much of the batter. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup up 1/2 to 3/4 full depending on how big you want your muffins. You can sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin to make them look pretty.

Cook mini muffins 7-10 minutes or regular muffins 15-17 minutes.

I have to limit my kids to a max of 3 large muffins a day. That means they can have one for dessert with each meal. Yeah, I know, dessert at breakfast is cool. 😉

In Sigma,

Ashley