Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. As strange as it may be, I think about what I’m going to have for breakfast while drifting off to sleep the night before. Breakfast is a big deal around here.
In the past I skipped breakfast more times than I’d like to admit, thinking that it was better to avoid racking up calories first thing in the morning. My poor metabolism. Now I aim to eat about 400 to 500 calories at breakfast, which isn’t difficult considering how ravenous I am the moment I wake up.
I had been reading about protein muffins on Gena’s site for a while now, but it wasn’t until last week that I got motivated to dig through my pantry in search of the ingredients I needed to make one. Of course, I didn’t have all the suggested items so I winged it a bit and was thrilled with the results. It turned out moist, dense and was huge (major bonus in my book). And on top of it all, the ingredient list ended up being pretty stellar.
Give it a try next time you have a craving for a bakery-like treat without the guilt.
Sidenote: I’ve been traveling, running and going at a hectic pace this weekend so blog photography is courtesy of my iPhone. Eventually I’ll get better at bringing my real camera with me when I’m traveling. Perhaps when I cave and get a more atractive camera bag!
Hope you all had a wonderful long weekend, and thanks for all your feedback on the pies!
What are your favorite things to eat for breakfast? Do you eat breakfast at all?
Cocoa Protein ‘Muffin’
Inspired by Smoothie Girl and Fitnessista
Ingredients
*1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1 egg white (from one large egg)
*1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I measured and it ended up being just shy of 1/3 cup)
*2 tablespoons peanut flour or whole wheat flour
*1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1 teaspoon stevia or 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
*In a small baking dish or microwave-going cereal bowl, combine the applesauce, baking powder and egg white. Beat until well combined. Add in the chocolate protein powder, flour, ground cinnamon and stevia or brown sugar. Beat until all ingredients are evenly combined.
*Place dish in the microwave and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes on high, until mixture is puffed up and bounces back when you touch the center with your finger.
*Remove from dish, transfer to a plate and top with desired toppings, such as nut butter, low-sugar pancake syrup or Greek yogurt. Makes 1 muffin
Calories per muffin: About 360 depending on the type of protein powder
Happy ‘baking’!
Madison