I have a really bad habit of mismanaging my time before heading off to work or some other engagement. I will get into a productive mode that is hard to detach from, which then means a rush to get out the door once I catch a glimpse of the time. At this point, all bets are off for trying to get a meal in my belly, let alone a healthy one.
Coming from someone in the food industry, it’s probably funny to hear that I often forget to eat or improperly prioritize so there is no time to eat, but it happens to the best of us sometimes. The hardest meal to plan for in these moments of folly is easily breakfast, especially when the desire to snooze the alarm one last time takes over. I have a make-ahead breakfast option for you that will not only help solve this problem, but is also healthy and a very portable grab-and-go option. This is also a nice alternative to the usual go-to banana bread to use up on-the-verge bananas.
Healthy Breakfast Cookies
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 cups uncooked one-minute oats
¼ cup milk
½ cup raisins
¼ cup nuts, rough chopped (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mash together the bananas in a large bowl with a fork.
2. Mix in all of the remaining ingredients. You can sub out other dried fruits in place of the raisins to switch up the flavors, if you’d like as well.
3. Scoop out tablespoon-sized spoonfuls onto a parchment or a Silpat-lined sheet tray. Space the scoops 1 ½ inches apart.
4. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water and pat down each scoop to flatten it to resemble the size and shape of a small cookie.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies are no longer sticking to the Silpat mat, and let cool. Store these in the fridge, or make a big batch and freeze the extras for later use. This recipe yields approximately 26 cookies.
Interested in some more healthy cooking options to boost up your nutrient intake? Come join us for The Chopping Block’s Vegetarian Boot Camp on May 21st at the Merchandise Mart to add some more creative ideas to your repertoire for getting your veggies in.
