morning glory

I don't know about you, but I am one of those people who goes to sleep with a smile on my face, thinking about the breakfast that I'm going to be eating the next morning. Plain and simple, I love breakfast. All that stuff about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, I totally eat that up (literally). I love cereal, I love oatmeal, I love pancakes, I LOVE eggs. I'd have breakfast multiple meals a day if there weren't so many other yummy foods out there for me to explore. But to put it simply, I just love breakfast. There is something special about those quiet moments of serenity in the morning that I share with my breakfast, enjoying my food before the craziness of whatever lies ahead in my day. For those of you who don't like breakfast, what is that? I just don't get it. I wake up hungry and ready for breakfast, dream of breakfast in my sleep, and could seriously go for some breakfast right now at 10 o'clock at night.

A challenge that I've faced since I started working is still getting in my breakfast, without interfering too much with my work schedule. In college, I used to always eat a bowl of cereal or some waffles with peanut butter (haven't tried it? you must!) before class. Once I started working, I quickly realized that my mornings are a bit more rushed, and I just wasn't always going to have the time to eat a leisurely breakfast at home. It took a bit of getting used to, but I adjusted my morning schedule and now eat as I check my morning emails (the one time a day my office is actually quiet). After adjusting, the next challenge was figuring what to eat for breakfast. I'm a cereal girl at heart, but cereal in the office was just impractical, and so I turned to oatmeal. Let me tell you, it changed my life. Especially in the fall and now winter, I look forward to that steamy cup of oatmeal at 9 in the morning. With this recipe, I was inspired to take the things I loved about oatmeal, and put them into a delicious baked muffin. 

Muffins are another great quick go to breakfast, but a lot of those you can buy on your way to work from the portable coffee and pastry trucks lining the streets are a bit (okay a lot) more cupcake than muffin. And while I am probably the #1 fan in the cupcake club, I try to start off my day with something a little healthier. This muffin has all of the deliciousness of one of those sugary food cart monstrosities (that frankly look like they ate my muffin), honestly maybe more. They are just the right amount of sweet, and the flavors really all come together nicely. I had some fresh blueberries in my fridge, so I used those for half of the recipe, however you certainly do not have to (or you could add in your favorite fruit or nut). And like all of my baking recipes, just substitute regular flour and remove the xanthum gum if you're baking these without worries of eating gf. I hope that these inspire you and give you a wonderful start to your day as well!

Apple Cinnamon Oat Muffins

1 1/4 cups gf flour

3/4 tsp Xanthum gum

1 1/4 cups gf oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used cinnamon)

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp water

2 tbsp canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup blueberries (optional- I did half of mine with and half without)

Preheat your oven to 375

Whisk together flour, xanthum gum, oats, baking powder, and baking soda

Once combined, add salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the dry ingredients

With your mixer set to low, slowly add in the brown sugar and applesauce

Once combined, add in buttermilk, vinegar, water, and oil, and mix on medium

Scrape down sides, turn mixer onto medium and add in egg and mix until batter is just combined

If you are adding in blueberries (optional), mix in by hand before scooping into the pan, to avoid blueberries bursting!

Once combined, Scoop out into lined muffin pans, sprayed with a bit of cooking spray

Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!!

ready for the oven...

ready to be eaten!