Breakfast on the fly: savoury and sweet healthy muffins

Following on from my last post on workplace snacking, I thought I would follow the theme and devise a healthy, on-the-go and easy breakfast. I have become accustomed to bringing to work a big bag of muesli which isn’t a bad option at all. Although, eating museli at your desk, slurping up the milk, clunking the spoon against your teeth can sometimes come across as unprofessional. So, what can you eat in the morning that is healthy, filling and easy to consume on the sly?

Healthy muffins!

Muffins are often associated with indulgence however if you make them yourselves and decide what goes in them, they can be surprisingly healthy and at the same time delicious. To satisfy all your cravings, I have come up with two breakfast muffins; a savoury vegan zucchini and carrot muffin and a sweeter apple and berry muffin. So give both a go, play around with ingredients based on what you like and what you have in your fridge and give yourself a healthy treat in the morning!

Apple and berry muesli muffins*
(Preparation time: 15 minutes, cooking time: 35 minutes)

Ingredients
2 cups wholemeal oats
¼ cup ground flaxseed/linseed
½ cup raisins or currents
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup natural yoghurt
4 eggs
2 tbs macadamia nut oil (if you don’t have, use a vegetable oil)
2 tbsp honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 apple
1 cup frozen or fresh berries

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a bowl, combine oats, linseed, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon, yoghurt, eggs, oil, honey and vanilla. Leave for 10 minutes to allow for the oats to soften. In the meantime, grate the apple and keep any juice that arises during the grating. Add the apple, any apple juice and the berries to the bowl. Add the flour and mix through very lightly so as to avoid the muffins being tough. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups or baking paper and spoon in equal amounts of the batter. Bake for 20 minutes and check on your muffins, turn the tray around in the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until lovely and golden. Cool and then enjoy!

*Adapted from The Healthy Chef

Vegan zucchini and carrot muffins
(Preparation time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients
200g wholemeal flour
40g oats
½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ cup macadamia nut oil
1 cup almond milk (or any other vegan milk will work)
1 zucchini, grated (patted dry)
1 carrot, grated (patted dry)
40g mixed seeds/nuts, toasted
40g currents

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, bicarb, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, milk, zucchini, carrot, half the seeds and currants. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir lightly – don’t over mix. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups or baking paper and spoon in equal amounts of the batter. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted nuts/seeds. Bake for 20 minutes and check on your muffins, turn the tray around in the oven. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until lovely and golden. Cool and then enjoy!

Tagged as: berries, breakfast, healthy, muffins, vegan