2.08.2014

HEALTHY TRAVEL II: EARLY MORNING BREAKFAST MUFFINS


I consider myself a morning person. However, when it comes to early morning flights, I am definitely not a happy camper. I never sleep well the night before in fear of missing my alarm, and my body always gets thrown off when I don't eat breakfast at home. Without a doubt, a 7:30AM flight implies you're eating breakfast on the go - either in a cab, at the gate, or on the tarmac. Flying to the States makes it even tougher, since fresh fruit and veg aren't allowed. I decided that the only way I'd be happy (aka not cranky), was to pack a tasty travel breakfast with me. Hopefully I can track down some yogurt, coffee and OJ at the airport, and I'll be good to go!


EARLY MORNING BREAKFAST MUFFINS // makes 12

These muffins aren't overly sweet, making them a perfect breakfast muffin. If you're craving more sugar, sprinkle the tops with brown sugar just before baking. Also, I never have buttermilk in the house (hence the milk/vinegar combo), but if you do, by all means, use buttermilk!

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (I used soy)
1 tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

4 medjool dates, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, grated (3-4 carrots)

3/4 cup white flour
1/3 cup whole wheat or spelt flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger

What to do:

Chop the dates, grate the carrots, and set aside. To make the buttermilk, take a 1 cup measuring cup, add 1 tbsp of vinegar and fill to the top with milk. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, melted butter, egg and vanilla. Whisk well to combine. Add the dates and carrots, stir to incorporate and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, stir just enough to combine, and let sit for 5 minutes.

While the batter is sitting, grease your muffin tin (or line with paper liners). Scoop the batter into the cups, filling to just below the surface - use up all the batter as required.

Bake for roughly 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once removed from the oven, and cool enough to touch, gently remove the muffins and transfer to a wire rack.