Superfood Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

It gives our body the fuel it needs to conquer the day, so it’s important to choose foods that will nourish the body so that we’re provided with enough energy until the next meal.  One of the best nutritional pieces of advice I’ve ever received was from an old boss, who told me that her father always believed the first meal of the day should consist of healthy carbohydrates and proteins. After all, you’re breaking the fast that your body endured after dinner and during sleep, so chances are it’s been 12 hours since you last ate.

I’ve always believed that breakfast should be the largest meal of the day, as you’re able to spend the rest of the day expending the energy you’ve consumed. That being said, I know plenty of people who opt not to eat anything at all for breakfast, which would explain why they’re starving when lunch time finally rolls around, and they end up gorging on unhealthier food choices. This in turn of course, usually leads to a slower metabolism, and the need for these people to continually yo-yo diet…and unfortunately perhaps choosing weight-loss supplements or diet meal replacement shakes in search of a quick fix to losing the weight.

Luckily for those people, I’ve discovered a simple way to eat breakfast — in the form of cookies! Everyone enjoys a warm ooey-gooey cookie, and the convenience of these healthy treats means there won’t be any excuse for not eating breakfast.

These cookies were actually somewhat of an accidental discovery when I realised I’d cooked too much porridge on the stove. Curiosity and ingenuity led to me dumping all of my superfoods into the food processor, and then mixing the concoction into the warm oats in the pot. After playing with oven cooking times and temperatures, I took the guess-work out for you, and lo and behold: my Superfood Breakfast Cookies!

 

INGREDIENTS

Porridge:

• 1 ½ cups Rolled Oats
• 1 cup  Almond Mylk
• 2 Tbsp Cacao
• 2 Tbsp Maca Powder
• 2 Bananas, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbsp Honey

Superfoods Blend:

• 1 Tbsp Flax Seeds
• ½ cup of Bran Flakes
• ¼ cup Raisins
• ¼ cup Goji Berries
• 1 Tbsp Bee Pollen
• 1 Tsp Chlorella
• 1/3 cup mixture of Brazil Nuts, Pecans & Cashews
• 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
• 5 Prunes (can be substituted for dates to use as sweetener)
• ¼ cup Hemp Hearts
• 1 Tbsp Acai Powder
• * Coconut Water (use sparingly)

 

DIRECTIONS

Combine the oats, almond mylk, cacao, maca powder, bananas, vanilla extract and honey in a medium sized sauce pan, thoroughly mixing everything together. Cover pot with lid, and leave on medium heat until mixture begins to thicken and oats are soft, about 10 minutes.

While oat mixture is cooking, combine the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. To keep the mixture from sticking, add small amounts of the coconut water until the mixture has the consistency of crunchy peanut butter.

Once oats have finished cooking, remove from heat and add the blended nutty superfood mixture to the pot, and stir. The batter should resemble that of oatmeal cookies. If the result is too runny, add more chia seeds and allow the mix to sit while the seeds gel. If the mixture is too thick, add small amounts of coconut water.

Space cookies far apart from each other, and be sure to flatten

Preheat the oven to 175*c / 345*f and line 2 baking pans with parchment paper. Form the sticky batter into balls, then place on the baking pans, flattening them out into a cookie shape. The cookies will rise and taste more like a muffin if the batter isn’t spread flat enough on the sheets.  Ensure that cookies are not touching each other.

Once oven is hot enough, place the cookies on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes. When the edges begin to look slightly browned, remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Next, you’ll need to flip the cookies so that they can get crunchy on the underside.

For optimum chewiness, flip the cookies mid-bake

Place back in oven for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until cookies begin to look hard. Remove from heat, and let cool.

As the cookies may still retain some of their moisture inside, they store best in the fridge, uncovered in a container and are best consumed within 5 days. If you can’t eat 36 cookies in 5 days though, they also freeze well.

MAKES: 36 cookies

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

TOTAL COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

Nutritional info per cookie:

 

Eating Healthy While On the Go

Life can be hectic. Gone are the days where the men were the primary bread-winners of the home and the women stayed back to spend their days cooking, cleaning, and looking after their army of kids. Statistics are now showing a sharp rise in families with children having both parents working too (60%), which is more than double what it was only a generation ago. It’s become the norm for couples to start (much) smaller families later in life, and along with the crummy economy, it means women have become accustomed to also bringing home their own share of the bacon. 

This of course means busier lifestyles for everyone. Mornings generally are a race against the clock as everyone rushes to get out the door for work or school, and it can be quite the struggle to pack a healthy lunch in a hurry. 

The office I work in currently is full of people who scoff at my homemade snacks and lunches, and would much prefer to spend their hard-earned cash at pubs or at a drive-thru. Their thin wallets and expanding waistlines reflect their poor eating habits though, so I don’t take offence when they laugh at my jumbo salads or breakfast shakes! 

Commuters and those with more demanding jobs may even turn to food to help them cope with their higher stress levels, which combined with a lack of exercise can further wreak havoc on their health. It doesn’t help that so many companies are banking on these people by shelling out “on-the-go” snacks and “minute meals” that are ready after a quick pop in the microwave but are laden with preservatives, chemicals, artificial nutrients and next to no nutritional value. The convenience is exchanged for poorer quality of food. 

The simplest solution is to go back to our roots. Only a few decades ago, ready-made snacks weren’t available, and the only thing that existed were homemade meals, or fruits & veg for snacks! Not only will home-prepared meals help you save a bundle of money, but you’ll be eating foods that you know are good for your body. The more nutrient-dense your foods are, the more your body will benefit from those energy sources. It’s as simple as that. 

I like to always have a variety of fruits and vegetables readily available for those moments where I’m running out the door and know I’ll get hungry later in the day. As soon as you return from the farmer’s market, orchard, garden or grocery store, wash and cut up your fruits and vegetables (if necessary). Put each serving in individual containers and then place in the fridge so that you can easily grab-and-go. 5 minutes of prep time can result in stress-free mornings and a happier digestive system and body. 

Here are a few of my favourite fruits & veggies to ALWAYS have on hand:

• Apples
• grapes
• bananas
• pears (seasonal)
• peaches (seasonal)
• cherry tomatoes
• cauliflower & broccoli
• carrots
• cucumbers

Fruits are sweet enough on their own, but if you need some extra flavour with your veggies, I like to add a homemade guacamole dip or homemade hummus. 

Along with the typical snacks from mother nature, there are lots of other options you can quickly whip together when you’re strapped for time:

• fruity yogurt parfait
• hearty superfoods oatmeal
• whole grain toast topped with avocado & spices, or rice cake with nut butter & sliced bananas 
• granola with homemade almond milk (packed separately to avoid sogginess)
• trail mix
• homemade musli bars
• Ants & Birds on a log (celery topped with nut butter, almonds & raisins)
• leftovers from last night’s dinner
• Homemade Superfood Breakfast Cookies
• deviled egg or hard-boiled egg
• Homemade Crispy Kale Chips
• super smoothie
• chia pudding
• Mediterranean Grains Salad
• sandwich
• salad

There are tonnes of other great snack ideas too, you just have to be creative. Meal prepping helps immensely, but remember that if you always keep good, healthy food in your kitchen, that’s what you’re forced to eat. 

In a pinch? Refuel with clean energy!

Keep it healthy!