Healthy Breakfast = Slimmer Waistline
Research shows that a healthy breakfast, low in refined foods (like sugar and white flour), can lead to better concentration and attention throughout the morning. It also means a slimmer waistline and more energy throughout the day.
Sugary Breakfast
Unfortunately, most easy breakfast options you find in the grocery store are loaded with sugar and other refined ingredients.
For example … granola bars. Fast, convenient, and healthy. Well, fast and convenient. I have yet to find a granola bar with less than 7 grams of sugar – waaaaaay too much sugar to be part of a healthy breakfast. And most granola bars have a lot more sugar – some as much as 16 grams of sugar.
Don’t despair. I have a delicious answer to sugary breakfast woes.
Delicious Breakfast – Healthy and Fast
Here’s a healthy breakfast idea for you.
High-fiber, slimming oats; naturally sweet bananas, dates, and raisins; luscious almond butter; and a handful of omega-3-rich walnuts and you have a delicious start to a beautiful day!
Keep a batch in the freezer so you have something quick to eat on busy mornings. (They’re best reheated in the toaster oven, but I’ve also reheated them in a toaster, on a comal, and even in a covered pan over low heat.)
Why are these Banana Breakfast Bites so good-for-you?
1. They are sugar-free. Americans eat far too much sugar, but these Banana Breakfast Bites give you a sweet, healthy, no-sugar start to your day.
2. They are sweetened naturally with healthy, nutrient-rich fruit.
3. They provide your body with a huge boost of vitamin B6 (which helps support adrenal function and maintain a calm and healthy nervous system), manganese (which helps build health bones and reduces inflammation), and magnesium (which helps keep blood sugar levels stable).
4. They also give you a pretty good dose of thiamine and protein.
5. They are loaded with slimming fiber.
6. They have no refined grains.
7. They provide healthy fats.
Banana Breakfast Bites
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 40 cookies
High-fiber, slimming oats; naturally sweet bananas, dates, and raisins; luscious almond butter; and a handful of omega-3-rich walnuts and you have a delicious start to a beautiful day!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups quick oats or gluten-free quick oats
- 1 1/2 cups chopped raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened shredded coconut)
- 1/2 cup date sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons soft coconut oil (or if you are trying to avoid refined fats, use almond butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 large bananas)
Instructions
- Mix together dry ingredients (oats through salt).
- In a separate (large) mixing bowl, mix together almond butter, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Mash bananas well and measure to equal 2 cups. (I mash mine directly in my 2-cup measuring cup. Any extra banana pieces go into the freezer for this delicious Banana Carob Smoothie.) Stir into almond butter mixture.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix well but don't overmix.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, drop onto an oiled baking sheet. (I use a parchment-lined baking sheet.)
- Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned on the bottom.
Notes
1. Makes about 40 “bites”.
2. These Banana Breakfast Bites freeze well. For the best taste and texture, reheat before eating.
Courses Breakfast
“Sugar free” – but they contain date sugar and food that contains a lot of natural sugar (dates, raisins, and bananas). If you broke down the nutrition facts for this, it would have a LOT of sugar in it. This is misleading.
Hi Belle,
Sometimes the sugar conversation can get confusing because we use the word “sugar” to describe the unhealthy, processed stuff that we get from sugar cane or sugar beets, AND we also use the word “sugar” to describe the naturally-occurring sweetness we find in whole foods, like fruit.
Fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and even vegetables all contain natural sugars that are very beneficial for our health. Because they come naturally-packaged with an abundance of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals our body uses that sugar to nourish us.
This recipe is free from the unhealthy, processed sugar. And it provides an abundance of good-for-you natural sugars that come naturally packaged in the whole food.
You can read more this in my post about sugar – Hidden Sugar, How It Affects Your Body, and What to Do About It.
Jennifer