Recipe - Breakfast muffins

Sometimes you need a breakfast you can grab and go, these delicious breakfast muffins are just the thing. Some days I leave the house at 7am for work. At that time in the morning I'm not usually too hungry for anything substantial so may just grab a quick smoothie. Neither do I want to be messing around in the kitchen making a big breakfast. But I know within an hour I'll be ravenous and ready for something more so I'm usually quite happy with myself that I thought ahead and made a batch of muffins for me to reheat at work.

You can pretty much add any veggies you have lurking in the fridge. Chopped red peppers would work really well, as would broccoli or courgette.

If you're pressed for time in the morning, make these the night before for an easy breakfast option. Go on, put that alarm clock on snooze for another 10 minutes!!

Ingredients

3 paleo friendly sausages, skins removed
1 carrot, grated
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 spring onions, finely chopped
handful of fresh spinach
small handful of fresh basil leaves
8 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175 (fan). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with coconut oil
2. In a frying pan, cook the sausages until browned, breaking up into small pieces as you toss them around the pan.
3. In a bowl combine the carrot, tomatoes, spring onions and spinach.
4. In a large bowl whisk the eggs.
5. Once the sausage is cooked, turn off the heat and add the vegetables, stirring to combine until the spinach has wilted from the residual heat. Then add the basil.
6. Add the sausage and veggie mixture to the eggs and give it a good mix.
7. Fill each muffin tin to about three quarters. Be careful not to overfill as the mixture will rise a little.
8. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the eggs look completely set and the tops are slightly golden.

These can be eaten straight away or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, pop a couple in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Enjoy xx

Recipe - Pumpkin pancakes

I love breakfast!

I think it's a really important meal. It fuels you for the morning and with the right ingredients, can kick start your day. I always make sure my boys get a good breakfast, it keeps their energy levels up and helps them to concentrate better at school. And, we are less likely to grab the less healthy breakfast bars which are usually laden with sugars that give us a temporary 'false' energy boost.

These pancakes I usually reserve for a weekend when I have a little more time to prepare. I serve them with a big bowl of fresh fruit and some grilled bacon. What's not to love.

Serves a hungry 4

Ingredients


4 large eggs
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 can of pumpkin puree (I use Libby's)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (or omit this and add a little more cinnamon)
1 1/3 cup ground almonds
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

To serve

Fresh fruit - sliced mango, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, banana
Grilled bacon
Maple syrup or agave

Method

1. In a large bowl, gently whisk together all the ingredients taking care not to overbeat but making sure there are no lumps left.
2. Heat a large frying pan to medium high and grease with a little ghee or coconut oil.
3. Adding about a 1/4 cup of batter at a time, cook until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Depending on the size of your frying pan you may be able to cook 2 or 3 at a time. I usually have 2 pans on the hob at the same time).
4. Carefully flip the pancake over and cook for a further minute or two until it is done.
5. Place on a baking tray, cover and keep warm until the rest of the pancakes are cooked.

Serve topped with bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh fruit on the side.

Enjoy xx

Recipe - spiced granola

Can I call this "crack" granola? It really is ridiculously moreish!

Feel free to enjoy with milk of your choice, would be great with yogurt too. I particularly like the Coyo coconut milk yogurt at the mo. Me, I just nibbled on it throughout the morning with a fruit smoothie on the side.

Ingredients
200g whole unprocessed almonds
200g pecans
100g pumpkin seeds
100g unswetened desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
Pinch of ground cloves
80ml agave syrup
60ml coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Handful of dried cranberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (or 2) with greaseproof paper. 

Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl, tossing to combine, and set aside. 

In a pan or microwave bowl, melt the agave, coconut oil and vanilla together for 45-60

seconds. stir to melt completely.

Pour over the nut mixture and mix well, making sure to coat all of the nuts.

Spread the granola out on your baking sheets in a single layer and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before adding in the cranberries. 
Transfer to an airtight container, breaking up the larger chunks as you go.

In theory, this should keep for up to a week but mine only lasted a matter of days! 

Enjoy xx