Muffins For Breakfast?

 By Christina Gilbert, Teamfitstyle 28December 2017

 When I start walking out of the gym on an early morning eating my blueberry muffin, imagine the looks I get… especially since I’m the personal trainer! I always feel a little guilty. Maybe it’s my paranoia but it feels like everyone is staring at my muffin breakfast! Or are they just jealous?  Am I giving the impression to people as a trainer that if they get up early, workout for an hour, and stay committed that they can have a blueberry muffin? YES! Our worlds and traditions are built around the tastes, smell, and emotional connections we have to our occasions and food.  As a child, Sunday mornings meant donuts. So when my daughter and I wake up early on a Sunday,I automatically want to treat her to the sweet and decadent tradition.For years starting in high school, a “healthy” breakfast was stopping to get a banana nut muffin, or better yet,an oat bran muffin and a black coffee. Then we learned that those morning “healthy” treats were full of sugar, trans-fats,and gluten… starting our mornings off with an insulin spike and sugar rush which ultimately leads us into an afternoon crash and a craving for a candy bar. Not to mention leaky- gut, inflammation, and a resulting headache. But who knew? Now we are lucky enough to be alive during the Paleo Diet era.  And we are told we get to eat muffins for breakfast again!

But can we? Happily, the answer is YES!

 Now that we are in generation of not counting calories, recognizing that it matters what sources our food came from, and the quality of our ingredients makes or breaks the healthy or not label on foods. We still cannot start our morning on sugar, and the bad-fats and processed wheat that accompany the standard commercial muffins. That still won’t make us healthy.But picture this… a healthy blueberry muffin made with the healthy fats found in almond butter, natural occurring sugars that our body can manage and some added potassium with bananas, the fabulous healthy and anti-inflammatory benefits of coconut oil, and a little coconut flour… containing no gluten, no gut inflaming, hormone disrupting, immune disruptive processed wheat and no often problematic dairy.  That sounds pretty healthy right?  Its not a bad snack or breakfast… especially if you add a scoop of VITAL PROTEINS like I do to add a healthy boost of collagen to support your joints, add protein, and support the building blocks of strong hair, skin, and nails!Imagine whipping these up for your family to accompany Sunday morning breakfast, throw in your kid’s lunch, or have as an afternoon snack without spiking your insulin… and benefiting you health at the same time!I’ve only tried this recipe with blueberries but I can imagine how good it would be with raspberries or strawberries! I make these a few times a month and they are always a hit with my 12 year old!  
I bring them to pass out at the gym and I cannot tell you how much they are loved. I hope you enjoy eating your muffins in good health... and don’t worry about the dirty looks as you eat them…

  

 
PALEO BLUEBERRY MUFFIN
 

4 mashed ripe bananas 
4 eggs
½ cup natural almond butter, no added sugar
3 TBSP melted coconut oil
½ cup coconut flour
1-2 scoops unflavored VITAL PROTEINS collagen peptides, optional
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen… do not thaw frozen
In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, and almond butter.

Add flour, Vital Proteins, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Mix well

Add blueberries and fold into batter

Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes
Cool

 Store in the fridge for best longevity… they taste just as good for

2-3 days after baking