Breakfast for the Tribe

Oatmeal Banana Muffins fresh out of the oven

Sneaky little thing

Mission accomplished.

Mornings around here can be intense. There are 4 hungry kids that want food NOW. I'm sure we're not alone there. I'm a morning person...but not a -sit down and relax- kind of morning person. It's my productive time, where we accomplish chores, get dressed, and start school. So needless to say, I don't make a big breakfast for everyone. We eat breakfast quickly and move on...which means we eat simple things like frozen waffles, cereal, nutrigrain bars, etc. Well, those things add up...especially for 4 kids, 7 days a week. So about a year ago, I started thinking differently about how I run things around here. I wanted to be healthier, and more frugal. I decided that making things from scratch would not only be better for us, but would also stretch our dollar. I started making big batches of muffins to freeze and pull out in the mornings for the kids, along with a piece of fruit. I'll just take a day and make dozens and dozens and DOZENS of muffins...then put them in bags to freeze. It's super easy for our family, and the kids LOVE them. They are also great for eating on the go. On Sundays, our kids eat breakfast in the car on the way to church. So if you ever see us in the parking lot before church starts, you'll see me wiping down everyone, and dusting crumbs off of church clothes. Here's one of my favorite recipes:

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup of brown sugar (I use Sucanat)
7 TBS of Unsweetened Applesauce or Coconut Oil
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large)
1 cup regular oats
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups whole wheat pasty flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat well at medium speed. Combine banana, oats, and milk. Add that to the sugar mixture, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon-stir with a whisk. Add it to the sugar mixture-beat until moist. Spray your muffin pans w/ cooking spray and fill them about 2/3 of the way up. Bake them at 350 degrees for around 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
*I always add some Flaxseed Meal to my mixture for an extra boost. Makes 24 regular size muffins.