Breakfast is the most important meal of the day? YES! If you’ve spent time reading about nutrition, weight loss or general health, this is not news to you. However, WHAT YOU EAT for breakfast also matters. Protein is very important. Consuming 15-20 grams of protein first thing in the morning is a huge part of getting your metabolism cranked up for the day and it begins to lay the foundation for a day of more stable energy—but more on that in another post.

Today, I’ll share two recipes that have been HUGE in our house in helping combat the tendency to reach for otherwise simple-carb-heavy breakfast options. These recipes are great additions to go alongside your eggs, your morning coffee, your Shaklee Life Shake or a quick mini-meal on the go at any time of day. These muffins are made with nut flower or nut butter instead of grains. They are gluten-free, high in protein, and delicious!

We are not officially Paleo eaters, but we LOVE a lot of the recipes that can be found in Paleo cook-books and websites. I double these two recipes because they both freeze well. My children 5, 3, and one love these and I can be confident they are getting the nutrition they need without all the fillers, sugar and artificial substances that are even in the “healthy” store bought options! The Sun Muffins are a favorite to go snack for baby eaters!

Try these! I would love to hear what you think of them or any creative variations! Please leave a comment below.

Morning Glory Muffins:

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 mashed ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard-sized muffin pan or line with papers
Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Add carrot, apple, coconut and raisins and combine well.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, mashed banana and vanilla extract together.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be very thick.
Spoon the batter out into muffin pan and place on upper/middle rack of your oven for 30-40 minutes (based on oven).
When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.

Sunflower Muffins

1 cup any nut butter (I use sunflower butter)
2-3 ripe banana
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor.
Blend until well mixed: batter will be sticky.
Pour batter into a greased mini muffin tins.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes or so until cooked through
I am sure you could use regular muffins too, but you will have to increase the cooking time to 12-15 minutes.