A few months ago I was on a muffin kick. Fayza joked that every time she called me to ask me what I was up to my response was “Making muffins”. I tweaked this recipe until I got it the way I like it, and I swear to you I’m so eager to eat these in the morning that I almost want to wake up early so I can get at them sooner.

I said almost.

They're not pretty, but they sure do taste good

Best Breakfast Bran Muffins EVER

(it’s important that you capitalize EVER, should you pass this recipe around)

Hands on time: 15 min
Baking time: 20 min per batch
Makes 12 good sized muffins

1 cup wheat bran (find it at Whole Foods in the bulk section or at some larger grocery stores in the health food aisle)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (I suppose you could use all purpose flour instead of wheat, but you lose the nutrition benefits of whole wheat)
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 cup flaxseeds (optional, but I like the texture they give and they are full of good stuff)
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar (original recipe uses 1/2 cup, but I don’t think it’s necessary)
1-4 ounce single serving cup of apple sauce
1 egg
1½ Tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Spray no-stick spray into the cups of a muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl mix the wheat bran, white and wheat flours, baking soda, salt and flax seeds (if using). Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Stir them around for about 30 seconds to make sure the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until just combined. Spoon or pour batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then pop them out.
5. Go ahead and eat one now. They’re healthy

While most nutritionists say whole grains are best, it’s just not practical for us busybodies to sit down with a bowl of cereal before we race out the door. My favorite get-in-my-belly-quick breakfast snack is yogurt, which I’m sure comes as a huge shock to you. I can slurp it down in a minute or eat spoonfuls while I’m doing some other task (usually my makeup). I have a pretty gnarly commute, so if I don’t eat my yogurt by the time I get to my desk I’m ready to bite into my own hand. If you don’t like yogurt, no problem. A hard boiled egg, whole grain toast, even one of those cereal bars is better than nothing. Just go easy on the pastries and donuts.

I want to be clear, I’m not advocating that you ONLY eat a container of yogurt for breakfast. Once you get settled into work you should try to eat another small meal, or “second breakfast” as the Hobbits like to call it. After about an hour of email and the usual morning catch up, I heat up some oatmeal or some other more substantial breakfast treat. This is the part of the day that I shoot for a FIBER BLAST. Oatmeal, flax seeds and prunes are a favorite combo of mine. Let’s just say it keeps things moving.

TMI?

Just to prove to you that you can start eating breakfast, even if you ONLY eat a container of yogurt, I do something kind of gross in the video below. I’m no video expert, so I apologize for the half-assed, half-headed offering. In the interest of not making myself puke, I only had one shot at this today.

My challenge to you is this: if your habit is skipping breakfast, start with a small snack every morning for a week. See how it affects your routine, and better yet, how it makes you feel.