Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 27 No. 5 P. 50
I’ve been a dietitian for over 16 years and a mom for 10, yet some mornings still feel impossible—getting everyone out the door for school, commuting to work, and ensuring the whole family starts the day with a nourishing meal. Sound familiar? If it’s challenging for me, I know it’s challenging for many others, too. This is the reality of being a working parent.
One of the biggest struggles with quick, grab-and-go breakfasts is the lack of nutritional balance. Many convenient breakfast options—like cereal bars, bagels, and frozen waffles—are highly processed, loaded with added sugars, and low in protein. While they aren’t entirely devoid of nutrition, they could use a little “sprucing up” to improve their balance. Trust me, a convenient breakfast food (even a processed one) serves a time and a place for everyone.
With a bit of effort at the start of the week, I save myself time, stress, and money while also helping my elementary-aged kids build autonomy in the kitchen—a win-win!
A question I often hear from patients is, “Do I need to eat breakfast?” This has been especially popular with the rise in intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating. My short answer is yes. But the nutritional quality of these breakfast foods matters greatly. Eating breakfast can help support metabolic rate, consistent energy, brain function, and focus, and also helps with appetite control.1,2 This is important for adults and kids alike. A textbook scenario I hear from my patients is that if they skip breakfast or don’t eat until lunch or later, they tend to have cravings for carbs and sugar by the middle of the afternoon onward. This is one reason why breakfast skippers may have a challenging time maintaining a healthy weight and making mindful and intentional food choices throughout the day.
From one dietitian to another, here is my recipe for millet and yogurt blueberry bran muffins. I grew up eating a version of these muffins before the Bloomsday race, an annual running event in Spokane, Washington. This revised version is naturally gluten-free and full of healthful fats and fiber—with a little crunch! It’s the perfect morning pastry or quick fuel before a workout. They freeze beautifully, so they are perfect for breakfast meal prep.
— Monika Jacobson, RDN, is the director of lifestyle health at The Prevention Center for Heart and Brain Health in her hometown of Spokane, Washington. The recipe shared here is from her recently coauthored cookbook, The Balanced Plate: A Simple Formula for Building Nutritious Family Meals. You can also find her on Instagram @eat_move_thrive_spokane.
Millet and Yogurt Blueberry Bran Muffins
Recipe from The Balanced Plate: A Simple Formula for Building Nutritious Family Meals
Yields: 12 muffins (standard size)
Ingredients
11/2 cups almond flour
2 cups oat bran or oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup millet
11/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 lemon, zested and juiced (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone muffin cups. Lightly spray the cups to ensure the muffins don’t stick.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well with a whisk.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Stir well.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Once mixed, fold in the berries.
5. Fill each muffin cup (mounded up over the brim). Depending on the size of your muffin tins, you may need to use two tins.
6. Bake muffins on the center rack of the oven for approximately 22 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrient Analysis per serving (1 muffin)
Calories: 210; Total fat: 10 g; Sat fat: 1.5 g; Cholesterol: 63 mg; Sodium: 200 mg; Total carbohydrate: 20 g; Total sugars: 7 g; Added sugars: 0 g; Dietary fiber: 3.5 g; Protein: 9 g
References
1. Li ZH, Xu L, Dai R, Li LJ, Wang HJ. Effects of regular breakfast habits on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(44):e27629.
2. Galioto R, Spitznagel MB. The effects of breakfast and breakfast composition on cognition in adults. Adv Nutr. 2016;7(3):576S-89S.
