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The Wonderful World of Breakfast Recipes

Posted by admin on December 5, 2009 | No Comments

Many of us have heard “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” That is a phrase that many of us choose to forget, especially if we are trying to take off a little weight. It is so easy to just skip breakfast. We tell ourselves, “Oh I’ll just grab something later”. Your body only knows it needs breakfast. If you take time to learn about breakfast recipes, breakfast will become a meal you will never skip again.
That big yellow banana is the most popular food in North America. If it is sitting in your fruit bowl, it is calling your name. The banana is unique in itself. Bananas are derivatives of an herb called Musa sapientium that is related to the orchid family. There are probably a million breakfast recipes that include the banana. Dermatologists, psychologists, and researchers agree the banana is one of the most valuable fruits in your fruit bowl. The banana is acclaimed as the food that can cure whatever ails you, when eaten alone or added to a good breakfast.
Muffins are great for breakfast. To include bananas in your breakfast muffin recipe is a way to take advantage of bananas, whole wheat flour, and bran all in just a few bites. The following recipe is a wonderful breakfast recipe that will also respect your waistline.

Banana Bran Crumb Muffins
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking power
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup bran
3 ripe bananas, mashed
¾ cup white sugar or ¾ cup sugar substitute (Splenda®) or ¾ cup (Sweet and Low®)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with paper.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking power, salt and bran. In another bowl, beat bananas with sugar (or sweetener) egg, and melted butter. Stir mixture with flour mixture until moist. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bow, mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated over for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Reduce baking time if sugar substitute is used.

The University of California at Davis and Harvard Medical School conducted a study regarding depression in children and adults. The conclusion, if adults and children eat breakfast, on a regular basis, depression can be greatly alleviated. Millions of Americans suffer from depression. The study concluded that breakfast, using one of many breakfast recipes, is the most important meal to rid a person of depression.
The brain is complicated. Think of your brain as a big bowl that needs filling each day. The bowl needs to be filled with ingredients, for making neurotransmitters, to tell your body how to function. In the morning, your bowl is empty and it is telling your body you need breakfast. If you choose not to fill the bowl, or select the wrong items to put in the bowl, your brain will tell your body things like. “I don’t feel good”, or “I’m sad”, or I just can’t function”.  Adding breakfast to your morning with one of many breakfast recipes will enable your brain to transmit the messages your body needs.

The key to having the right foods to put in your bowl starts while you are shopping at the market. The ingredients you buy, or pick from your garden, are the items you will have on hand to fill your bowl. It is important to prepare food from breakfast recipes that will enable your brain to send good neurotransmitters, or messages, to your body. By becoming familiar with food labels, you will take home foods with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and other nutrients that will enable your brain to send positive messages to your body.
The food you select needs to provide serotonin and dopamine that will contribute to your well being and mood. The suggested items that you can include in your breakfast recipes are – banana fruit toast; oatmeal with a banana; pancakes, but whole wheat is important; or a whole wheat turkey breakfast muffin; oatmeal pancakes with flaxseed; bran and flaxseed muffins. Bran and flaxseed are essential fatty acids that can alleviate depression. People with chronic depression are found to have low levels of essential fatty acids.

Belgian Waffles with Flaxseed
1-1/2 cup flaxseed (if you don’t find it in your grocery store, look in the health food stores.)
2 teaspoons baking power
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat and lightly grease a Belgian wall iron according to directions. Mix flour, flaxseed, baking soda and salt. Beat egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold in batter, being careful not to over mix. Spread ¼ cup or amount according to manufacturer’s directions. Top waffle with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

If you start your day with a good breakfast, you will improve you memory and just feel better overall. Eating breakfast using breakfast recipes means you are less likely to eat the wrong foods at during the day. When you start eating a good breakfast, along with eating good foods all day, you may not feel better right away. Your body will go through a learning process. It may even seem like withdrawals. After you have eaten nutritious foods using your new breakfast recipes for awhile, you will find your mind is sharper, your memory is better, your mood will improve, and you may even start sleeping better.

Visit the internet for breakfast recipes and other recipes using nutritious foods. Fill the bowl in your brain with nutrients so the messages your brain sends will be, “boy, do I feel better.” If you get tired of eating a particular food, seek out new breakfast recipes. There are too many foods and recipes to choose from for you to get in a rut. When you start feeling better, thank yourself for a job well done. And remember, a banana is your best friend.