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Simple Breakfast Solutions to Start the Day Right

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Double Almond Breakfast Muffins

(Family Features) - Who hasn't been there? Hip-deep in the frenzy of a busy morning rush, you realize that you've skipped breakfast-again. It's proof that having a nutritious, delicious breakfast can be a challenge for anyone.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietitian and author of the new book "Read It Before You Eat It," suggests that breakfast foods and ingredients that multi-task, like almonds in all their different forms, should find their way into more consumers' pantries as an easy resource for many meals.

"The secret to being in charge of your health and weight begins with making smart food choices and beginning the day on the right note," Taub-Dix says. "Almonds are a great go-to breakfast resource - rich in nutrients, decadently satisfying and delicious in every dish."

Almond's multi-tasking versatility can "take the ho-hum out of breakfast routines with flavor and crunch," Taub-Dix adds. Adding whole or sliced almonds to granola and yogurt, spreading almond butter on whole grain toast, or making Taub-Dix's Double Almond Crunch breakfast muffins with almond flour are just a few simple solutions that add a boost of nutrition to the most important meal of the day.

To keep a well-stocked pantry (and never miss breakfast again) Taub-Dix recommends creating a shopping list that includes some favorite breakfast foods. 

"Prepare and educate. Always know what you are looking for before you walk into a supermarket," she says. "Read labels and think of them as the table of contents for what's inside of the package."

Visit www.AlmondBoard.com for more tips and recipes designed to boost your breakfast and help you start the day right.

Double Almond Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup low fat or skim milk
  • 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 large whole egg
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed banana (about 3 medium)
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds (for topping)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • Cooking spray

Preparation
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    2. In large bowl, combine lemon juice and milk and set aside. (Note: buttermilk may be used in place of lemon juice and milk mixture.)
    3. Measure flours into a medium bowl; add baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
    4. Add sugar, egg whites, oil and whole egg to milk mixture; beat at high speed until well blended.
    5. Add water, vanilla and banana and mix at low speed until combined. On low speed, slowly add flour mixture to banana mixture until just combined.
    6. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and spoon batter into cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle sliced almonds (and chocolate chips, if desired) over each muffin.
    7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Calories: 175g     Total Fat: 8.3g
Cholesterol: 14.2mg     Protein: 3.6g
Carbohydrates: 23.8g     Sodium: 380.3mg

Serves
Yield: 15 muffins

Notes, Tips & Suggestions
Recipe by Bonnie Taub-Dix for Almond Board of California

SOURCE: Almond Board of California

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