Pancake Muffins

The picture below pretty much summarizes my holiday weekend. That cutie is my nephew, and Kyle and I went home to celebrate his 2nd birthday! We had a great time spoiling him with love, gifts, and plenty of sugar from my mom's bakery.

Korbin and his Mickey Mouse cupcake. He melts my heart!

Well, now that the celebrations are over, it's time to focus on another work week. Do you ever feel like it's difficult for you to cook during the week because of your work schedule? Well, you are not alone. Whether you are a full-time student or work 50+ hours a week, you can still prepare healthy meals regardless of time.

In the next couple of weeks, I will share with you some of my "quick cooking" tips to save you time. Today, let's start with breakfast! The majority of people claim that they do not eat breakfast because they do not have time. I understand that time is short, but skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do to your body. It's like trying to drive a car on empty, you must put fuel into your body to get it moving and to burn calories.

Try prepping breakfasts on Sundays. My husband leaves for work early, so on Sunday evenings I prepare meals that he can heat up at work. This week, I made pancake muffins. Basically, it's a pancake in travel form! Make one batch, and breakfast is served for the whole week!

All you need is a pancake batter and mix-ins (berries, bacon, nuts, etc). I prefer to make my own pancake batter, but if you normally use Bisquick or another boxed mix, feel free to use it. Get creative with your mix-ins. This week Kyle requested strawberry banana muffins and bacon muffins. (Note: If you are going to use bacon, stick to either Center Cut bacon which has less fat or turkey bacon)

These are not only perfect for working adults, but also for your kids before school! You can throw the muffins at them as they run out the door, and rest assured knowing that you helped them get their brain started for a day of learning ahead of them.

Let me know what mix-in combination you used for your pancake muffins. Remember, fueling strong starts at the beginning of the day!

                                                                   Pancake Muffins
                                                Adapted from Lady with the Red Rocker
                                                                 Makes 12 Muffins
Ingredients

1 ¾ C Whole Wheat Flour
1 T Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
2 T White Sugar
1 Egg
1 ½ C Skim Milk
3 T Canola Oil
1 T Apple Sauce
Mix-ins of your choice (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, bacon, etc)

Start Baking

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, sift all of your dry ingredients. Once sifted, add in the milk, egg, oil, and apple sauce.
3. Line 12 muffin cups with liners and fill ½ way with the batter
4. Add your desired mix-ins to each cup 
5. Cover the mix-ins with 1 T of batter.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, test with a toothpick to make sure they are done in the center.

Note: Store in the refrigerator and heat for a couple of seconds before eating.