Participate in September’s Better Breakfast Month With One of these Recipes!

September is a lot of things…the start of school, the kickoff of NFL football, and that beloved Labor Day holiday.

Did you know that September has also been declared Better Breakfast Month? Though many school districts use this unofficial holiday period to stress the importance of breakfast for students, it’s something that everyone should consider this September!

Tons of studies have been conducted on the importance of breakfast. A Georgia Centenarian Study found that regular breakfast eaters have lower rates of Type 2 diabetes, are less likely to develop heart failure, and have a longer than average life span!

Another study found that breakfast cereal eaters tend to have lower waist-to-height ratios, an indicator of healthy body weight, lower total cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol. People know these facts—they’re heard on TV commercials, read on cereal boxes, and mentioned by the trainers at the gym. Yet in a March survey it was found that 93% of Americans agree that breakfast is the most important meal but only 44% are eating it daily.

Do you fall in that 44%? Why aren’t you eating breakfast? If you are, is it more than a pop-tart and a glass of coffee? Maybe you think breakfast takes too much time to make…maybe you are bored you’re your usual breakfast options…whatever the reason, I’m here to offer a few new breakfast ideas in the spirit of September’s Better Breakfast Month!

For those of you who are short on time, make scrambled egg cups. These can be made ahead of time (like on the weekend) and then quickly reheated in the morning on your way out the door! I’ve provided a base recipe below, but feel free to change up your mix-ins with different types of cheese, meat, and vegetables!

Scrambled Egg Cups
*makes 12
Ingredients:
-9 eggs
-1/4 cup milk
-1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
-1 cup chopped fresh spinach
-1/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes
-1/4 cup chopped zucchini
-2 green onions, chopped
-1/4 lb spicy sausage, browned
-salt & pepper
Ingredients:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Liberally spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Break eggs into a large bowl. Whisk in milk with eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
3. Using a 1/4 cup measure cup, divide egg batter evenly between muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until center is cooked.
4. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cup before popping out of tin with a knife or fork.

For those of you who are sick of typical breakfast foods, try peanut butter French toast enchiladas! I created this recipe in an effort to change things up and found it was a fun and easy weekend breakfast that included some of my favorite ingredients: bananas & peanut butter!

Peanut Butter Banana French Toast Enchiladas
Ingredients:
-6 flour tortillas
-3 bananas, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup peanut butter 

-4 eggs

-1/4 cup skim milk
-pinch of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spread each tortilla with peanut butter and line the center of the tortilla with 2 rows of bananas (approximately 8-10 banana pieces per tortilla).
2. Roll up each tortilla and place it in a casserole dish.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with milk and add a large pinch of cinnamon. Pour egg mixture over the tortillas.
4. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes, until egg mixture is set and the outside of tortillas is firm and crisp. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

For those of you who prefer a fast-food breakfast, try making a healthier version at home! We love making our variation of the McDonalds Egg McMuffin and I guarantee it’s both cheaper and better for you when made in your own kitchen!

Copycat Egg McMuffin
*for 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
-2 english muffins
-3 eggs
-cheese (whatever kind you want!)
-4 slices of bacon
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, crack the 3 eggs and beat. Pour into a small heated skillet and allow to cook through until set. Flip and allow the opposite side to cook.
2. In a separate skillet, fry bacon.
3. When eggs have cooked through, remove from skillet and cut into 2 pieces. Fold each half of the egg piece in half.
4. Top english muffins (toasted if desired) with egg, bacon, and cheese.
5. Serve immediately (can also be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator, then reheated in the microwave)

Similarly, maybe you can’t imagine starting a morning without Starbucks in hand and one of their pastries. I love a breakfast treat in the morning, but have again found that it’s better for my waistline to make something at home. Though I have a huge assortment of baked goods on my blog, I recommend my healthified zucchini bread for this time of year when squash is plentiful! With reduced sugar and applesauce, this bread is moist and sweet but still healthy!

Healthified Zucchini Bread
*makes 2 (8x4 inch) loaves
Ingredients:
-2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (approximately 2 medium)
-1 cup unsweetened applesauce
-1/2 cup canola oil
-3/4 cup egg beaters or 3 eggs
-2 tsp vanilla
-1 cup sugar
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
-3 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray the bottoms of 2 (8x4) inch pans (or 4 mini loaf pans) with cooking spray.
2. Mix zucchini, applesauce, oil, eggs, vanilla, and sugar until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except the walnuts until well blended. Fold in walnuts.
3. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake 50-60 min (or 25-35 min for mini pans) until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing loaves and cooling completely on wire racks. 

Whatever you end up eating, even if it’s leftover pizza, don’t start your morning without breakfast…at least not for the month of September! Try one of these new breakfast options and let me know what you think!