Allez, Cuisine! Banana Breakfast Bites

When the semester began, we had elaborate fantasies about waking up early in the morning to fry eggs, assemble complicated yogurt and granola creations and linger over cups of coffee at our kitchen table. We imagined ourselves starting each day in a healthy, relaxed, protein-filled manner, like the kinds of civilized adults who occasionally read newspapers. The unfortunate (and thoroughly predictable) reality is that we started sleeping in until the last possible second, and now have to run straight out the door to catch (or narrowly miss) the morning Cruiser. Since our lifestyle barely allows us time to chew, let alone cook, our breakfast solution has to be something that can be made ahead and eaten on the go.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, you’ll love banana-oatmeal breakfast “muffins.” You can use them as a substitute for artificial, expensive options like store-bought granola bars, and set yourself free from the fiction that donuts are anything more than cake in disguise. These banana breakfast bites are simple to make, and their main ingredients cover all of your main nutritional bases. The bananas, chocolate chips and brown sugar make you feel like you’re treating yourself, while the oatmeal and eggs will keep you full until lunch. Even if you never take the few extra moments to add Nutella or jam, these portable bundles of breakfast will make you the envy of all the other sleepy, hungry Cruiser riders and set you up for a great day.

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

3 bananas

1 cup skim milk or almond milk

2 eggs

3 cups old fashioned or rolled oats

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 brown sugar (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Process:

1.Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mash your bananas into a paste in a large bowl. It doesn’t need to be a perfectly smooth puree, but you don’t want huge chunks either. This will be way easier if your bananas are slightly overripe.

3. Add in the milk and eggs, stirring until the egg is fully incorporated.

4. Next, add the baking powder, oats, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

5. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes while you prep your muffin tin by greasing it with either non-stick spray or butter, or by lining it with muffin papers.

6. When you’re done, stir in the chocolate chips.

7. Divide the batter between your 12 muffin cups. Don’t worry if you end up filling the cups all the way to the top – unlike your average muffin, these don’t rise much and won’t end up spilling into each other.

8. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges start to brown and the muffins are firm and springy to

the touch.

Contact Claire Littlefield at [email protected] and Emma Ellis at [email protected].