One of the biggest struggles I’ve encountered throughout college is eating breakfast. I know many people quote “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day;” however they aren’t wrong. Breakfast sets the tone for your day, and if you don’t get the actual energy and nutrition you need within the first few hours of waking, you will most likely be miserable all day long. In the breakfast episode of the podcast Gastro-pod, the hosts explore the diversity of breakfast and what the ideal breakfast really looks like. What they presented in this episode is that the ideal breakfast is actually high in protein, insoluble fiber, and other nutrients that take awhile to break down in the digestive tract.

My favorite breakfast is muffins, which I know doesn’t completely align with the aforementioned ideal breakfast. Recently, I have reformulated my great grandmother’s recipe for zucchini bread into zucchini muffins. These muffins are not overly sweet, and you are able to get a good source of vegetables (from the zucchini) and fiber (walnuts and flour). See below for the ingredient list and directions! I like the original recipe, but if you’re looking for something sweeter, try adding chocolate chips or cocoa powder to the mix.

Ingredients:

● Oil ½ cup

● Sugar 1 cup

● Well-beaten eggs 2

● Grated zucchini 1 cup

● Vanilla 1 tsp

● Flour 1 ¾ cup

● Baking soda ¾ tsp

● Salt ¾ tsp

● Baking powder ¼ tsp, heaping

● Cinnamon ¾ tsp

● Walnuts ¼ to ½ cup

1. Mix the first set of ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

2. Mix the second set of ingredients in a different bowl.

3. Combine the bowls and mix well.

4. Fill pre-lined or greased muffin cups ¾ the way full.

5. Bake at 350 °F for 15-18 minutes.

*Makes 12 standard muffins

*They also freeze very well! Just warm in the microwave for 30 seconds, and it’s ready to eat!

In sisterhood,

Emma Claybrook