I was feeling groggy and having a hard time focusing, so I decided to put myself on a sugar detox and I have to admit, I was shocked by the results. I honestly didn't expect too much of a change, but I was wrong-o. I'll be detailing my detox in a few days, but for now here is a sneak peek of one of the recipes I used to get me through the tough days.
These cookies got me through quite a few mornings while trying to detox. They're super easy to make, so if you have 20 minutes in the morning (5 to mix it up, 15 to bake) then you can get your morning started right... without the excessive carbs and sugars. Now, given that a big part of this cookie base is banana, it obviously is not completely sugar or carb free, but that's not the goal. The idea is that these cuties are a much more filling, nutrient dense bite to grab than say, a bagel (even a grain-free bagel, cavepeople).
I used watermelon seeds because I love them, they're full of protein, and they are similar in texture and size to oats, which to me says "breakfast cookie!" but you could certainly substitute any kind of seed or chopped nut (or a combination) that you like. Just try to use sprouted seeds or nut, because they're much easier to digest and the phytic acid content tends to be reduced with sprouting. These are also great for making ahead in a big batch and having them ready to go for breakfast or a snack.
Sugar Detox Breakfast Cookies
- 3 Tbsp grass-fed butter (I use Kerrygold)
- 2 green-tipped bananas
- 1 cup watermelon seeds (or seed or nut of your choice)
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp flax meal
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper.
- In a medium sauce pot, add the butter and bananas (peeled, and broken into chunks). Heat the bananas and butter over medium heat. This is going to soften the bananas and make them much easier to thoroughly incorporate into the batter.
- Once the bananas have softened enough that you can easily smash them with a fork, remove the pot from the heat, and add your flax, chia, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and vanilla. Mix until combined. The mixture should resemble baby food.
- Add the seeds, and mix in completely.
- Add the egg, and mix again until the entire mixture is one consistant texture. The texture should be somewhat like a thin muffin batter, or thick pancake batter.
- Scoop about 1 Tbsp of batter and place on your parchment-lined baking sheet. It shouldn't be runny on the parchment. Continue until the batter is gone.
- This recipe should make about 15-16 cookies.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies are solid and golden brown.