Delicious Apple & Banana Quinoa Breakfast Muffins

Hey everyone! So today I've got a really great breakfast muffin recipe for you to try. When you're going for a muffin in the muffin you really want something that tastes good, but also will give you the nutrition and energy you need to get through the morning. These muffins have it all, quinoa, oats, fruit and sweetness. If you use gluten free oats, its a perfect gluten free breakfast. This recipe calls for apple sauce, but I have made it with warmed smooth apricot glaze before and it came out just as good. So there is definitely room for personal tweaks if you feel adventurous! They are great warm from the oven or cooled in the fridge, and easily reheated if you desire. Grab a couple from the fridge in the morning or after a hard workout session to tame that hunger!

Ingredients

• ½ cup apricot glaze or apple sauce
• 1 cup mashed bananas (three small bananas)
• 1 apple
  
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (½ cup dry)
• 2 ½ cups raw rolled oats
• ½ cup almond milk (or preferred milk, but almond is amazing!)
• ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup / agave nectar for vegan)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 extra banana for topping

Method:

Preheat your oven to 190°C ( 374° F) and lightly grease your muffin tin with olive oil. You can use another oil if you wish.
Cook your half cup of dry quinoa. Bring ¾ cup water to a boil and pour in the quinoa. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir well. Cook until  the quinoa is soft and fluffy, should be about 10-13 minutes.
Once that is done mix your apple sauce or smooth apricot glaze, mashed bananas, almond milk, honey and vanilla together in a medium bowl.  Next, in a larger bowl mix your dry ingredients and cooked quinoa. Add the wet ingredients little by little into the dry until combined nicely.
Peel and core your apple. Chop it into medium chunks and add the the mixture.
Now fill each of the muffin cups of your tin fully with the quinoa mixture. Add a couple of banana slices to each on top and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Don't forget you can store these in an airtight container in your fridge for the rest of the week. You'll be set for breakfast and/or snacks for a while. This makes a dozen breakfast muffins for me. You can experiment with additional ingredients to add extra nutrition and protein (top with almond butter, bake with added berries, cacao nibs, chia seeds, flax seed etc) Hope you try this beauty out for yourselves!