Healthy Breakfast Cookies

I figured making healthy breakfast cookies would be a good alternative to bringing an English muffin or something of the like on my train trip to DC. The train left Charlotte at 7 AM, and I promptly eat breakfast at 9 AM, so I had to have something mid-travel (preferably not out of the cafe car)! Chocolate Covered Katie posted a recipe for healthy breakfast cookies that I thought would fit the bill!

Of course, I had to change up the recipe a bit to make it my own. These did turn out delicious - I would eat them for breakfast, or a dessert. They weren't too sweet and had just enough peanut butter taste in them to satisfy me. My only complaint, this recipe only makes about 12 (small-ish) cookies. A serving size based on my nutrition facts would be 4 cookies. I wouldn't be able to eat JUST this for breakfast - I had a clementine with it... and then plenty of other snacks later in the day...

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Here it is... Pieces of Cake's Version of Breakfast Cookies - that contain mostly healthy ingredients, just not the best caloric stats I've seen...

1/2 c. rolled oats
1 individual container of no sugar added applesauce
1/4 c. reduced fat Jif
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp. mini chocolate chips
Pinch of salt
1 packet Splenda (or other no-calorie sweetener)

Mix all of the ingredients together and form in to 12 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 12 - 14 minutes. Store in the refrigerator if you don't eat immediately.

Calories 293, fat 13 g, carbs 28 g, protein 8 g, fiber 2 g, sodium 167 g

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In hindsight, I would have used only half of the chocolate chips (1.5 tablespoons) to get a bit of the chocolate flavor, with a few less calories. Adding cocoa powder to the batter would make these taste a lot like no-bake cookies, and using a mashed ripe banana instead of applesauce would add some additional natural sweetness. Adding some walnuts or pecans would add a bit of crunch. There are plenty of variations!

What is your favorite on-the-go breakfast?

Lazy Saturday

As much as I love Friday, I also love Saturday. I get to sleep in (well, as much as sleeping in is these days...), and go to bed on Saturday night without waking up to an alarm the next morning. It is safe to say that I really just love weekends (don't we all...)

I woke up this morning and smelled something delicious! I remembered! I had crock pot applesauce ready for me this morning. I let it cook longer than the recipe called for, and the apples broke up easily with a fork and made a nice, chunky applesauce. A bit sweeter than I would normally like, so I would cut back on the brown sugar next time. I had already cut back from what the recipe called for. I got my apples in my farm share, so I am not sure what kind they were and they may have been sweeter than average.

I just knew that this was going to be the perfect complement to my pumpkin oatmeal pancakes (adapted from a Hungry Girl recipe). And so it was! The pancakes weren't super sweet, so they were the perfect contrast to the applesauce. I took a bite of the pancake and topped it with the applesauce. Yummy! I served the applesauce with a small dollop of cool whip, and the pancakes with a bit of light butter and some powdered sugar.

I hope you all enjoy your Saturday!!! I hope to accomplish a few things today, but not too much. It is a lazy Saturday after all.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

I adapted this Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes recipe from Hungry Girl's OAT-rageous pancakes. I made this recipe a few weeks ago and blogged about it. While delicious, I really just love these Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes. Healthy, low in calories, and low in Weight Watchers points. These are also very hearty and will keep you satisfied until your next meal (always a challenge for me...)


3 tbsp oats
3 tbsp Egg Beaters
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 Splenda Packet (or 1/2 tbsp sugar)
Dash of Salt

Combine all ingredients together and pour on to the griddle. Cook on medium heat for appx. 5 minutes on each side (you be the judge, they will get nice and golden when done) This makes a few 'mini' pancakes or one normal sized pancake. This recipe makes 1 serving for only 3 points plus! What a bargain!

I wanted these for breakfast all weekend, so I decided to go ahead and make a triple batch of the batter, and halve the batter to cook - one-half today, one-half tomorrow! This raises the points plus value to 5, but still a great value for a filling breakfast.

This morning, I topped the pancakes with a bit of light butter and powdered sugar, and served with a side of crock pot applesauce.

What are your favorite Fall breakfast recipes?