Breakfast Hacks For Us Morning Haters

I keep telling myself that perhaps one day I will be a morning person. I'll look like this when I wake up:

Instead of my usual look:

A friend of mine once made a pretty solid attempt to turn me into a morning person. I woke up one day at 5am to workout with her in the morning. Let's be real. Me and 5am don't belong together.

Sorry, 5am. It's not you. It's me.
No, wait. It's you. You suck.

So despite my friend's attempt to adultify me, my morning routine still consists of waking up 15 minutes before I'm supposed to leave for work, hurriedly brushing my teeth, slopping on some makeup like Jenna Marbles (girl crush alert!!), and grabbing something from the fridge as I run out the door.

She's drunk. I'm tired. Same end result. Watch Jenna here.

In order to perpetuate my morning habit, I breakfast prep. These make-ahead egg muffins and overnight oats help me maintain the allusion that I have my sh*t together. So let's get down to breakfast business.

Mango-Coconut Overnight Oats. There are lots of great recipes for overnight oats out there since you can basically use whatever add-ins you like. I'm in love with this mango-coconut combo, but you can replace the mangoes in this recipe with whatever fruit you'd like- raspberries, blueberries, cherries, pineapple...etc.

  
Another awesome variation of this recipe is to add 2 Tbsp of cacao powder to the oat mixture and just layer with ripe banana slices instead of mango compote. Mmmm...chocolate for breakfast.

I HIGHLY recommend you use full-fat coconut milk. There's nothing that says you can't use low-fat/non-fat (except well, me- JUST DON'T DO IT!). It cuts down on the creaminess and seriously just won't taste as good.

Also, random fact! Did you know that mango skins contain the same allergen found in poison ivy? So don't bite directly into a mango with the skin. If you need tips on mango cutting, look no further than mango.org (legit).

Moving on to Egg Muffins. Like overnight oats, you can pretty much use whatever extras you like (bacon, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms...the world is your oyster). Although depending on how many you include, you may want to reduce the number of eggs in the recipe, so that you don't end up with a bunch of extra mix.

I used spinach and feta this time around because that's what I found in my fridge. Usually, I like to add some smoked salmon to my spinach and feta egg muffins though (it's delicious!).

 
Take note: SILICONE MUFFIN CUPS ARE KEY. I use these. They are nonstick, dishwasher safe (yeeeesssssss), and will keep your muffins fluffier. You can also use a silicone muffin pan, but I found that the muffins were a bit more dense and less uniform. Don't ask me why; I'm a liberal arts major.

And finally, if you must use a regular muffin pan, grease it to death with a solidified fat like coconut oil (unless your arms are a bit flabby like mine and you could use an extra arm workout). Otherwise, you'll be cleaning that pan for the next 30 minutes. And yes, I'm speaking from experience. FML.

So where my other morning haters at??? You all have got to try these. If you love mornings (ew), I forgive you. 

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Mango Coconut Overnight Oats

Ingredients

• 1 - 13.5 oz can can coconut milk
• 1 c quick oats
• 3 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 ripe mangoes (or 1 - 16 oz bag frozen mangoes)
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Whisk coconut milk in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. Add oats, chia seeds, tsp cinnamon, and maple syrup.
3. Cover and chill for at least an hour, or overnight.
4. For mango compote, peel and dice mangoes into 1/2-inch cubes.
5. Heat in saucepan on medium/medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer. Mix in lemon juice, vanilla, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Mash mangoes with spoon (I use a potato masher!).
7. Once thickened to desired consistency, remove from heat and let cool.
8. Layer oats and mango compote in small containers or jars. Enjoy! These beauties can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

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Egg Muffins

Ingredients

• 9 eggs
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 8 oz frozen spinach
• 3/4 c feta cheese
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray your muffin cups/pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and heavy cream well. *Hint: I like to use a bowl with a lip for easy pouring later.
3. Thaw the frozen spinach and add it to the egg mixture. (Fresh spinach is also great to use! Just cook it in a skillet before adding it to the egg mixture. I use frozen spinach and just thaw it in the microwave. #lazygirl. Also, remember that you can replace the spinach and feta with whatever ingredients you like.)
4. Add feta cheese and pepper.
5. Pour into muffin cups.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cool and store in the fridge for up to a week. I take one to work and just heat it up in the microwave for a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast!