Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins with Toasted Pecans

Phew, that may be the longest recipe title I’ve used to date. BUT I feel equally excited about all of those elements of the recipe that I felt like I had to just lay it all out there at the beginning.

These muffins were born out of my necessity to get rid of 200g of sourdough starter as well as 5 very ripe bananas — both common things I find myself in abundance of.

I opted for a muffin, but this could have definitely been turned into a cake with the addition of a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting, BUT to keep the recipe nutrient dense I kept them as muffins and opted to use whole wheat flour. Specifically I used Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage Whole Wheat Flour because it is more nutrient dense than traditional whole wheat flours. Heritage wheat is more digestible which is great for everyone, but espeically those who struggle to process gluten normally.

To give the muffins texture I wanted to add some chopped pecans, but once I started chopping them I remember that the only thing better than a regular pecan, is a toasted pecan. So I toasted the pecans in the oven. It only took an extra 10 minutes, but helped build more flavor.

The last thing I did was ferment the batter by leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours prior to baking it. This allowed the batter to build up a more complex flavor profile and break down some of the gluten in the bread — making it easier to digest.

I hope you like this recipe and find it to be a nice option the next time you find yourself with a lot of sourdough starter and a lot of bananas.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins With toasted Pecans

Makes 18 standard size muffins

• 200g sourdough discard, does not need to be active

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 5 very ripe bananas, mashed (It’s imperative that these be really ripe to provide adequate sweetness)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups (200g) whole wheat flour, I like to use Sunrise Flour Mill Heritage Whole Wheat to maximize the nutritional value

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped - reserve a few for topping the muffins

Step 1) Mash bananas in a bowl until they are smooth.

Step 2) Mix the sourdough starter, 2 eggs, honey, vanilla extract and applesauce in a bowl. Whisk together until well combined.

Step 3) Stir the mashed banana into the liquid ingredients.

Step 4) In a separate bowl mix together whole wheat flour flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.

Step 5) Now pour the liquid ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until just mixed. It’s important not to overmix or the muffins will be tough instead of the nice tender texture we are going for.

Step 6) Place the mixture in the oven overnight or up to 24 hours. This step is optional, but I like the sour flavor that the overnight fermentation imparts to the muffins. I’ve baked it without letting them set overnight

Step 7) Preheat oven to 350F. Place muffin tin liners in a 12 hole muffin tin. Spray muffin liners with avocado oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.

Step 8) Remove the mixture from the oven and spoon into greased muffin tin, filling each muffin tin 3/4 of the way. This recipe will fill a 18 hole muffin (each hole around ¾ full). Sprinkle each muffin with a few of the remaining toasted pecans.

Step 9) Bake at 350F for approximately 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. My oven tends to run a bit hot so yours might not take quite as long.

How to Make Starbucks Egg Bites At Home

I love Starbucks egg bites! I think they make a really great breakfast —they’re fluffy, flavorful, and protein-packed. The price tag on these little egg bites is a major hang up for me though. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not above paying $6 for them if I’m traveling, BUT I refuse to do it on the regular.

That being said, I have tried to make egg bites at home before to get my fix without breaking the bank and they were fine, but they lacked the fluffiness that the Starbucks egg bites offer. HOWEVER, I discovered two key elements that make them fluffy and delicious.

The first key is cottage cheese. The cottage cheese should ideally be full fat to get the creamiest results. If you use lowfat the bites will end up with some excess water content which does not sound delicious.

The second key element is the water bath. The water bath works as a make shift sous vide method that allows the eggs to cook slowly and evenly. It truly is key! I know it sounds like an annoying extra step, but I promise that it is worth your effort.

The egg mixture comes together really quick. All you have to do is toss the eggs, cottage cheese, and cheese in a blender. Once you have your egg mixture prepped you can get creative with your add-ins. I personally love to use these chicken sausages from Costco and kale, but the sky is the limit. I would recommend cooking any meat or veggies that you’re going to be adding into the egg bites before putting them in the cups unless it is a precooked meat (like the chicken sausages I use) or a leafy green. Peppers, onions, broccoli, bacon, etc. will be best if cooked prior to placing in the cups.

I hope these inspire you to save a little money and make them in your own kitchen!

Copycat Starbucks Egg Bites

Makes 12 egg bites

• 8 eggs

• 1 cup whole milk cottage cheese (using the whole milk cottage cheese will reduce the water content)

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar (or cheese of choice)

• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• Add-ins, bacon, chicken sausage, kale, roasted peppers, roasted onions, extra cheese, etc.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup silicone or other nonstick muffin pan with olive oil (I really like to use this spray.)

Combine eggs, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend at medium speed until smooth.

Meanwhile, bring a kettle full of water to boil.

Place the greased muffin pan in a large, high-rimmed 9x13 pan. Place your add-ins inside the cups. I recommend precooking whatever veggies or meat you’re using (spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are the exception. They can go in raw and will cook up just fine.)

Then divide the egg mixture among the cups, filling them about 3/4 full. I used larger muffin tins in the photos so they are not quire as full.

Carefully pour boiling water into the 9x13 rimmed pan (avoiding getting eggs), until water reaches halfway up the sides of the muffin pan. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake until eggs are just firm, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing the bites from the pan.

Note: Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. I’ve tried to freeze the egg bites and then heat them up and I honestly wouldn’t recommend this as the moisture condensates when they’re cooked and they are definitely not in their prime. If you’re torn between throwing some out and freezing them, you can definitely freeze them, but know that is not how they are going to be their best.

Nourishing Breakfast Cookies You’ll Be Baking All Winter Long

In 2024 I’m not making any resolutions. The pressure to avoid this or that in hopes of drastically changing my life — it just doesn’t feel good.

Instead, I’ve picked a word to guide my year — nourish.

I want to make choices that feel nourishing — step into friendships that feel nourishing, choose joyful movement that feels nourishing, and eat meals that feel nourishing.

Just looking to feel nourished all around.

These breakfast cookies are the perfect nourishing treat to get this year started off right. They’re soft, only slightly sweet, topped with sea salt (which is always a win for me!), + freeze perfectly so you can make them once and have them available all month long. They come together in just a few minutes and will have you feeling ready to take on the days ahead.

I hope you enjoy.

Nourishing Breakfast Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Adapted slightly from Ambitious Kitchen

• 4 large extra ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 cup almond butter

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups oat flour

• 1/4 cup + 2 TBS flaxseed meal

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

• 2/3 cup chopped pecans

• Topping:

• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (don’t skip this, it’s so, so yummy!)

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

  To a blender, add the mashed bananas, nut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and well combined.

  Add the oat flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir by hand until just combined. Stir in the oats, coconut, chocolate chips and pecans. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes while you clean up and put away your ingredients. This will allow the flax seeds to work their magic and be able to hold the cookies together.

  Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 3 tablespoons dough per cookie. Then using a spatula covered in parchment paper, gently press the cookies down until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Top each cookie with a few extra chocolate chips.

  Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until they’re set, but still soft.

  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Don’t skip this step. It makes them extra, extra delicious. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes:

Make sure you use really ripe bananas. I’m talking like black spots alllllll over. This will make sure that the cookies have the proper level of sweetness.

For Freezing: Once these have cooled completely you can place the cookies in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to take them out one at a time and warm up in the microwave whenever I want a nourishing breakfast on the go or afternoon treat.

Toast for when you’re feeling fancy, but don’t have time to be fancy (Fig Jam + Blue Cheese Toast)

In our house we eat a lot of toast. Sometimes it’s just toast with a smear of butter. Sometimes it’s with a lot of peanut butter.

But sometimes, we are feeling fancy and want to elevate our toast. In these times where we desire to be fancy, it’s also highly likely that we don’t have the time to be fancy. Enter, this fig jam and blue cheese toast.

This toast only requires a few ingredients, but feels like I should be in a fancy cafe in Europe wearing a really cute outfit flipping through the manuscript for my next novel. I’m tellin’ ya, fancy. Or maybe that’s more romantic..? Either way, you get the picture.

The best part about this toast is that it can be served anytime of day. I’ve had plenty of evenings when I unintentionally got home from work late and the last thing I wanted was to cook a complicated meal, but I was also starving. This toast fits the bill.

I’ve also had times where I wanted an unfussy breakfast, but also wanted it to be pretty. This toast does it again.

Now let’s talk about the blue cheese. Blue cheese is one of those things that I know can be very, very polarize. Like, you either love it or you hate it and I for one LOVE it. It’s sharp and tangy and is so lovely paired with something sweet. I chose fig jam for this because something about fig jam felt fancy to me, but feel free to use whatever jam you’ve got on hand. I topped the toast with sprouts to give it a little dimension, but microgreens would be equally as delicious and if you don’t have them, just leave them out.

So the next time you want to feel fancy, throw this toast together and move on with your day, because being fancy shouldn’t have to take all day.

Fig Jam + Blue Cheese Toast

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 egg

• A sprinkle of salt and pepper

• 1/4 cup blue cheese

• 1 slice sourdough bread, If you’re local to Omaha I think Lola’s has the best

• 1/2 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon fig jam

• A handful of sprouts or microgreens

1. Begin by preheating a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Drizzle the olive oil into the skillet and wait a minute or two until the olive oil has heated up. To test if it’s hot enough you can splash a tiny bit of water onto it to see if it sizzles. If it sizzles then you’re ready to crack your egg. Crack your egg into the pan and then sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Then sprinkle the 1/4 cup of blue cheese onto the egg. Allow the egg to cook until the whites have set. If you prefer a less runny yolk than you can continue to cook until they have achieved your preference.

2. While the egg is cooking, place the sourdough bread into a toaster and toast until lightly brown.

3. Then smear the bread with the 1/2 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of the fig jam. Remove the egg from the skillet and place on top of the toast. Sprinkle with microgreens or sprouts and serve.