Coffee + Breakfast: Who knew, right?

You probably didn’t know this, but coffee goes great with breakfast. Life-changing news, I know. OK, since I am likely not pulling the wool over your eyes, how about if I told you coffee goes great in your breakfast? Let’s say that you’re not in the mood for a hot cup of coffee this morning (gasp!), but you still need that morning pick-me-up. Can you get it? Why yes, yes you can! Making coffee edible is easy and fun. Don’t believe me? Let me show you.

Photo via Natalie at onceuponacuttingboard.com

Personally, I cannot eat the same thing for breakfast over and over again. I need a little variation throughout the week. Some mornings, I wake up cold and need more than a hug from my kids to start off my day. In that moment, I know that I need oatmeal — in particular, this Maple Espresso Baked Oatmeal. If you’ve never tried baked oatmeal, you need to jump on the bandwagon now. Think less mush that you begrudgingly forked into your mouth when you were a toddler and more grainy, flavorful muffin full o’ joy. Still can’t do it? Then try this Coffee Toffee Banana Bread. No explanation necessary, right?

Some mornings you need a little more crunch to your meal. On those days, I go with granola: Coffee and Chocolate Granola, to be exact. The savory taste is a nice surprise for the morning, and I recommend sticking to the dark chocolate; after all,I've read it's good for you, and who am I to contradict them?. If you need to get some dairy in for the morning, add fruit and greek yogurt to the mix for some parfait action. Fruit keeps it extra healthy.

Photo via mykitchenaffair.blogspot.com

Last week, my sister was in town for a visit from sunny California. Over the past year, she’s changed her diet and has been experimenting with her meals. Out of pure sisterly love, we dedicated a full day to shopping at Whole Foods and cooking up some (I must say) unique concoctions, like these Espresso Gluten-Free Scones.The outcome was surprisingly delicious, although not quite so visually appealing. With her goal of clean eating this year, these scones helped to keep her on track throughout her visit.

This may sound odd, but sometimes a morning meal just doesn’t appeal to me. Not only do I not have the time, but it can also just take a while for my hunger to set in. A grab-and-go morning snack does the trick, and this Cherry Coffee Blast smoothie is just that! I make a large batch on Sundays, and it lasts the entire week. Separate the batch into small mason jars, freeze them and then throw one in the microwave for a quick defrost before heading out to drop the kids off. Perfect.

With the new year, we are all trying to turn over a new leaf, so to speak. For some, that means more exercise, cutting back on sugars or getting more organized. For me, it is about finding new ways to get my coffee fix. (Oh, yeah, and working towards a healthier work-life balance. We’ve all gotta have goals, right?)