Brilliant Banana Breakfasts

Beneficial for digestion, nutrition, weight loss, and your heart, bananas have numerous health benefits. They're rich in potassium, vitamins C and B6, and nutrients that are critical to body function such as copper, magnesium, and manganese. Not to mention, bananas have almost no fat, and contain a little protein and fiber to keep you full.

They're extremely versatile as well. Bananas can be found as an ingredient in smoothies, baked treats, pies, s'mores, and can be enjoyed alone with some peanut butter. The possibilities and benefits to our health are endless, so why not find creative ways to incorporate more banana into our diets?

I've discovered some delicious recipes that feature banana without it having an overpowering flavor. Most of them can be prepared in under ten minutes, and will provide a happy and healthy start to your day! They've truly become a staple in my house because of how easy and delicious they are, so I strongly encourage that you check them out below.

Read more about all the health benefits of bananas here: ​www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-bananas#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

1. Banana slices with peanut butter and granola
Ingredients
1 banana
Desired amount of peanut butter
Desired amount of granola
This is perfect in a pinch, and chances are you already have the ingredients lying around your house. 
The directions couldn't be more straightforward - slice a banana, dip the slices in some peanut butter, then roll them around in the granola of your choosing. This recipe is filling, filled with potassium and good fats, and a great thing to make when you're rushing to go somewhere in 10 minutes but need a quick breakfast first.

2. Baked oatmeal
Ingredients
1/2 cup oats
2/3 banana
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup milk
2/3 tsp baking powder
Pour all of the above ingredients into a blender and blend them until the oats are finely chopped. Put the mixture into a bowl, and you can then flavor the dish with the crumbs of any dried fruit (though I think dried strawberry and raspberry work best) by sprinkling them on top. Microwave for 1-3 minutes, and voilà!

3. Sweet breakfast quesadillas
Ingredients
One low-carb tortilla (I use Mission brand tortillas)
Peanut butter
Any flavor yogurt (strawberry is recommended)
Sliced banana
Sliced strawberry
Chocolate chips
Featuring the viral tortilla-slit hack! First, make a slit in the tortilla starting in the middle and cutting all the way straight to the edge that's towards you (see pictures). Visualize the circular tortilla in 4 quadrants. Then, spread some peanut butter on the lower left, place banana slices on the upper left, and place strawberry slices on the upper right quadrant. Fold the peanut butter area on top of the banana one, and cover the upper left area with yogurt and a few chocolate chips. Next, fold that into the upper right strawberry quadrant, and cover the lower right area with more yogurt and chocolate chips. Fold the that lower right area into the rest of the wrap above, and cook face down in a pan. Flip once the tortilla turns golden brown, and it's ready when the second side is golden brown as well! An important tip is to not "overfill" the inside of the wrap or the contents will spill out when you cook it in the pan. You may also drizzle honey on top for a touch of extra sweetness instead of adding the chocolate chips to make it healthier. This is a delicious, balanced breakfast that I hope you enjoy!

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4. Easy breakfast cookies (recipe courtesy of frommybowl.com)
Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 1/2 cups oats
2 tbsp applesauce
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
optional: 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
These are simple, healthy, and delicious! First, preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mash the peeled banana with a fork until a smooth paste. With a blender, chop 1/2 cup of the oats until a fine flour forms. Into the bowl with the mashed banana, add the oat flour, remaining oats, applesauce, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and maple syrup/honey. Fully mix the ingredients together, fold in the chopped walnuts until incorporated, then form 6 cookies on the baking sheet. Each should need about 3 tablespoons of the batter. The cookies will not rise or spread out in the oven, so press them onto the sheet to get the desired thickness. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, then remove them from the oven and cool.

Bonus - yogurt pops
These don't have to include banana, but they're such a creative and easy breakfast idea. The night before you plan to have one (or a few!) for breakfast, simply remove the lid of any flavor yogurt container and stick a popsicle stick in the middle of the yogurt. Freeze overnight, and after you remove the popsicle from the container it's ready to enjoy!