Eating cake for breakfast every day has been a long-standing goal of mine. "Life's too short, eat dessert first" is not just a saying, it's one of my life's maxims. Don't you just hate it when you're eating out & you flip to the back of the menu only to find that the desserts aren't printed there? What is up with that?! Memo to restaurant owners out there, don't withhold that kind of valuable information from your diners! How else are we supposed to choose our main course?! Rant over, let's get back on task. How can we eat cake for breakfast without getting fat or slipping into a food coma?

Fortunately for me and my sweet-tooth, these paleo banana walnut muffins are delicious without being devastatingly decadent! They're everything I look for in a breakfast staple. Just the right amount of sweetness, with a moist & dense-like quality to easily trick the satisfaction centre of your brain, but without the repercussions of being sent spiralling into a food coma. Quite the opposite, these muffins will keep you feeling full, satisfied and energized all morning long!

After a recent trip to New York, I returned home somewhat motivated to clean up my diet - cheesecake, cannolis, donuts, ramen noodle burgers, pizza, dim sum & reubens are just some of the highlights of my 48 hours of gluttony. Most of which were consumed in the space of 2 hours at Smorgasburg Brooklyn Flea & Food Market! Fruits and vegetables, unsurprisingly, did not feature during my weekend - unless you count the beansprouts in my Lo Mein?!

So I committed to a week of Paleo, weighing & measuring all my food and keeping a diary with My Fitness Pal. The results of my clean week were pleasantly surprising. For starters, I got to eat SO much more. Trying to consume all my carbohydrates from whole foods, excluding grains and beans was a pretty big challenge but it meant I got to eat a TON of fruits and veggies. It actually made me realise how much I must have been under-eating in the past when I was eating clean and wasn't weighing and measuring my food. No wonder I was hangry all the time!

By day four of my week commitment though I was on the struggle bus. I was beginning to crave sweet and sugary treats - frozen banana and greek yogurt just weren't cutting the mustard - and I was struggling to hit my fat & carbohydrate goals. So when I calculated the macronutrient breakdown of these muffins (thanks My Fitness Pal for your handy dandy recipe importer!) I was super excited to see that they had a good amount of fats and carbohydrates in them from ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour, dates & walnuts. All deliciously natural & paleo compliant! Phew!

All in all, although the week did require more planning it was a success and I felt a lot better for it. My energy levels improved, I slept better and it really helped restore some balance to my diet. These muffins were total life savers though & definitely helped avert a major meltdown.

Changing up your routine is bound to cause a little stress as you adjust, so if you plan to take on a period of clean eating here are 6 little tips to consider before you get started:

1. Do it when you have time & not when you're embarking on any other major changes in your life, like starting a new job or moving to a different country for example;
2. Remove any temptations from the house;
3. Plan your day in advance, be smart with food prep and cooking meals in batches to avoid duplicating time in the kitchen;
4. Use a pre-prepared meal service to supplement meals you're making from scratch;
5. Convince your partner or a friend to do it with you - having an accountability buddy is key; and lastly
6. Make these muffins! Or something else paleo friendly that you'll look forward to eating so much that you'll want to eat it first thing every day ;-)

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

Time: 15 minutes prep & 20 minutes baking
Yields 12 standard sized muffins 

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 cup almond flour
• 4 tbsp unsweetened reduced fat shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp himalayan salt
• 3 bananas mashed
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 6-8 dates

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 375°F and line a muffin pan with 12 muffin cases;
• In a large mixing bowl, mash your bananas with a fork and then whisk with an electric whisker until slightly frothy. Next add your eggs & coconut oil & mix until well combined;
• In another bowl, mix together your almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut, salt, cinnamon & baking soda until mixed thoroughly. Stir in the chopped dates and walnuts;
• Pour the mashed banana mixture in with the dry ingredients and gently blend together until well-combined;
• Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases;
• Bake in the center of the oven for 20-22 minutes;
• Muffins are ready when appear golden brown or you can use the tooth-pick test.

Let me know how you get on if you try out a week of clean eating. I'd love to hear about your experience & what you think of these muffins! <3