Grab & Go Pumpkin Breakfast Delights

by Yolande Pretorius

These healthy Pumpkin Breakfast Delights are perfect for autumn months in Sunny South Africa! The perfect grab-and-go breakfast, they are gluten-free and definitely clean eating; packed with oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds (anti-oxidant superheroes) and honey; they are also super nutritious.  The best thing about these breakfast delights is that they don’t even taste like pumpkin, so if you are not a pumpkin fan do not worry.   The pumpkin adds some nutritional value, helps to bind and also adds some sweetness.  I always make Theo test my recipes and he hates pumpkin-I was quite hesitant to have him try these out-yet he loved them!

It is safe to say that most of us have very busy schedules these days; mornings can especially get quite frantic.  I have noticed that so many of my clients tend to skip breakfast all together (any personal trainers’ nightmare), or when they are having a busy and rushed morning they grab the worst, least healthy options; directly affecting any progress.  As trainers we always preach to our clients’ “Fail to prepare, and prepare to fail”.    Hence this recipe- I thought that it can work perfectly for most busy-bodies, you can prepare it over the weekend when you have a bit of time on your hands, and literally just grab and bite when you are on the run during the week.  No more bad choices for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 cups  oats (I used good old-fashioned Jungle oats)
• ⅔ cup unsweetened, dried cranberries
• ⅔ cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup mashed-up pumpkin
• 2 eggs, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180° Line a baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl warm your coconut oil and honey (either microwave, inside preheating oven or on the stove top).
3. In a large bowl combine your oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and salt. Add your pumpkin, eggs and warmed coconut oil and honey. Stir until fully combined.
4. Drop about ¼ cup sized scoops of the mixture onto a cookie sheet and flatten (it won’t spread while baking). Bake for about 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
5. Let them cool on baking sheet before moving to an airtight storage container.

*Makes about 12 pumpkin delights, serving size is 2 cookies for most (obviously dependant on your daily activities, age etc).  Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or tea for optimal happiness 😉