Healthified Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast really is the most important meal of your day.  When I was in college I took a nutrition class and the professor was talking about how important breakfast was and asked how many of us had eaten breakfast that morning.  I was one of the few people that raised my hand.  The teacher was not happy that so many had not eaten breakfast!  She taught us about how our brains need food first thing in the morning, that they do not function properly and at their full capacity if we do not give them much needed nutrients in the morning.  She challenged us to not think of it as eating breakfast but to think of it as feeding our brain.  Every class after that she would ask for a raise of hands to see who had "fed their brain" that morning.  That has always stuck with me, I know I feel so much better and can function so much better when I make sure to eat something healthy for breakfast even when I am short on time.  Studies have also shown that those people who eat breakfast eat less during the day, their total caloric intake for the day is lower than those who do not eat breakfast.  So if you are wanting to lose some weight then you need to eat breakfast! 

I know time is a major factor so whip up a batch of these cookies.  They are delicious and healthy and filling!  You can put them in individually wrapped in your freezer so you can grab one on your way out the door.  The will defrost as you drive to work or school.  Give them a try!

Healthified Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large)

1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)

1/2 cup honey

1teaspoon vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

Using a ¼-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

 Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Calories: 220
Fat: 7g
Sodium: 35 mg
Sugars: 22g