Rethinking breakfast: A meal in a muffin

  • Associated Press
  • Wednesday, September 17, 2014 4:41pm
  • Life

When fall rolls around and it’s back to school and work, wouldn’t you love to start your day with something tastier and more substantial than that all-too-typical bowl of cold cereal?

A muffin can be a delicious and substantial alternative to the usual breakfast fare.

Load your mixture up with broccoli and roasted red peppers, or carrots and chopped green beans. Your choice. Nice time saver: don’t pre-cook the vegetables. Also amp up the flavor with Canadian bacon and full-fat cheddar cheese.

The finished muffins are good to go: tasty and filling without a ton of sugar and fat. Breakfast may never be the same. For that matter, these muffins would be great for lunch, too.

Make it a day ahead and you’ll thank yourself the next morning.

Broccoli Cheddar Breakfast Muffins

  • 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped roasted red peppers, plus 1/4 cup of the pepper liquid from the jar
  • 1 cup small raw broccoli florets or chopped thawed frozen broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup diced Canadian bacon (about 3 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces), divided

Heat the oven to 425 F. Mist a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, stir together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, olive oil, butter and pepper juice (if the jar did not have 1/4 cup of juice in it, supplement with water). Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add the peppers, broccoli, bacon and 1/2 cup of the cheese, stirring well.

Scoop the batter (it will be quite thick) into the muffin cups, filling them completely. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tops of the muffins. Bake on the oven’s middle shelf until the tops are golden, about 25 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a rack.

Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories; 90 calories from fat (38 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 45 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 10 g protein; 520 mg sodium.

Start to finish: 1 hour (35 minutes active); Makes 12 muffins

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Queensryche, Halloween story time, glass art and more

Music, arts and more coming to Snohomish County

These crispy, cheesy chorizo and potato tacos are baked in the oven to achieve an extra crunch. (Post-Gazette)
Crispy oven chorizo and potato tacos are social media darlings

I’m not alone when I say I could eat tacos every day… Continue reading

Silas Machin, 13, uses a hand saw to make a space for a fret to be placed during class on Oct. 7, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Kids at play: Lake Stevens middle-schoolers craft electric guitars

Since 2012 students in Alex Moll’s afterschool club have built 100s of custom and classic guitars.

Join Snohomish PUD in preparing for storm season

October is here and the weather has already displayed its ability to… Continue reading

Marysville Pilchuck High School mural artists Monie Ordonia, left, and Doug Salinas, right, in front of their mural on the high school campus on Oct. 14, 2025 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tulalip artists unveil mural at Marysville Pilchuck High School

Monie Ordonia hopes her depictions of Mount Pilchuck and Pilchuck Julia bring blessings and community.

Grandpa Buzz smiles while he crosses the street and greets people along the way as he walks to Cascade View Elementary on Sept. 30, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Everybody wants a Grandpa Buzz’

Buzz Upton, 88, drives 40 minutes from Stanwood to spread joy and walk kids to school in Snohomish.

Escalade IQ photo provided by Cadillac Newsroom USA
2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ Premium Sport

Unsurpassed Luxury All-Electric Full-Sized SUV

Snohomish Conservation District will host the eighth annual Orca Recovery Day

Help out planting native species in Ovenell Park in Stanwood on Saturday.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Join Green Snohomish on a walking fall tree tour

On Saturday, learn about the city’s heritage trees on a 2-mile walking tour.

Sebastian Sanchez, left, instructor Hannah Dreesbach, center, and Kash Willis, right, learn how to identify trees near Darrington Elementary School in Darrington, Washington on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. Environmental and outdoor education lessons are woven throughout the in-school and after-school activities in this small community, thanks to the Glacier Peak Institute. The non-profit arose from community concerns in the wake of the Oso landslide disaster. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Glacier Peak Institute will host a fundraiser in Everett on Thursday

The institute engages rural youth with science, technology, recreation, engineering, art, mathematics and skill-building programs.

Paperbark-type maples have unique foliage, different than what you think of as maple. They boast electric red-orange fall foliage and peeling coppery-tan bar, which adds some serious winter interest. (Schmidt Nursery)
The trilogy of trees continues…

Fall is in full swing and as promised, I am going to… Continue reading

Edmonds College Art Gallery to display new exhibit

“Origin / Identity / Belonging II” by Michael Wewer features portraits of Edmonds College community members from around the world.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.