time crunch
February 12, 2011 I’ve gotten a lot of comments about people wanting to make the buckwheat breakfast bake, but not having enough time in the morning. I’ve made a few microwave cookie-bake versions that are ready to eat in a fraction of the time. I have rolled oat versions too!
Chocolate banana again, with just a few changes for the microwave.
Chocolate Banana Muffin Cake [serves 1]
- 1/4c ground raw buckwheat flour [grind raw groats into powder]
- 1T raw buckwheat groats
- 1T chia seeds
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 banana
- 2T unsweetened almond milk
- 2-3t maple syrup
- 1T cocoa powder
- 1/4t cinnamon
- 1.5t vanilla extract
- 2T chopped nuts [opt]
- 1/4t baking powder
- In a bowl mash the banana until very mushy.
- Whisk in egg, milk, vanilla, and maple syrup.
- Mix in buckwheat flour, groats, chia seeds, cinnamon, cocoa powder, baking powder + nuts, until well combined.
- Grease a microwave safe bowl [about 5-6” diameter] and pour in mixture.
- Cover with a paper towel and microwave about 1min30sec – 1min45sec.
- Eat out of the bowl with toppings, or flip out of the bowl onto a plate, top + scarf!
I flipped mine out of the bowl and then flipped it back over on the plate.
This baby was super thick!! Over 1” in the middle! I couldn’t decide on a name for this because it tasted in between a light chocolate cake, a healthy brownie, and a muffin.
On mornings that I go to the pool, I usually make a quicker breakfast, so I have more time to digest. I got in a great swim today!
- 100m kickboard warm up
- 750m freestyle
- 250m breast stroke
- 250m freestyle
- 250m back stroke
- 100m breast stroke
- 400m freestyle
- 50m kickboard cool down
2150m = 1.33 miles in 55min
This was perfectly moist + perfectly chocolaty with just a hint of sweet.
I appreciate all your kitchen remodel advice! We’re heading to the house this morning to get exact measurements so we can really start the planning. We’ve both been researching the heck out of kitchen cabinets. Between what we’ve found online and the comments that were left on the post, we’re really hoping we’re able to use them!
There are pros + cons to all remodel decisions. From the research we’ve both done, it seems that almost all cabinets these days are made from particle board. They even use particle board at a local cabinetry shop, that makes them on site. Then, there are typically options to go with an all wood door, but it racks up the price quickly! IKEA actually has a few all wood door options as well. Furniture grade particle board is actually stronger, more uniform, and less likely to warp than wood. There is a lot less maintenance too!
Every store I’ve been in for cabinets, has had something bad to say about the other. It’s all quite confusing! For instance, Lowe’s said that the local company I went to was of poor quality material and couldn’t be compared to what I was looking at in their store. The local company told me terrible stories of problems they’ve seen when people have had Lowes/Home Depot install cabinets. When I was looking at a few local countertop stores, they also didn’t have the best things to say about Lowes + HD. I’m sure people have had mixed experiences with every store. You just never know for sure!
We’re still not 100% on what we’ll decide for the kitchen. One big downfall of IKEA is that they don’t have custom size cabinets. There aren’t any 6” + 9” sizes which could cause a problem. Instead of making a useful small pullout drawer for storing small items, you would just have to add a filler panel. The other big downfall and the second is that the closest store is 7hrs away. However, the price is literally 2/3 LESS the cost of what I priced out at Lowes.
Today I picked up tile, countertop, backsplash + paint samples. There are 2 color schemes we’re thinking about that are completely opposite. I’ll definitely post the options soon!
What did you eat for breakfast today? Did you see my goofy videos? Have a great day!
Ashley
Reader Comments (51)
I made the buckwheat muffins and they did take a lot of time. I usually don't mind but it's nice to have a shortcut :D
enjoy your weekend!
I'm gonna make this tomorrow - with oats. Already looking forward to my morning, hee! :)
I'm so excited for you and your kitchen remodel!
this morning for breakfast I had kasha with vanilla stevia, 1 apple, flax seed oil, butter, and some amazing meal chocolate powder...it's valentine's day weekend, bring on the chocolate!
whoops -- it submitted the comment before I was finished! Your breakfast bake looks delicious. I don't have a microwave, but to be quicker about things I thought one could make and bake it the night before, and then just heat it up in the oven in the morning. I usually use the oven for roasting veggies or something like that around dinner, it could just hang out in there with the other food.
it looks yummy, as usual!
Ahhh kitchen remodeling is so fun! Thanks for a microwave version, girl! This makes it ten times easier when I'm in a time crunch:)
I hate to use the microwave for anything these days... I just get so scared of the harmful rays and chemicals that travel quickly. But in this case, I'd be practical as I love all your easy breakfast concoctions, but don't always have time to make them. Last weekend I made your breakfast bake- oven version- and saved it for the next morning. SO convenient to make during the weekend and save!
Kitchen planning, how exciting. I think they'll all look good. I personally love IKEA cabinets, and I'm sure they're of good quality. If it's 2/3 less $, think of all the fun cooking supplies you could get!
what a perfect breakfast for my fast-paced mornings... i tried your original buckwheat bake. it was so delicious. and hearty! your nut butters always look so delectable. are they all homemade or do you buy pre-jarred sometimes?
I had overnight oats for breakfast, but your breakfast looks way better :)
Yummy! What a nice delicious quick breakfast.
So glad you liked it!! I make all of my almond butters and coconut butters, but lately I've been finding really good sales on organic peanut butter. It has been cheaper than buying organic peanuts and making at home, so until the sales are done, I'll be buying it. ;)
Oh man...no room for more supplies!! haha The saved money will be going into refinishing the hard wood floors and a new washer dryer. :)
Yeah...I've heard SUCH mixed things on the microwave...who really knows. I'm sure it's also horrible to have lap tops on our laps and phones attached to our hands + ears nonstop as well. :)
Yes, definitely can be made the night before!
That sounds delicious!!
Ooo how fun is it to remodel your kitchen! I would love to be able to do that. Let us know how it goes once you get it underway!! I'll live vicariously through you!!
Btw, made a little banana oatmeal cookie for breakfast. Lovee! Great quick breakfast idea.
Excellent time crunch...will try it tomorrow !
This looks delicious!
I can't wait to see what you do with the kitchen! So exciting :)
one thing to remember with ikea is their shipping is astronomical.....so if you're using them make sure you're going to be picking up the stuff yourself!! I moved to an area without an ikea but had an ikea gift card and though i'd order a bookcase for my work office....the bookcase was $119....they wanted to charge me $399 for delivery....because they'd specifically hire a driver to bring it from Atlanta to Savannah...um...no thanks, I'll wait till hubby and I take a trip to Atlanta and visit Ikea then!!!
I had the chocolate buckwheat bake with homemade peanut butter! It was super tasty. Good luck with your kitchen renovations.
As someone who has remodeled an entire house, including a kitchen, I just want to say that whatever you spend on your kitchen (big money or small) is a good investment, and you'll get your money back plus more when you re-sell. So don't cheat yourself if what you really like was at Lowe's instead of IKEA. Plus, having a kitchen you love is worth the extra money. Just my two cents! Have fun, it's not often you get to create what you want in a home.
I love my Ikea kitchen, which I put in last summer. Since they are so far away from you, if you decide to go with them, take your camera when you place your order and take a lot of photos of how things go together--especially the end cover panels, the bottom trim (to hide under cabinet lights), and the top molding. That might save you a trip later.
I hired a contractor (through Ikea) to measure my kitchen and create a mock up of my kitchen. At my Ikea, I could get the $75 fee for this taken off my kitchen purchase, provided I had the original receipt for the measuring visit. I was glad to have exact measurements to work with, though I did end up modifying his plan.
If you get a pantry, you can make it a pull-out, but I found that Ikea's idea of a pull-out--with the door connected at the top and bottom to drawers--made for an awkward pantry, so I decided to go with a hinged door. But I needed a special hinge (153 degree, I think) so that the door would open far enough to allow me to pull out the interior drawers. If relevant, you might think this through at the store so that you can get the correct hinges. I was also able to fit extra drawers in to the pantry because I have a lot of small spice jars.
I also bought extra shelves for several of my wall cabinets so that I didn't have to stack mugs and plates and so on.
For several of the kitchen finishes, Ikea makes a 10-bottle wine rack (Perfekt line) that is 9 inches wide. Or you can get it as just shelves. That's what I used so I wouldn't have a big filler panel in one spot, and I use it all the time.
For any base cabinets deeper than 12 inches, I got drawers instead of shelves. This made cabinets more expensive, but I use all my cabinets and don't have to get on the floor to dig around in cupboards to get stuff.
It was a bit of an adventure, but I got a much nicer and more functional kitchen than I could have afforded otherwise.
I wish I could remodel my dorm room into a kitchen ha! I'm super excited for you I'm sure it will turn out almost as gorgeous as all these amazing looking breakfast bakes!
Caitlin
Thank you so much for posting the microwave version, Ashley!! This is super helpful. I bet I could even mix the batter and bring it to work to microwave. Good luck with your kitchen remodel decisions, I'm sure all the time and effort will pay off when it's done!
I'll admit, I'm probably much more apt to try this as a microwaved version for the quickness factor! :)
Hey Ashley:
I am a little nuts for design blogs, so I've been stalking ikeahackers.net almost daily, just for fun. I saw this on my perusing tonight:
http://www.ikeahackers.net/2010/08/spicing-up-your-kitchen-hacker-style.html
It's a 5.5" space in an Ikea kitchen that was modeled into a magnetic spice rack on drawer slides, but I'm sure you could use it for something like big platters or cookie sheets or something else. It's something to think about that would just involve some really careful measuring and fun times with a table saw.
I had a smoothie with a black bean brownie for breakfast... it was awesome!
Made this one today. SO ADDICTED TO THESE BREAKFAST BAKES. Seriously, thank you for improving my breakfast life.
HAhaha...so awesome!!! Thanks for letting me know!! :)
THANK YOU for sending me this link. I'm obsessed! haha
You're welcome!! Yes, you could..you might want to add 1T more liquid b/c it will absorb if you let it sit.
Thanks for this awesome detailed information!!! Definitely will help a lot...good things to think about! :)
What we really like is actually at IKEA! :) They even include the soft closing door attachments that are a lot extra at places like Lowes, etc. From what we've read, the quality is really great!
We definitely won't be using their shipping, haha..road trip!
nom nom nom ...love it!!
Yay! A breakfast bake made in the microwave :D I've really wanted to try one of the bakes, but have never had the time to turn on the oven in the morning. No more excuses!
Hi Ashley,
Congratulations on your home and you are lucky the whole process is moving so quickly, it is very exciting. I bought a house last year and am still not living in it (but that is a very long story) but I have purchased the cabinet materials. My bf and I thought long and hard about cabinets because we both share a modern, minimalist design style. We considered Ikea but he is going to build the cabinets and we're ordering the doors from Ikea. That turned out to be the cheapest option for us, our budget is SUPER tight because we basically tore the house down and rebuilt it. I have not heard or read any negative reviews of Ikea cabinets.
I like your color schemes.
Good Luck!
Sonya
A big good luck to you as well!!! Sounds like we have similar taste. :)
I am loving the idea of these breakfast bakes. I have been wanting to incorporate more buckwheat into my diet so this looks like a great option. I did have a question though - I have been having a hard time finding raw buckwheat groats. I have found buckwheat flour and roasted groats - would those still work? Is there a reason you opt for the raw groats?
The roasted groats are really strong in flavor. They almost taste burnt. I do not like them. :) I did buy buckwheat flour awhile back and just used it for the first time. I bought Arrowhead Mills brand and thought it was terrible. It was much darker in color than when I make my own at home and the flavor was extremely strong + gross. :) That's why I buy the raw groats [and they're cheap!] and then just grind them into flour in my blender.
[...] inspired by Ashley’s Chocolate Banana Muffin Cake [...]
I just found your blog a few days ago through Kath Eats, and I've been excited to try one of your buckwheat bake recipes. I made this one this morning. I used whole wheat flower and flax seeds instead of chia seeds. I had to microwave mine for about 2 min and 30 seconds because my microwave isn't strong. It came out delicious! I can't wait to try your other recipes!
Thanks for saying hi! I'm so glad the recipe worked for you. Since buckwheat is a gluten free flour, I had no idea if whole wheat would work!
[...] #1: Unsweetened Chocolate Banana stuffed with coconut filling and topped with homemade coconut [...]
[...] breakfast, I had a chocolate banana breakfast muffin with peanut butter, Crofter’s Fruit Spread, and half a banana with black [...]
[...] am fully aware of this, but when I stumbled across the breakfast buckwheat bakes on The Edible Perspective, I knew I had to give them a try. I thought I’d try a kiwi version, [...]
All your microwave cakes look so delish <3
Unfortunately, I have a really wicked intolerance to eggs! Could these work with a flax egg/chia egg?
yes! A flax egg should work just fine! I've done it before. They're a little gooier, but still good!
This is great! nice and quick. Do you think it would work if I tried to steam this?