The Hungry Swimmer: Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Courtesy of Hannah Moore.

Seriously, you should try these if you’re someone who loves a sweet breakfast before morning swim practice and gets tired of eating the same bars all the time. This ‘cookie’ recipe packs vitamins and essential fatty acids and even just 1-2 before you hop in the pool keeps you full for your whole workout. (I always recommend having something before your morning swim to keep your hormones balanced and healthy). This recipe makes about 12 cookies, but you can double the batch and use them for a pre-afternoon workout snack too. The make-ahead breakfast possibilities are endless! They are also gluten-free (just containing oats) and dairy-free if you’re somebody who needs those specific requirements.

These cookies are basically like eating your morning bowl of oatmeal…..but in a more fun way. Oatmeal is a great breakfast for swimmers- mainly because you’re getting plenty of fiber (which keeps you full and your gut bacteria love it), complex carbohydrates (which break down slower and give you more sustained energy), and they just taste so dang good with everything. One type of fiber found in oats are beta-glucans, which are a type of sugar compound that actually have a ton of different studied benefits, and are found to play a role in immune system regulation. Pretty cool!

Here, we take those oats and mix them with some other great ingredients to make chewy treats that are actually healthy (and a great pre-workout grab).

Here’s what you need:

• 2 cups oats (any kind will work, I used rolled oats)
• 2 mashed bananas (pretty ripe and spotty)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (optional)
• 3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
• 4 tablespoons of chia seeds
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2/3 cup of nut butter (your choice) – you can also omit and just use more banana
• Mix-ins: I used raisins and chocolate chips, but get creative with it.

How to do it:

• Combine the mashed banana, oats, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
• Add in the remaining ingredients besides the mix-ins, give it a stir until well-combined
• Then throw in whatever you want, chocolate chips are amazing here.
• Scoop out about 12 cookies and flatten them out with your hands.
• Bake at 350 for about 15-16 minutes.

Other Ingredient Stars:

• Chia seeds – a great source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, which support our brain health. They also pack a little bit of plant iron.
• Flax seeds – a great source of lignans, which are plant polyphenols that are being studied to reduce cancer risk. They also contain omega-3 fatty acids, like chia seeds. Win win!

Read Hannah Moore’s SwimSwam bio here.