Egg and Milk Free Blueberry Muffins

One of the hardest meals for someone with egg, milk and nut allergies is breakfast.  Nearly every breakfast food you can think of involves milk or eggs; cereal, pancakes, muffins, oatmeal, omelets, breakfast burritos, you name it!  Over time we have come up with many alternatives and have learned to work around our limitations.  Just like any kid, Riley loves cereal the most, but at least we feel like we have some other options.  We do try to avoid going out for breakfast since we’ve had a couple of bad experiences with cross contamination even with a safe food choice like bacon, but an egg and milk free breakfast at home can be delicious and appealing to the whole family.  Here are some ideas to get your wheels turning.

Egg Free, Dairy Free Breakfast Ideas

• Fruit -apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, pineapple, melons, berries, etc
• Cereal – A safe cereal with alternative milk (Cheerios, Cinnamon Life, Shredded Wheat, Kashi cereals, etc).  Try soy, rice, or coconut milk.
• Oatmeal – Try making Quick , Steel Cut, or Old Fashioned Oats with water instead of milk. Or use an alternative milk like soy or coconut milk.
• Other Hot Cereal – Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, Oat Bran, and Multi-grain Cereals made with water or alternative milks.
• Pancakes – Use an alternative milk and an egg substitute in your own recipe, use these easy Bisquick substitutions, or try this delicious pancake recipe.
• Waffles – Use an alternative milk and egg substitute and be sure to grease your waffle iron well.  Here’s a recipe our family loves.
• Muffins  – Easy to make with egg substitutes like applesauce and baking powder, or store-bought egg replacers. Check out our favorite Blueberry Muffin Recipe.
• Quick Breads – Most are easy to make with egg substitutes.
• Toast – Homemade or store-bought allergy-free breads are great with jam or Smart Balance Butter.
• English Muffins – Most store bought brands are dairy free and can be eaten with dairy free butter or jam.
• Potatoes – fried potatoes, hash browns, or hash brown patties (Trader Joe’s brand)
• Breakfast Meat – bacon, sausage, or ham.  Frozen turkey sausage patties are a great low-fat, non-red meat, and easy option.
• Breakfast Burritos – potatoes, breakfast meat, salsa.  Try adding tofu scramble in place of eggs.  Try adding grilled peppers and onions, black beans, or avacado.  Get creative.
• Bagels – Find a safe brand (we use Bubbas) and top with non-dairy butter like Smart Balance.
• Yogurt – Silk makes several soy yogurts that are often carried at Walmart.  Top with granola and fruit.
• Smoothies – Fruit smoothies made with juice, alternative milks, or non-dairy yogurt
• Protein shakes – Vegan protein powders are plant based and come in a variety of flavors.
• Donuts – Homemade fried or baked. Try using Pillsbury biscuits and shaping them into donuts before frying in hot oil and coating with frosting or cinnamon sugar.
• Crepes – Vegan crepes filled with fruit and coconut whipped cream are a fun treat. Check out my dairy and egg free crepe recipe.
• Scones -like biscuits but a little sweeter.
• Fry Bread and Honey – Fry the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and honey on top
• French Toast – Try a homemade egg-less French Toast with syrup. Or Try Farm Rich French Toast Sticks.
• Breakfast Peach Crisp – Canned or fresh peaches, warm topped with granola
• Biscuits – Pillsbury canned biscuits or homemade.
• Fruit Turn-Overs – Many fruit turnovers do not contain dairy or egg, including Pillsbury Apple or Cherry Turnovers,  Pepperidge Farm Frozen Turnovers (apple, blueberry, cherry, chocolate, peach and more).  We’ve even found some egg-free and dairy-free turnovers from the Walmart bakery.
• Dinner or Lunch items – Why do we feel like we have to stick to American culture breakfast foods??  Many other cultures eat sandwiches, or other dinner-like items for breakfast. Our family eats chicken quesadillas for breakfast all the time and we love it.
• Left-Overs  – Have left-over dinner for breakfast.  It’s fast, easy and probably healthier and much lower in sugar and fat than traditional American breakfast foods.

Low-Carb and Gluten Free Breakfast Options

American breakfast is notoriously carb-heavy and filled with various types of breads and sugars. If you are taking out the dairy and especially eggs, it is hard to think of low-carb options. But why do we have to stick with a flawed breakfast culture? Here are a few items I eat when I am trying to watch my weight that fit into the low-carb and or gluten free category.

• Vegan protein shakes
• Fruit (gluten free, and lower in carbs than breads and sugary foods)
• Sausage patties or links (we use turkey sausage to cut down on fat and red meat)
• Grilled or marinated steak or chicken (marinate overnight)
• Deli Meats
• Tofu scramble
• Breakfast burritos with tofu scramble, choice of meat, grilled peppers and onions, and salsa (use a low carb or gluten free tortilla). Avacados and sweet potatoes are also a nice addition.
• Breakfast skillets – basically a breakfast burrito but in a bowl with no tortilla
• Vegetables – Fried Zucchini, Cooked broccoli, spaghetti squash, asparagus, etc.
• Your favorite dinner or lunch recipe – why can’t you eat it for breakfast?
• Left-overs from the day before!