Peanut Butter and the Mermaid

Since I work at five a.m. more often than not, one of my goals as of late is to find more recipes for healthy, easy, portable breakfast dishes. Why it took me so long to think of this one surprises me, since it was the first breakfast dish I ever ate on the go.

My freshman year in high school, I swam three hours a day. I'm actually something of a water baby (or mermaid, as I liked to think of it when I was little) since I have been swimming since I was four years old and later learned how to sail, snorkel, SNUBA swim/dive, SCUBA dive, and play water polo. Unfortunately I haven't done any of those things lately, but I do work with boats and am by the water five days a week. It's calming.

Anyway, I was a very ambitious swimmer my freshman year of high school, and our coaches made it optional for us to swim for an extra hour in the mornings. Of course, I did it. My schedule at that time was pretty rigorous--five days a week I would get up early, swim for an hour, go to school all day, then swim for two more hours, go to math tutoring, and do homework before and after dinner.

I was very lucky then, since my mom made my lunch for me every day, and even though it was usually the same food, it was always healthy. No matter how uncool that was. Not many other kids brought cookies to school sweetened by fruit juice, believe me. But the first day I started swimming in the morning, she handed me my lunch and told me she'd given me something for breakfast.

It would always be the same, but I would get through that sleepy hour by looking forward to it once I was done. She made me a sandwich of peanut butter, sliced bananas, and raisins. It was simple but fortifying. It also made me incredibly thirsty, something I realized after I wolfed down the whole sandwich the first time. Then it became a desperate grasp for a dollar and a vending machine.

So here is my new gluten free version of it. Feel free to add more nuts or different dried or fresh fruit, but this is great for kids and adults alike. Just make sure you have something to drink when you sit down to eat.

Banana Peanut Butter Breakfast Sandwich 
1 small Banana
Peanut Butter
1 Gluten Free English Muffin or 2 pieces of Gluten Free Bread
small handful Dried Cranberries
small handful Dried Blueberries

Toast the separate sides of the english muffin or two pieces of toast. Meanwhile, slice the banana into fairly small pieces. Once the bread is toasted enough, spread your desired amount of peanut butter over both pieces.

To eat as separate pieces:
      Spread the banana slices over the peanut butter and sprinkle on the dried blueberries and cranberries. Eat like mini pizzas.

To eat as a sandwich:
      Spread the banana slices on one side of the bread, enough so that there are two layers. Top with dried blueberries and cranberries. Place other piece of bread or english muffin on top and eat like a sandwich.

Either way, enjoy!