Breakfast Beauties: How to Start Your Day the Right Way

If you want your diet to benefit your wellbeing, the best place to start is with breakfast. By eating the right mix of fibre, protein and carbohydrates, you can get your morning off to a flying start. Here are a few recipes to help you start your day in a wellness way, as well as some top tips for success:

 

1. Cinnamon Breakfast Squares with Yoghurt and Berries: This recipe makes six squares. Heat your oven to 425°F and lightly butter and flour an eight-inch square baking tin. Add one cup of Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Cinnamon Crunch cereal to a mixing bowl, and stir in 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, three tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Make sure you slightly crush the cereal with the back of the spoon while you’re stirring. Next, beat three eggs in a separate bowl, and mix in 1/2 cup non-fat milk, two tablespoons melted butter (cooled) and one teaspoon vanilla. Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture until it makes a thin batter, and pour it into your baking tin. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes and then set on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into six bars and top each one with a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Surround with fruit, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.

 

2. Mixed Berry Smoothie: This recipe makes four servings, and can be ready in minutes. In a blender, add 1/2 cup Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted cereal, two cups cold fat-free milk, one container (6 ounces) strawberry low-fat yoghurt, one package (four-serving size) strawberry flavour gelatine and one cup frozen mixed berries. Cover and blend on high speed for 15 seconds, or until smooth. Serve immediately.

 

3. Morning Energy Mocha Balls: Place one 1/4 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Chocolatey Almond Crunch cereal in a food processor and process until the cereal is finely ground. Then add 1/2 cup walnut halves, one teaspoon chia seeds, one teaspoon flax seeds, one teaspoon sesame seeds, four tablespoons almond butter, two tablespoons honey, two tablespoons pure maple syrup, two tablespoons dried cranberries, one teaspoon vanilla extract, two teaspoons espresso powder and 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt to the bowl. Process until all the ingredients are well combined and form a stiff dough. Form the dough into a compact ball with your hands. Then, make as many one-inch balls as possible and roll in 1/4 cup toasted unsweetened coconut, if desired. Leave the balls to stand for an hour on a wax-paper lined sheet, and then transfer to tin or container with tight lid. You can chill the balls, but at room temperature they will keep for at least a week.

 

As well as eating a balanced breakfast, there are other ways in which you can get your morning off to a flying start.

• Hydrate: Make sure you drink a generous glass of water first thing in the morning to replenish your body with the hydration it needs.


• Move around: Mornings are busy times, so if you don’t have time to start your day at the gym, try to work in a ten-minute walk before work, or walk to work if it’s close enough. This small amount of movement will get your blood pumping and help you start your day off on the right foot.


• Make a plan: If there are things you would like to accomplish today, write them down. That way, you’re setting yourself up for success.

Categories: baking tin, breakfast, crunch cereal, honey, honey bunches, Mixed Berry Smoothie, Morning, morning energy, Morning Energy Mocha Balls, oats morning, teaspoon, teaspoon vanilla

Great Recipes for Kids Who Just Won’t Eat their Breakfast

When it comes to your child’s wellbeing, you cannot skimp on a healthy breakfast. According to wellness expert and educator Andrea Hermitt, ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for children. Without building a habit of eating healthy meals early in the morning, children can be doomed to a poor metabolism problem that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Besides that, numerous studies have shown that kids who eat breakfast perform better in school. Most kids don’t get a good breakfast because they are short on time.’ So, we’ve gathered together a few effective recipes that can help you ensure your kids get the nutrition they need.

 

1. Special smoothies: Hectic mornings aren’t just for office commuters, children and young people are often out the door before you can say “Have a nice day!” Therefore, a healthy and nutritious smoothie is perfect for giving them everything they need to start the day, whilst already getting started! Simply whip up a cup of cubed fresh or canned pineapple (canned is probably easiest when you’re pressed for time), one sliced banana, half a cup of low-fat plain yoghurt, a third of a cup of frozen passion fruit concentrate, half a cup of water, two ice cubes and a tablespoon of wheat bran or oat bran in the blender until the smoothie is creamy. In a single serving, there is 109 calories, two grams of fat, 26 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, two grams of fibre and four grams of protein.

 

2. Amazing apple squares: Apple squares are more of an American-style breakfast but you’ll be happy to bring them to good old Blighty once you realise how simple they are to make! Sure, apple squares are perhaps not as healthy as wholemeal toast or cereal, but these squares do at least contain oats, apples, and nuts, which are all healthy choices. Plus, the key here is to get your kids eating breakfast at all – and there’s no way they can resist these treats. Apple squares are best served as soon as they’re made, but as they take a little time you might want to do them the night before, or save them for a weekend treat – they go really well with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

 

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark four, and coat a nine-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Take a large bowl, and combine one and a half cups of self-raising flour, one cup of old-fashioned oats, one cup of light brown sugar, a teaspoon of lemon zest, three-quarters of a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and quarter of a teaspoon of nutmeg. Once you’ve combined these ingredients, use your fingers to work in three tablespoons of canola oil and quarter of a cup of apple juice – do this until coarse crumbs form. Peel, core and thinly slice two tart, medium-sized apples (Granny Smiths are good choices). Into your prepared baking tray, firmly press two cups of the oat mixture, and then arrange your apple slices over the crust in three rows. Coarsely chop a quarter of a cup of walnuts and mix these into your remaining oat mixture. Sprinkle this evenly over the apples and pat firmly into an even layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender when you pierce them with a sharp knife. Leave them to cool completely on a wire rack, and then cut them into squares.

Categories: Apple, Apple Squares, breakfast, Healthy, oat mixture, Smoothie, squares, teaspoon