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.