The Breakfast Sins
About 2 years ago now I was at a training camp, assessing riders etc, when I noticed a display the nutritionist had done - drinks and their sugar content. She had bought some of the most popular soft drinks, worked out how much sugar was in them, and then stacked the corresponding amount of sugar cubes by each drink. It seriously shocked me, with my favourite drink, that looks healthy and talks about fresh fruit and being full of water, had six, yes six teaspoons of sugar in it. From then on I have never touched it again - Brilliant shock tactic. So I came home and looked at what was in our house, and much to my husband’s dismay, lots of foods got banned from the house - muller corner yoghurts, a fair few soft drinks, pre made sauces etc, but one of the biggest sinners was cereals. If you read the back of a pack it tells you there will be anywhere from two to four or five teaspoons of sugar in a portion size. Now if you weigh out that portion size, I don’t know about you, but I was eating more than that, meaning I was eating more sugar. So I steered away from processed sugar boxes and sought out other healthier options - porridge with fruit and nuts to an flavour, eggs and tomatoes, fruit and oats and yoghurt, buckwheat pancakes etc.
Today there are some fantastic resources for healthy breakfast recipes and 2 great teams have shared some of their gorgeous recipes. First up Eat and Think - 3 female dieticians who share their solid advice and beautiful recipes -
Flourless Banana Pancakes
Serves 2 Cooking and prep time: 30 minutes. Label: GF, Breakfast
3 ripe bananas
4 eggs
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp almond essence
1 tsp cinnamon
Berries
I always freeze leftover bananas if they are going off. Defrosted bananas are perfect for this recipe as they mash really easily.
Using a potato-masher mash the bananas in a bowl until smooth. In another bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until light and fluffy with a hand-blender. Add the egg mixture, cinnamon, almond essence and baking powder into the mashed up bananas and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Add a tiny bit of butter to a hot pan before pouring 1 ladle of mixture into the pan and cooking over a medium heat until lightly browned on each side (2 mins on each side). Place the cooked pancakes in a warm oven until all are cooked.
Top with fresh berries and agave syrup (optional). These are also delicious with a grating of dark chocolate and extra slice banana or stewed apples.
Caramelised Fruit with Greek yoghurt.
Serves 2 Cooking and prep time: 40 minutes. Label: GF, Breakfast
300g 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt
15g Coconut oil
1 Pear
1 Apple
1 Tbsp Demerara Sugar
1 Tsp Cinnamon
Heat oven to 180C. Half the apples and pears.
Heat a pan to a medium heat and add a small knob of butter or coconut oil. When the oil has melted sprinkle on over the sugar and allow to caramelise. Add the fruit face down for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and place the fruit face up in a baking tray. Cook for 30-35 minutes until tender. Serve with yoghurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon (and oats if you like).
Homemade carrot breakfast cookies
Prep time: Less than 30mins. Dairy Free
•125g spelt flour
•150g oats
•1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
•salt
•1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 80g light brown sugar
•4 tbsp honey
•1 large carrot grated
•100ml olive oil
•80g raisins
•80g chopped nuts
•20g seeds
Top Tips!
The addition of nuts, seeds, carrots and fried fruit adds fibre to this delicious recipe. Fibre is incredibly important for gut health. High fibre diets can really help reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer. High fibre diets are also associated with lower rates of obesity, heart disease and type
Homemade Muesli
Serves 8 Cooking and prep time: 15 minutes. Gluten Free, Low GI, Vegan
Top Tips!
Oats are rich in beta glucan’s which are a form of soluble fibre known to help reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol in our blood stream which is important for a healthy heart.
Finally, Melissa Hemsley shared this amazing recipe from their new inspiring cook book - The Art of Eating Well -
Chia Chai Butternut Breakfast Pudding
SERVES 2–4
This is an overnight breakfast or make-ahead dessert.We’ve infused
omega-3-rich chia seeds with our favourite rooibos chai breakfast tea and
together they turn the usually savoury butternut squash into a sweet start
to the day. Gently heating up the pudding before layering with the Mango
Cashew Cream (page 49) is our favourite way to breakfast and warm our
bellies in the autumn.
This is so yummy that you’ll also fancy it as a cool, creamy dessert.We love
it with summer fruits, such as blackberries, grapes, figs, plums or peaches,
which are just in season as butternut comes in. In the winter months, try
apple chunks, chopped clementines or blood orange.
If you bake the butternut squash the night before, then it's ready to go in
the morning. Don’t forget to chew well in order to get the most goodness
out of the tiny chia seeds.
1 large butternut squash
(enough to make
400 g cooked butternut
squash purée)
2 rooibos chai tea bags or
2 tsp rooibos chai tea
leaves
4 tbsp white chia seeds
(we used white chia to
keep the pudding’s bright
orange colour, but black
also works – and is
cheaper and easier to
find too!)
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp raw honey
OPTIONAL
CoconutYoghurt (pages
305–306) and goji berries,
to serve
1 Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/Gas mark 6 and roast
the butternut squash in the oven for 40–50 minutes
until cooked through and tender. Scoop out 400 g of
the squash flesh and mash well. Any leftover squash
can be frozen and used in a soup or smoothie.
2 Add the squash to a saucepan with 350 ml water,
the coconut oil and the tea leaves (or the contents
of the tea bags, if using). Bring to a medium simmer,
then remove from the heat and leave to cool for a
few minutes.
3 Stir in the chia seeds, continuously whisking at first
to avoid lumps, then add the honey.
4 Leave to sit for at least 20 minutes to an hour for the
chia to swell (unless you like it crunchy). Alternatively,
transfer to a flask and by the time you get to work,
you’ll have a nice warm chia breakfast pudding.
5 Add the CoconutYoghurt and goji berries, if using,
and enjoy.
TO MAKE A CREAMY DESSERT, take a jar or glass
and layer up the Chia Chai Butternut Breakfast
Pudding with Mango Cashew Cream (page 49)
and scatter 2 handfuls of seasonal fruit, such as
blackberries, between the layers.Top with more
fruit and enjoy.
Eating well is more than reducing sugar and fat content, and eating low calorie foods. It about eating a variety of vitamins and minerals, balancing your protein, fat and carbohydrate levels correctly, and listening to what your body is telling you.