beautiful breakfasts

I don't go out very often for breakfast, but this is what I had a few weekends ago

Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day, and is probably the easiest to make point friendly and healthy. I especially look forward to it on the weekends after a lazy lie-in and I can stumble towards the kitchen with the possibilities of the day in front of me, the incredible smell of homemade bread wafting through the air...(I love having a breadmaker I can put on a timer!)

When I was experiencing a gruelling plateau during my weight loss journey, one of the most overwhelming pieces of advice was to vary my diet, especially breakfast. So I ditched my usual 2 pieces of raisin toast and started experimenting! It worked!

My usual week day breakfast is yoghurt and muesli. Since moving to the UK in 2007, I hadn't found a brand of muesli that I liked - apart from the make your own muesli bar at Wholefoods in Kensington, which I sadly don't live anywhere near anymore - so for the last year or so my dear mother had been sending Carman's Classic Fruit over from Australia for me!! [I think some bigger Sainsbury's stores now stock it but haven't seen it anywhere so far] My supply finally ran out at the end of summer 2008, and so I decided to try Kathryn's delicious sounding recipe. I'm so glad I did! I've modified it slightly from her original recipe.

This has been my favourite breakfast for about five months now, and it is with delight that I share it with you:

(note the LOVE candle holder in the background!)

Home-made muesli

Serves: heaps

* 6 cups rolled grains – I use a five-grain porridge mix as the base (Waitrose brand is my
favourite)
* 1.5 cups seeds – I use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds
* 1 cup chopped nuts – I use almonds
* 1/2 cup lecithin granules – available from health food shops
* 3 cups dried fruit – I use a combination of apricots and cranberries
* 1 cup ground flaxseeds - – available from health food shops
* 4 teaspoons (in total) spices – I use cinnamon and nutmeg


Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container. Lasts for months - but you'll eat it all way before then!

I have this with greek yoghurt and berries for breakfast. It is even better than Carman's, I think! The best thing about it is that you put in what you like best! If you hate raisins, leave them out. If you love hazelnuts, cram them in! Lecithin granules are made from soya beans and help your body break down fats properly (really good for those watching their cholesterol) and flaxseeds provide Omega 3 and 6. All in all, it's a great way to start the day! Once you start making your own, anything shop bought will never be as good.

But of course, there are days where my stash of muesli in my desk drawer has run out, or my yoghurt pot has been scraped empty, so I need a quick, fast and healthy alternative. One of the perks of employment in Britain is your place of work might have a staff canteen - like mine! - where, if you're running late (like I normally am) and haven't even put your makeup on let alone had breakfast, you can wander down and get a bowl of porridge for 25p! Bargain! That has been my lifesaver over the past week, I have to say!

So yes, my weekdays contain fairly predictable breakfasts - yoghurt and muesli, or porridge. But on the weekends, different story! I usually sleep until all hours, so brunch might be a better way of describing my first meal of the day! On the menu is usually one of the following:

• Homemade 9 grain bread with mashed avocado, sea salt, black pepper and Quorn bacon (vegetarian bacon)
• 9 grain bread with spinach and poached eggs, topped with Total 0% Greek Yoghurt and sweet chilli sauce
• Omelette made with grated courgette (zuchinni) and filled with spinach and fetta cheese
• Haloumi cheese with fresh mint and sweet chilli sauce, served with toast and sauteed spinach
  
• Full vegetarian brunch (if I am very hungry or very hungover!) - 9 grain bread, poached eggs, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, baked beans, vegetarian sausages, and maybe a toasted potato waffle or two....
  

Because it has been so cold here lately (we had snow yesterday!) I like having a hot breakfast wherever possible! I am also mindful of getting as many nutrients into my meals as possible, particularly iron seeing that I'm vegetarian. A handful of spinach leaves goes into nearly everything I cook these days!

As you may have guessed, I do love breakfast, and talking about it! It's nice to have something delicious to look forward to first thing in the morning.

More breakfast ideas:

• Limes and Lycopene - making a better breakfast
• The Food Doctor