Breakfast of Champions

I've got to admit I've never been very good at remembering to eat breakfast however just lately it's something I'm starting to really enjoy.

This delicious breakfast can be prepared in advance and will certainly keep those hunger pangs at bay until lunch time. It's a delicious granola with super thick breakfast yoghurt swirled with blackberry compot.

Ingredients

1 Small Tub of Greek Yoghurt
1/2 Pint of Semi-Skimmed Milk
200g Blackberries
2 Tablespoons of Caster Sugar
4 Tablespoons of Water

250g Large Rolled Oats
4 Tablespoons of Honey
1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 Small Handful of Raisins

Method

Mix together the sugar, and honey in a saucepan until completely dissolved. Stir through the rolled oats.

Lay on a tray covered in baking parchment and place in a low oven for 15 minutes.

Empty and store in an air tight container and add the raisins in a cool dry place.

Separately mix the berries and caster sugar in a pan with the water until a soft set jam like consistency appears.

In an ice cream tub mix the yogurt and milk together and swirl in the blackberry compot.

Serve the granola and yoghurt together with a large coffee and the Sunday papers!

*top tip* For an extra indulgent treat use the granola as a crumble topping. Another great time is to freeze the yogurt/compot mix for a dreamy desert!

Mid-Week Meals

Working 8:30am - 6:00pm means that when I get home I want something filling, delicious and easy. These two meals are no-brainers and cooked regularly in my house, they're also super cheap which makes them a firm favourite in the homes of families everywhere.

These are both dishes I first made during my time at university and have developed and grown with my bank balance and taste buds.

Chicken Thigh Stir-Fry and Sticky Chinese Rice

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Bag of Mixed Stir-Fry Vegetables

1 Sachet of Hoisin and Spring Onion Stir-Fry Sauce (Blue Dragon)

1 Clove of Garlic

1/2 Red Chilli

1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil 

2 Cups of Sticky Rice

2 Cups of Cold Water

Method - Stir-Fry

Cut the chicken to strips, the garlic and chilli into fine slices and gently fry in a wok using a flavourless oil.

Empty the contents of the stir-fry vegetables into the wok and mix through for 2-3 minutes.

Add the sachet into the wok and stir through then serve with the sticky rice.

Method - Rice

Wash the rice through in cold water and drain.

Add two cups of water to the rice in a Pyrex dish and add the two tablespoons of oil.

Place a lid on and into a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes stir and serve in a large bow.

*top tip* Using chicken thighs are so much more flavoursome than chicken breasts and are cheaper.

Spaghetti Bolognaese 

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 Medium Pack of Butchers Quality Beef Mince

1 Large Red Onion

6 Mushrooms

1 Clove of Smoked Garlic

1 Knoor Beef Stock Pot

1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons of Tomatoe Purée

2 Teaspoons of Woster Sauce

1/2 Pint of Red Wine

1/2 Cinamon Powder

1/2 Dried Basil

150g Dried Spaghetti

Method

Finely chop the onion, mushrooms and garlic together and gentle fry in a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy based pan.

Add the mince to the pan and fry until cooked through, dissolve the stock pot and add the tin of tomatoes.

Stir in the wine, purée, woster sauce, cinnamon powder and basil and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes.

Boil the spaghetti in boiling salted water for 10 minutes and serve topped with the bolognaese and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

*top tip* Using smoked garlic adds a depth of flavour to the dish and in my personal opinion this dish genuinely isn't worth making unless you use a good quality mince.