I’m a bit naughty when it comes to food, preferring to eat haribo as a meal replacement if I’m having a tricky day at work. But I do find that my downfall tends to be when I start the day badly, and then I just think “ah well” give up, and the whole day descends into a sugary hell.

If I start the day off in a rush and it’s “NOM” with a bowl of supermarket granola (branded as “healthy” PAH!) a croissant, and a vanilla flavoured coffee, and by the time I get to work I am literally shaking from the amount of sugar I’ve consumed before 9am. It’s not good.

Yet, when I take 10 minutes to start the day well, I tend to keep going. And so, I’ve learned how to trick myself into starting the day as I mean to go on. I spend 10 mins the night before, prepping next day’s brekkie, using only 6 ingredients that I usually have lying about. And then I’m guaranteed a creamy, healthy bowl of bircher to pop in a Tupperware and take to work. And my belly starts its day feeling loved. Here’s the recipe:

Project HB’s… er….HB (Healthy Bircher!)

Ingredients

• Half a cup of oats (I prefer gluten free as they don’t aggravate my tummy)
• 4 heaped tablespoons of Total Greek Yoghurt
• A good glug of milk – maybe quarter of a cup (I prefer Almond as it adds a hint more flavour)
• Half an apple
• Handful of roughly chopped nuts (brazil nuts get my vote- chop ‘em yourself and each nut makes about 3 segments)
• Teaspoon of seeds or dried fruits (chia, sesame, sunflower, seed based trail mix…. You choose. Oh and these are optional!)

Method

(Make around 12 hours before you want to eat)

• Mix together the oats and yoghurt in a bowl.
• Grate in the apple. Eat the other half as a reward to yourself.
• Stir in the milk. The consistency should be like wallpaper paste- sloppy. (The oats will soak in the milk and bircher will become firmer overnight)
• Throw in the nuts and your chosen seeds/dried fruity bits and stir once more.
• Pop on a lid/some cling film and put in the fridge overnight.
• In the morning, your Bircher will be firm. Add a little more milk if you prefer a more liquidy texture. Your bircher will be cold- you might want to let it stand for 15 mins to reach room temperature.
• When you’re ready to eat, thrown on some goodies! Berries, banana, or honey come highly recommended. Maybe even mix in a serving of protein powder if you’ve just finished an early morning sesh! A teaspoon of cinnamon makes this sweet without the sugar, as well as making it taste especially Christmassy :)

Serve, enjoy, show your tummy some love, and feel smug all day.

“Project Hot B*tch Healthy Bircher”…. AKA “Project HBHB”.

DAMN that’s catchy.