When I was in England this winter, I reluctantly had to trade in my favourite morning ritual for something more winter friendly, so I stopped buying bananas in an (unnecessary) abundance and bought only enough for the few days ahead.

I no longer had a need to keep a stash in the freezer for my ice cold breakfasts and instead opted for a more hearty, nourishing, warming option for those chilly mornings.

It was inspired by one of the girls I worked with last summer who had the same breakfast religiously every day – a bowl of oats, almond milk, goji berries, coconut, chopped fresh fruit and some Greek yoghurt. That’s until she discovered the smoothie bowl, of course!

I spent the winter eating warmed oats in the mornings with a variety of toppings and could hardly believe how long it kept me going. After eating breakfast around 8.30 or 9 each day, t would be around 2.30 before I felt even the slightest itch of hunger or thought of food, which for a foodie like me is almost unheard of.

With a shortage of berries on board after 10 days with guests on board and only managing one quick midweek trip to the market, I decided that a banana-only smoothie bowl would detract from my love of them so opted for the next best thing.

For some reason, the mighty oat had been overlooked since I got back to the sun. I couldn’t think of anything worse than eating those bowls I had so thoroughly enjoyed in the English winter, but then I had a revelation.

I love a chia pudding but I overdid it on them recently and I’m a bit over them for the moment, so what’s next?

Chilled oats!

It’s a thing. Why hadn’t I tried it?

So I took to my favourite canister for this type of thing: an emptied & cleaned out jam jar and set to work.

For you to make the same jar of joy, you will need:

• 1/2 Jar Oats (I used GF Rolled Oats)
• 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• A Pinch of Pink Himilayan Salt
• 1/2 Jar Unsweetened Almond Milk

Toppings (optional):

• 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
• Fresh Berries
• Sliced Banana
• Milled Flax Seeds
• Toasted Almond

What you need to do:

Using the jar as a measure, half fill with oats, then add the coconut, chia and maple. Fill the jar, leaving a gap at the top, with almond milk and stir.

Place in the fridge. After about 5-10 minutes either open the jar and stir again or shake it up a couple of times.

Then you’re good to put it to bed for the night or for at least 4 hours. You could also eat this immediately but I find it’s better when it’s had time to sit, the chia seeds can expand and the oats will soften, making the whole jar a thicker consistency.

In the morning, take it out of the fridge and add a dollop of peanut butter and whatever else you fancy. Take a photo to send to me, then give it a good stir & enjoy!

*Note:

The reason I say “unsweetened” for the coconut & almond milk is because I always prefer to control my sugar intake. If I want to add sugar or sweetener myself, I will. I don’t want the principle ingredients I am using to already contain artificial sweetener.

The same goes for peanut butter – all of my recipes call for 100% peanuts; but feel free to use whatever you like best or have on hand.

L, xo