2-in-1 Banana Breakfast

Ever feel like indulging upon a kingly guilt-free breakfast but simply don't have more than 20 minutes until you have to leave before the rush hour traffic or to that 9am lecture? Then this is the breakfast for you. The amazing thing about this breakfast is that you can use the same mixture for both the smoothie and pancakes! There's no need to worry about eating raw eggs in the smoothie because it's egg free and therefore vegan too.

 I love this breakfast because you can eat the pancakes with your friends or the family at the table then put the smoothie in a jam jar or sealed bottle to enjoy on-the-go. It will make all your work collegues or fellow students jealous, guaranteed. I really don't think anyone needs to worry about 'over eating' at breakfast because considering you're eating the right things, it's the only time of the day when you're allowed to eat like a king!

In my recent chai seed pudding post, I raved about the amazing properties of chai seeds, so guess what features in these beautiful breakfast? You guessed it - chai seeds. There is nothing different between the ingredients in the two mixtures apart from a little added dash of milk or water in the smoothie mixture to make it more drinkable. This breakfast truly is delicious and really worth giving a go! 

Makes 4 pancakes & 1 smoothie (serves 1 king) 

1 1/2 frozen bananas 

1/2 cup of rolled oats 

2 dessert spoons of chai seeds 

2 dessert spoons of milled flaxseed 

1/2 cup of water 

2 dessert spoons of natural yoghurt

1 tsp of cinnamon 

4 prunes 

a knob of butter or coconut oil to grease the pan

1 dessert spoon of pure maple syrup (smoothie addition) 

1/4 cup/a dash of water or milk (smoothie addition)

Method 

- Simply put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. 

- For the pancakes, put a large pan over high heat and add the butter or coconut oil to grease the pan. Turn down the temperature to a medium heat and add the mixture to the pan forming 4 pancake shapes using a dessert spoon. You may have to do this in two batches. 

- Flip after 1:30-2 minutes or until the side is golden and cooked. Turn off the heat and layer the pancakes with a fruit if your desired choice and serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt and a sprinkling of cinnamon or chai seeds (or both!). 

- Using the left over mixture, add the extra dash of water and some maple syrup of you have a sweet tooth! If you like your smoothies thick, then don't worry about the water addition. Pour the smoothie mixture into a drinks container of yor choice and sip away!

Enjoy!

Blueberry & Cinnamon Smoothie

This thick, creamy smoothie is fulfilling, satisfying and energising so therefore the perfect way to start the day. In about 5 minutes you will have a cup full of delicious goodness ready to sip on-the-go or to enjoy sat with your feet up reading The Sunday Telegraph. It really is that quick to make and will fill you up better than any bland bowl of plain porridge. All the ingredients I use should be available in your local supermarket as that's where I found mine, so there's no need to go to the local overpriced health shop. This smoothie is packed with goodness from the banana and blueberries. Blueberries are in fact the best foods to eat for good skin due to their high number of anti-oxidants! This smoothie contains no milk as I used my favourite alpro soya yoghurt and water instead. Surprisingly, I found that although I used water, the beautiful thick, creamy texture wasn't effected due to the natural sweetness of banana and the thickness of the oats. If you prefer your smoothies being slightly sweeter than this one, I recommend you either add 2 medjool dates or one dessert spoon of pure maple syrup. Ingredients to hand, blender at the ready, let's go!

Makes 1 large glass or 2 medium glasses

1 sliced frozen banana

2 oz. (about 1 handful) of blueberries 

3 dessert spoons of milled flaxseed

2 dessert spoons of fat free natural yoghurt

1 dessert spoon of cinnamon (I love cinnamon so put lots in!)

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of organic oats

2 medjool dates or 1 dessert spoon of pure maple syrup (optional)

Method

- Simply blend all the ingredients together until smooth. If you prefer your smoothies a little runnier, just add a dash of milk or water! 

Have a beautiful day.

Creamy Mango & Banana Overnight Oats

You know you're a true breakfast lover when you start making it the night before. Breakfast is by far one of the most important meals of the day and without a doubt one of my favourite meals of the day. There is now no excuse for those hard workers out there who claim they don't have enough time for breakfast in the morning, as this is made the night before, put in the fridge and ready to eat straight away or on-the-go. This smoothie is absolutely divine, you just can't beat the fresh, sweet blend of the banana and mango combined with the energy packed soft oats and magical chai seeds. 

I believe one reason why people don't make time for a fulfilling, nutritious breakfast in the morning is because there is nothing to look forward to. Having the same, bland weetabix or plain porridge can get very boring - so what's the point in waking up early to make that same breakfast when you can just grab a warm almond croissant from the local cafe on the way to work?! I completely agree, so therefore we need to make something different, exciting and a breakfast to look forward to. This creamy mango & banana overnight oats recipe is the answer to all those problems. You'll make it before bed time and lie in bed looking forward to your homemade summer oaty delight. Apart from work, you'll have another reason to get out of bed in the morning, so you'll make sure you get up have enough time to enjoy it. If you oversleep your alarm, that is still no excuse to go to the local cafe as you'll have your overnight oats ready to take away in a jam jar to eat on-the-go. Problem solved! 

This smoothie was inspired by Deliciously Ella's blog. I saw it and instantly wanted to try it. It didn't take me long to to realise it would be quite an expensive breakfast to make every morning using a whole mango, on top of a lot of other healthy ingredients just for 2 servings. Therefore I altered the recipe slightly to make it a little more attractive to people like myself, living on a smaller budget (hola to all my student friends out there)!

Serves 2 

Mango Puree: 

1/2 ripe mango 

1 banana

1 dessert spoon of milled flaxseed

dash of milk

Oat Mix: 

2 heaped dessert spoons of chai seeds

1/2 ripe banana

5 dessert spoons of organic oats

1/2 cup of (oatly) milk

1 dessert spoon of ground/milled flaxseed

1 dessert spoon of honey

Method

- Simply peel the mango and banana and blend together with the flaxseed and a dash of milk until smooth and creamy. Fill the base of the glasses with some of the sweet mango puree delight (see the photos above).

- Mash up the banana in a medium bowl then stir in the chai seeds, oats, milk, flaxseed and honey. Put a layer of on top of the mango puree and keep alternating the layers until all the mixture has gone.

- Cover with cling film for freshness and put in the fridge overnight to enjoy for breakfast!