It can feel like your choices are limited when you're trying to eat more healthily, especially if there's a specific diet you're sticking to.
But there's one failsafe recipe that mums - and dads for that matter - swear by and it's for a very tasty breakfast 'cake'.
It's not cake as in the fluffy sugar-coated carrot cake kind, but an oat-based flapjack style snack with nowhere near the number of calories.
It was a couple of years ago when I first heard the recipe, from healthy food creator @cakeontherun, was doing the rounds.
Shared by SurreyLive, those who follow Slimming World were raving about it, although I didn't ever give it a try.
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But now, having been told I need to cut down on my sugar consumption, I decided to make it myself.
Made with oats, egg, yoghurt, fruit and a drop of vanilla essence, it's a low fat, low calorie and high fibre option.
Doesn't sound that appealing does it, but it's actually pretty tasty, especially when topped with your favourite fruit - I chose melon and strawberries.
But the thing that really blew my mind was how it filled me up for so long. I don't think I've ever been able to get from breakfast to lunch without some sort of snack. I'm the person who carries a cereal bar in their handbag 'just in case', the person who keeps a stash of snacks in their office drawer for when the hunger kicks in.
Yet, after a piece of this oat cake with some yoghurt and fruit, I wasn't hungry until 2pm. Even the dog was looking at me wondering where his leftover lunch tit-bits had gone.
One full cake gave me five portions, so it made the perfect week-day breakfast. It took less than an hour to make and bake the thing, and after the first day I just reheated a slice in the microwave. You could have it cold if you prefer and it's ideal to have for lunch or dessert if you'd rather have it later in the day.
Watch how to make it in the video above or follow the simple instructions below.
Baked oats recipe (serves 5)
Ingredients
- 120g rolled porridge oats
- 250g any low fat plain or vanilla yoghurt
- Splash vanilla essence
- 3 eggs
- Plus 4 tbsp extra yoghurt and your choice of fruit to serve
Method
- Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
- Put oats, yoghurt, vanilla and eggs into a large bowl and mix with a spoon until combined.
- Line an 8 inch cake tin with baking paper, pour the mixture into it and oven cook for 30 minutes. You can use a larger tin, but you'll just have thinner slices and it will bake a bit quicker.
- Serve with yoghurt and fruit.
Make it dairy free - use coconut, almond or soya yoghurt.
Make it gluten free - choose gluten free oats.
