Having previously extolled my strong feelings about the first meal of the day in my previous post on the Smoothie Bowl, I won’t bang on too much again here. What I will say is just how important breakfast is for us to get right; to give us energy and verve for the day ahead, to boost the post-sleep metabolism and to set us on the right nutritional path for the day. Whether that path wanders off course as the day progresses is another thing, but it’s less likely if we start out right.

It’s taken me a while to grasp this and to appreciate what a difference it can make to my day. Back in the UK my old colleagues will attest to the daily bacon sandwich and large cappuccino, so much so my old boss would often have it on the desk waiting for me. Best boss EVER. And oh my, was it a daily delight, but moving to Saudi Arabia clearly shook me of that habit. Thankfully.

It took a bit of experimenting to find what worked for an office-bound breakfast, which gives me enough sustenance to see me through to lunch. I have been making my own granola for some time now and find it’s the perfect solution for not just breakfast but as an emergency snack at any time of the day. I like to keep mine gluten free as that works best for me, so it’s heavy on the nuts, which really helps me stay satiated throughout the morning. It’s easy to modify the type of nuts used and the flavours included, but the recipe below should give you an idea of the ratio of dry to liquids.

Oh, and the cappuccino is still a firm fixture. For the sake of my coworkers and mankind as a whole.

Banana and chocolate granola

Ingredients

1 cup oats (gluten free if that’s your preference)
1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
3 ripe bananas
3 tablespoons almond butter – flavoured versions are great here. I use Barney Butters, which now come in yummy flavours like cocoa and chocolate, and vanilla and espresso. For Saudi-based folks you can find them in Alosra stores in Bahrain.
2 tablespoons honey – best quality if you can
1 tablespoon cacao powder
½ teaspoon vanilla

Method

Now this is the easiest recipe. Simply mix all the nuts, seeds and oats together. If you wish, and I tend to, you can chop/blitz the walnuts and almonds into smaller chunks, or simply leave whole.

Blitz the banana, almond butter, honey, cacao and vanilla together using a blender or Nutribullet. If your bananas are super ripe you can even just mash all of these together using a fork.

Tip the banana liquid in with the dry ingredients and stir well. Cover two baking sheets with baking paper and divide the mixture between the two. Spread out the granola as evenly as possible. Bake in the oven at 190 degrees for around 25 minutes. Make sure to stir and breakup the granola halfway through the cooking time.

Remove from the oven when golden brown. Allow to cool and then you can store for around two weeks in an airtight container. I have mine atop Greek yoghurt, with a handful of delicious raspberries and a touch more honey.