I know they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, as some studies have shown, it only has a minimal impact on metabolism and weight loss. I like this article from HuffPost. Then there’s the case of Intermittent Fasting (IF) that’s all the craze with Crossfitters and a lot of people who follow the Paleo/Primal diet. I tried Primal for a while. Not for me. I love my bread, cakes and pastries too damn much!

I was always a big breakfast (not McDonald’s) eater, until I realised I wasn’t all that hungry. What I mistook for hunger was actually just thirst from all those hours I was fast asleep, dehydrated. However, as my weight has once again dropped to a little below my ideal, I decided that I would slowly increase my calorie intake – and that means eating a small breakfast.

In the past, my day usually started with a big bowl of oatmeal, a habit I started in junior college when I started becoming a little more conscious about my weight (there were many skinny girls around where I came from). Cooked stovetop – piping hot, topped with a generous dollop of peanut butter, a sliced banana/other fruits and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I went to bed looking forward to my oatmeal breakfast. I never understood how people could detest oatmeal. I guess they simply don’t know how to cook a mean porridge!

Here are some of my previous oatmeal breakfasts for inspiration.

You see. Oatmeal can look pretty darn good. It’s all about taking a little extra effort to jazz up the “baby food”.

I did this for years, until I discovered overnight oats. It was heaven, like having dessert for breakfast. Cold, creamy and sometimes very colourful – it was a joy to eat!

My favourite way of having overnight oats requires no recipe at all – simply fill a jar/container with rolled oats, pour in the milk of your choice until the oatmeal is just covered, then top with a tablespoon or two of yogurt to make it creamy. The next morning, slice some fruits, mix the oats well and enjoy! I love using red dragonfruit because of its colour (it’s always fun eating pink food), and it is also chock full of fibre which helps me cleanse my system. Warning – eat too much and expect your poop to turn red too.

While overnight oats is probably still my favourite way of eating oatmeal, I recently made my first baked oatmeal, and it comes darn pretty close. Plus, it’s as convenient as overnight oats. Simply bake it over the weekend, and you’ve got a whole weeks’ worth of breakfast (and snacks) settled!

I tried to make mine as healthy as possible, so I decided to eliminate any processed sugars; I used just a little bit of honey to sweeten. Plus, the overripe bananas add to the sweetness already!

Recipe: 3’B’ (Baked Blueberry-Banana) Oatmeal Cups

Makes about 16 cups

• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp honey (or more if you prefer something sweeter)
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats or quick oats
• 1/4 cup walnut meal (or any other kind of nut meal) – optional
• 1/4 cup walnuts to top – optional
• 1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, honey, vanilla extract, salt and baking powder into bowl with mashed banana and whisk to combine.
4. Add the milk and mix well.
5. Stir in oatmeal and walnut meal.
6. Stir in blueberries, leaving some to top the cups.
7. Fill each cup until almost full – slightly over 3/4 of the way.
8. Top with extra blueberries and walnuts.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown (the tops should not be wet to the touch).
10. Leave to cool on a wire rack before refrigerating, or have some right away!

That’s it! Easy peasy.

Notes: The oatmeal cups can be refrigerated – simply reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds to get them warm again.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!