Hands up if you are like me bored of cereals for breakfast or stressed about giving sugar packed kids’ cereals for your children. The main thing I am not so keen on eating cereal everyday is that it lacks protein which is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. Unlike carbohydrates and fat, your body does not store protein, so it has no reservoir to draw from when you’re running low – which means that we need include protein in every single meal, yes including our breakfast.

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The truth is we rarely take it seriously. We have so many excuses — the biggest one is ‘No Time’. The good news is that I have a few recipes which only takes you 5 mins to cook. All it takes is a little bit of preparation the night before.

Well, it is all about eggs. There are some ingredients I will panic about if I run out in my home. Eggs and smoked salmon are among the list and they marry each other so well. An egg is such an amazingly perfect creation, and it is so versatile. There are so many ways to cook it. My favourites are scrambled and poached eggs. To make it easier for you in the morning, preparation is key; make sure you have all the ingredients in the fridge ready for you to cook. The basic ingredients are eggs and brown bread or rye bread. To go the next level, you can add smoked salmon and dill into your scrambled eggs just before it is ready. For scrambled eggs, you can add any of your favourite vegetables, Avocados, sweet peppers,  grated courgettes and spinach are among my favourites.

There is something special about a perfectly cooked runny poached egg which immediately upgrades your breakfast to next level. It is like the way the perfect accessory makes a great outfit. Here are my tips for cooking a perfect poached egg: 1) Use a deep sauce pan and put 3/4 water to gently boil. 2) crack your egg into a cup and gently pour into the water. 3) The cooking time depends on how runny you want the yolk be, 3 mins for a small egg and 4 mins for a big one.

Another perfect couple on the breakfast table is Greek yoghurt and Granola. Greek yogurt is a great source of protein. You can add your favourite fruits and a drizzle of honey to complete. At the moment I like to add grated apples to my Greek yoghurt. I think it is a fun way to eat apples and encourages me to eat more apples. As the old saying goes, an apple a day, keeps the doctor away!

Ahh, good old porridge. It is so ordinary that sometimes we ignore its great benefits. Simple things are always the best. Porridge is a very healthy breakfast for kids if they are not big fan of eggs. It also helps avoid constipation which is common among young children. Porridge is also like eggs in that it is  so versatile. You can just simply add honey. Or if you, like me, would like to make extra efforts to make your kids eat what you want them to eat, you can add their favourite fruits.

This one is inspired by my oldest daughter Coco. She is a big fan of the colour pink, in fact, has always been :).  The only way I can get her to eat porridge is to make some pink sauce to go with it. I simply blend some strawberries and dollop of honey to make the pink sauce. It works like magic, no complaining, no crying for sugary cereals, and also she finishes it in no time. Sometimes, we have to be creative to give what they want and also get what we want!