RAMBLING AND A RECIPE.

Hello, I have returned, and only a week after my last post (which, in my history, really isn't so bad.)

I've been pretty busy this week; meeting one of my favourite musicians (check it out you guys), saying goodbye to my American friend who was visiting us (we miss you already Steph!), organising my wardrobe and shoe cupboard, and finally applying to French universities for Study Abroad in September (more on that to come).

Here's a photo of aforementioned shoes. Revel in the organisation.

However, I have finally sat down and decided to write a few little posts. First up: a recipe!


I'm not a chef. Please know this. I'm not even a tiny bit close to being a chef. I am merely a student who has been student-ing for a year and a half now, so I figure I'm pretty alright at making cheap and tasty but EASY meals. I'll try and put the prices of things next to the ingredients so you know for sure what I've paid.

You know those days at uni/sixth form/school when you've got non-stop classes from about 9am-1pm? That weird time where you start getting hungry for lunch but you can't access any food yet, and your stomach starts making That Noise in a quiet room? Well, my dear friends, I have a very cheap solution for you: porridge...I hear people gasp, putting their hands to their hearts in shock. Porridge, you say? The ugly pile of slop? Alas, porridge indeed. Hey, don't click off this page just yet, hear me out.

Allow me to tell you a lil' somethin' about porridge. I'm no scientist but from what I gather, porridge releases energy slowly, because it's digested at a super slow pace. It also keeps you full for a very long time, especially if you pack it full of other stuff. Rumour has it, it helps you lose weight too, although eating food to lose weight seems kind of paradoxical to me so I'd take that with a pinch of salt. (Really though; if you add a bit of salt to porridge it makes it taste at least 3.4x better.) Also, on an economical note, DANG that stuff is cheap.

I feel I must confess to you, this is not normal porridge. Don't get me wrong, hot porridge is great, but I absolutely despise cleaning the pan after I've used it. Thus, I have begun to make...overnight oats. Basically, the premise of it is that you let the oats soak overnight so they're softer and just BETTER. Apparently they also are much more easily digested if you soak them, what with the fact that oats are a grain. I should probably start with the actual recipe now, right? It's going to be super anticlimactic because it's so simple but hey let's go.

*I shop in Lidl; it's the closest supermarket to me. Lidl is likely to be cheaper than other places, but this is still a very cost-effective breakfast.

~ Fruity Spicy Overnight Oats ~

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup porridge oats (Lidl: 39p for 500g)
- 1 x banana (Lidl: 52p for 4)
- 1/2 cup milk (Lidl: 89p for 2 pints)
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (Tesco: 80p for 40g jar)
- pinch of salt (gotta be honest, I don't know the price, but I'm sure you can find salt somewhere)
- handful of sultanas/raisins (Tesco: 84p for 500g)

Method: (get ready to be amazed...this is difficult.)
1. Use a fork to mush up your banana in a bowl.
2. Add the cinnamon and sultanas/raisins and combine. (You may want to add sugar/honey if your banana hasn't provided enough sweetness, it's up to you.)
3. Add the oats and stir gently. (It'll probably look like some kind of raw flapjack at this point.)
4. Pour in the milk and stir again, making sure there aren't any lumps of oatiness.
5. Cover with cling film/foil/a plate and put in the fridge overnight.

...That's all there is to it! It's not the prettiest of meals but it'll fill you up in the morning for sure. Plus, there's no pesky pan to clean up at the end of it. Ha!

Top tips/some other things I do:

- Adding fresh fruit like blueberries or raspberries in the morning makes it even better. (Don't add it the night before, it won't be as good.)
- Make sure you cover the bowl. My friend tells me "it goes really weird" if you don't. I do not know what this means but I do not wish to find out. Heed her warning.
- I sometimes add a tablespoon or two of either strawberry/raspberry jam or peanut butter to mine. If you're adding PB though, I'd recommend you melt it before you stir it in, it'll just make it easier.
- Adding yoghurt in the morning is a nice touch as well!
- You can switch up the liquid to almond milk or even juice if you want. I've been told you can also do it with water but I have not yet tried that myself.

Overall, this is a super cheap but mega versatile and filling breakfast, one that's perfect for keeping you satisfied.

Well, that's this post done. Sorry for the rambling, I just got excited chatting about oats.

See you next time!

Georgia