Porridge oats are something I refused to eat for years…maybe it was the grey, gloppy delivery of them but something has changed, it had to, and now I love them! They are about the one carbohydrate that really does sustain me until lunchtime thanks to their slow release of energy which stabilizes blood sugar levels. Oats also have many health benefits for the whole family but, they don’t have to boring, as the following ten recipes will show you…

• Have you ever thought of drinking your oats? Sew White has made a delicious looking berry and oat smoothie that is extra filling thanks to the oats.
• We are already fans of overnights but Annie’s Noms’ apple pie overnight oats look amazing, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg what a perfect way to start the day!
• Oats make a great ingredient for cookies and biscuits, they give that extra bit of crunch! So we really want to get our teeth into The Baking Bar’s guilt free peanut butter coconut cookies sweetened with honey and given a protein boost with the peanut butter. Mmmm.
• Keeping the whole family fueled for the day is My Fussy Eater’s chocolate coconut porridge, it looks so much better than commercial breakfasts and I think you could get away with eating this anytime of day.
• How about combining oats, breakfast and cookies to get The Worktop’s breakfast cereal cookies! The ultimate take away breakfast they would definitely go down a treat with older children who tend to grab and go. These cookies can be made in advanced so there is no excuse for anyone to skip breakfast.
• A slightly more decadent use of oats is my recipe for apricot, macadamia nut and white chocolate flapjacks, they taste so good though it is totally worth it.
• One of my favourite ways to eat porridge is to top it off with granola; the combination of soft oats mixed with crunchy ones is very tasty, and granola is surprisingly easy to make too. So why not try Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy’s cranberry, goji and apricot granola.
• Oat based snacks are always great for keeping hunger at bay and, as it is half term next week for a lot of children this could be a great recipe to get them in the kitchen!  The Free From Fairy’s gluten, dairy,egg, soya & refined sugar free no bake peanut butter museli bars.
• No excuse needed not to eat cake now with Food To Glow’s absolutely gorgeous looking courgette, coconut and lime leaf coffee cake made with oats which help keep the cake soft.
• Finally, another great way of getting oats into your diet especially if you are not partial to a bowl of porridge is pancakes! Ceri from Natural Kitchen Adventures has a really lovely oat and flax pancakes with frozen berries and seasonal fruit recipe that I have just got to try.

If you would like to write a ten at ten post please email Nova at foodies100@fleaenterprises.com

Image [Shutterstock]