Five-minute breakfasts

'Grab and go' breakfast bar

Makes: 6 bars
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Calories per portion (one bar): 300kcal (1,255kJ)

Ingredients: 
150g jumbo oats 
2 medium very ripe bananas  
60g melted butter 
60g cherries 
60g cranberries 
40g sunflower seeds  
40g pumpkin seeds

Sometimes mornings can be a bit of a rush. Make a batch of these granola bars, made with no added sugar, in advance for a healthy breakfast on the go.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C, gas mark 6). In a bowl, mix together the oats, cherries, cranberries and seeds. Pour in the melted butter and mix in thoroughly to make sure the oats are well coated. On a separate plate, mash the bananas into a pulp with a fork, add to the oat mixture and mix well. Spread the mixture into a 30cm x 20cm tin. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool, then cut into six bars.

Tips:

• Press the mixture into the baking tin well to help the binding process, but not too hard or it may affect the flavour.
• If your first batch is more crumbly than you'd like, try increasing the amount of mashed banana to moisten the mixture before baking.

Or you could try:

• banana bagel sandwich – mash a ripe banana and serve it between two halves of a toasted (preferably wholemeal) bagel. Mashing instead of slicing the banana gives the filling a creamier texture, meaning you won't need low-fat spread.
• quick porridge – making porridge is easier than you think. Combine 50g of rolled or instant oats with 200ml (or more for runny porridge) of semi-skimmed milk in a bowl and microwave on full power for two minutes. Top with dried fruit or nuts.
• one-minute omelette – combine one beaten egg, a few spinach leaves and a some chopped lean roast ham in a bowl. Microwave on full power for a minute or until the egg is set.