I started making these oat bars last winter. I liked to wake up to a warm breakky already made for me (sometime J makes me something if he wakes up first). Maybe it was time to find something that was ready for all of us when we woke up? That’s where these bars come in!

Before I go to bed at night, I would prepare this, put it in the oven and put it on delay start. Oh, to wake up to that lovely smell of cinnamon and a warm house.

The girls love it even more – not only because they get warm brekky (they are girls after my own heart), but they get their mummy and daddy to play with them, rather than being stuck in the kitchen.

With the cooler weather already here, these are the perfect go-to for everyday brekkies. I use a plant-based milk, so am not worried about keeping it out of the fridge. And this recipe has no eggs as well, so don’t worry about leaving it out for the night.

Oats are gluten free, but if you are worried about cross contamination, use gluten free oats.

My aim this winter is to experiment with more ‘put-it-in-the-oven-and-wake-up-the-next-morning-and-it’s-ready’ kind of breakfasts. I’ll keep you posted of course.

Oats – are an excellent source of manganese. It also contains phosphorus, copper, biotin, vitamin B1, magnesium, chromium, zinc, fiber and protein. They help to keep us full and therefore helps us to maintain our weight.

It helps to stabilize our blood sugar levels and improves our digestive and heart health. It may improve our gut bacteria by acting as a prebiotic.

Oats contain beta glucans that fight inflammation and therefore could be a cancer preventing food.

This is great as a pre exercise snack as it releases energy slowly. Just ½ a cup a day can give you a multitude of health benefits like balancing hormones and improving your metabolism.

Apples – are also anti-inflammatory. They contain vitamin C which is wonderful for your immune system.

They are also high in antioxidants helping to lower the risk of cancer, asthma and diabetes. They also decrease the risk of alzheimer’s disease.

Cinnamon – There are two types of cinnamon – the Ceylon cinnamon and the cassia variety. They are both very similar in nutritional value, however, Ceylon cinnamon is said to be more beneficial.

In India, we only ever use the cassia cinnamon. This is a strong flavoured, sweet and spicy cinnamon. It adds a strong, aromatic flavour to any dish – sweet or savoury.

Thousands of studies have been conducted on cinnamon – these show that cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, is high in antioxidants, is anti microbial, anti viral, anti fungal and is used as a food preservative.

It helps keep our heart, bones and brain healthy. Studies also show that it could help with Alzheimer’s disease.

It can stop the growth of bacteria and could be used to heal candida. It hinders the growth of foodborne pathogens as well.

This spice may help with regulating blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics with just 1 gram a day!

Warm your home with this beautiful smelling, full-of-goodness (and mouth-watering) breakfast this winter.