With ‘Blue Monday’ around the corner – the day that’s supposed to be the most miserable day of the year after Christmas has gone and we still have a stretch of cold weather ahead of us, it can help to stock up on some healthy feel food good food to help boost your mood.

Apparently, blue Monday is the day that people are most likely to give up on their new year diets and go back to a chocolate and carb fest in the hopes of cheering themselves up. I know I always feel worse in the end when I do that, so I’m hoping this year I can keep up with the healthy and nutritious meal ideas through Blue Monday and beyond!

Getting a good start to the day with a healthy breakfast like this nutty granola receipe, can make all the difference, giving you the right boost to stay on track for the rest of the day.

yummy and healthy nutty granola recipe to get the day off to a good start with a nutritious healthy breakfast

“You don’t have to reach for a chocolate bar this Blue Monday. With so many nutrients contributing to a healthy diet, variety really is the spice of life” says Waitrose Nutritionist, Nicola Selwood.  “My top nutrients this January are Omega 3, B vitamins, magnesium and vitamin c, so ensure your diet is rich in these by eating a wide variety of foods including fruit, vegetables, nuts & seeds, oily fish and eggs.”

Using the research, Waitrose.com has created a ‘Brighter New Year’ page with a selection of healthy and colourful recipes packed with a variety of different nutrients to help you feel good about yourself.

  • Preparation time:15 minutes
  • Cooking time:40 minutes
  • Total time:55 minutes

Serves: 8 – 10

Ingredients

50g coconut oil
50g pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
200g LOVE Life Gluten-free Porridge Oats
75g pumpkin seeds
75g sunflower seeds
75g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

For the rhubarb
800g rhubarb
4 oranges
6 tbsp light brown soft sugar
1 vanilla pod

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3. Place the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan and warm over a medium heat until melted.

2 Place the spices, oats, seeds and nuts into a large mixing bowl and pour over the maple mixture. Mix well to coat.

3 Pour onto a large baking tray and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and toasted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.

4 Meanwhile, cut the rhubarb into 3cm pieces and place in 1–2 large roasting tins so that they sit in a single layer. Finely grate over the zest from the oranges, then squeeze over their juice and sprinkle with the sugar. Halve the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then stir them and the pod into the rhubarb. Cover with foil and roast in the oven with the granola for 35 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven, spoon into a bowl and leave to cool. Serve the rhubarb scattered with the granola. Great with coconut yogurt.

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For more healthy recipes to see you through the rest of Winter and beyond, make sure to follow our healthy foods board on Pinterest

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