My miracle breakfast

Where do I start on my battle over breakfast? Breakfast eaten before I had been up for two or three hours always used to make me feel ill. FINALLY, I have discovered a breakfast that works for me. It is also delicious and nutrition packed, as well as full of insoluable fibre so that it keeps me feeling full for hours.

I have decided to try to give up refined sugar. Not in a religious way, but I am avoiding it and the sugar-low it produces for me 20 minutes later. So my new breakfast consists of oatmeal (porridge oats) left to stand overnight with a good splodge of homemade fruit compote and either orange juice (a good splash) or natural, low-fat yoghurt. Left overnight it becomes soft and delicious (you will need to give it a good stir), easy to eat and easy on the stomach.

The orange juice incarnation is a newer addition. Yoghurt is full of marvellous properties (and delicious, and a staple of mine- perfect for stirring into a soup, dolloping next to curry etc) but I am finally taking a stand against my lactose intollerance. I LOVE milk, cheese, yoghurt, CHEESE, cream, butter etc. I love them all. And yet, I know that I am intolerant, although more at some times than others. Giving up, or severely reducing, has actually been much easier than I thought. A former tea addict, I haven't had a cup for days. The orange juice replacing my yoghurt was actually really good this morning. I am still happy and alive.

The final straw in dairy's coffin was a link I came across that suggested that sinus problems can be related to lactose intollerance. This year has been one of discovering my sinuses. I now know EXACTLY where they are after an immensely painful showdown with them as I descended into St Lucia on the way to a friend's wedding that I could ill-afford to attend. After that I could draw a map of where they were, and ended up in A&E that night. Fun times. It is also meant that what I always thought were migraines are actually sinus headaches. It is miserable, and if this lactose stuff helps, we will see...

Anyway, enough about pain and misery, more about (refined) sugar-free compote. People use bramley apples for the best flavour and texture. But with bramleys you need to add lots of sugar. As my pallet becomes less accustomed to the sweet stuff, I might add in a couple, but for now I am sticking to eating apples, which are naturally sweet. I add lots of finely chopped ginger and cinnamon (both delicious and antioxidant etc etc).

Apple Compote (Or Apple & Pear) This probably makes enough for 20-25 breakfasts and is perfect to freeze in small batches.

4kg apples and/or pears, peeled and quartered (core if you like, but not essential)
Cinnamon (2 heaped teaspoons for an intense flavour)
Fresh ginger- thumb sized piece once peeled, finely chopped.

Put it all into a pot with about 1/2 inch of water at the bottom, with a good lid, and cook gently for 2-3 hours. You may want to remove the lid towards the end so that the excess water can evaporate (means that it takes up less freezer space). I often turn off the heat and leave it with the lid off overnight to cool.

I made this same mxiture but had a box of knock-down priced plums- thirty of them- to use up. It was delicious and I put the plums in whole- you just need to be careful to fish out the stones.