Want to know a secret sneaky way of getting your greens in at breakfast time? (And no I'm not talking about green smoothies, as much as I love them). I'm talking about good old hearty, creamy, wholesome oats.

So I am all about my oats. I love them cooked as oatmeal/porridge, soaked overnight with chia seeds + fruit, tossed into smoothies, turned into crackers and cookies, and used as pastry. (As well as anything else I can think of).

They're so creamy and delicious, and they leave you feeling amazing after eating them. Oats are wonderfully nutritious, as they're a rich source of protein, fibre, complex carbohydrates and vitamins & minerals (manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, folate and B vitamins). No wonder they make us feel so good!

I always like to have a bowl of oats soaking overnight in the fridge, so that they're ready to grab and go the next morning. This also makes them super creamy and delicious too, without needing to add a lot of milk to them.

When I want them, I just cook them on the stove or microwave, and they're ready in no time.
It makes all the difference too to buy the good oats. Ones that end up watery and tasteless are no fun for anyone. Also, if you're going for a creamy bowl of porridge, go for original, unstabilised rolled oats. Choose the stablised variety for muesli or for a chewier porridge. (Stabilised oats are steamed prior to being rolled).

Right, now that we've covered the amazingness of oats, let's talk about this spiced zucchini cake oatmeal recipe! I'm all about adding interesting combinations to my porridge. Usually, it'll consist of a mixture of fruit, veggies, spices and nut/seed butters. Sometimes I even make it completely savoury and top it with leftovers, like stir fried veggies and hummus (trust me, just go with me on this). More commonly though, it might feature things like grated apple, banana and berries, and vegetables like grated carrot, beetroot, zucchini or spinach.

If I'm losing you to the oat + veggie idea right now, just think about smoothies. We add all sorts of vegetables to them, so why not use the same ingredients to make an un-blended version?

This recipe has turmeric chai spices stirred through creamy oats, banana, zucchini and nut butter, so it tastes just like a cake batter. But it's healthy!

What are your favourite oatmeal combinations? Have you ever tried adding veggies to them? Let me know in the comments or on social media.

- xx Henrietta