Seen those smoothie or acai bowls on social media and wondering how you can recreate your own without spending an hour before work?

The truth is, most bowls are typically arranged to look beautiful in order to attract traffic and get people inspired to eat healthy. Personally, my bowls are loaded with oats or quinoa every other morning and here is how you can do it in the span of 10 minutes guaranteed.

Matcha Quinoa Bowl

In order to get satiety and energy from your bowls, they need to include and are not limited to: protein, fats, fibre, greens and whole grains. If you are on a paleo or ketogenic diet, I am sorry but you have got to stop reading right about here.

To start with, you need to decide what kind of base the bowl is going to have. Oatmeal, quinoa, greek yogurt, millet, nut based milks are some common choices. Each of these options are prepared in different ways as the grains require different amounts of liquid ratio. For example, typically 1/2 cup of oats would require 1/2 cup of milk/tea to cook it to doneness. However, if you prefer creamier oats like me, you would tend to then add more liquid while the oats are in their simmering phase.

Ancient grains like millet typically require even more liquid, up to 2 to 3x the ratio whilst you can get away with 1:1 for quinoa.

Avocado with Blueberries and topped with Chia Seeds

Most people tend to tell me their oatmeal tastes really bland and boring but you can really spice it up with a few options:

matcha powder (creates a state of alertness alongside calmness)
maca powder and cinnamon (a winning combination, creates warmth and natural sweetness in flavour)
turmeric powder (when you want that anti-inflammatory boost to combat sickness)
nutritional yeast (great source of Vitamin B12)
earl grey tea (brew the tea in advance and use it in place of water)
cacao powder (if you want a chocolatey taste)
protein powder (additional boost of protein)

Matcha and maca are a staple in my fridge and they serve as amazing antioxidants and powerhouses to start my day! Maca powder is great for rebalancing hormones, giving you strength and vitality and helping with libido and fertility.

Other powders I would strongly recommend include spirulina or chlorella, which are huge sources of protein in one serving – spirulina has a whopping 39g per serving!

When it comes to fats, sources come from coconut oil drizzled on top, nut butters like almond and peanut butter, avocadoes and various mixes of nuts and seeds!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to toppings and is purely based on personal preferences.

Here are some of my favourite combinations:

berries and chia seeds
walnuts and peanut butter
pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes

What about greens? This may take a little getting used to but we have options of adding in diced pieces of zucchini, carrot, peas and even spinach and watercress leaves into our bowls to get those phytonutrients.

Peas and Oatmeal Bowl

Still confused or a little hesitant but keen to create? Here are 5 basic recipes to get you started.

You will get my most favourite recipes using different bases and instructions on how to cook them. Get comfortable with your oats and use the time to expand your creativity and create a little love to start the day!

Contributed by Melissa Dorai, Founder of NourishMel and Physical Trainer.

Photo credits: Melissa Dorai