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Well, isn’t this a busy time of year? I admit, I’ve been struggling. I seem to be running from one festive event to another, am busy in work and also attempting to prepare for Christmas. I’m exhausted. Everyone is exhausted. I am finding it hard to find time to eat most days, which normally results in a junk food binge and then more tiredness.

To prevent this from happening, I’ve been working with Optiwell on making #smallchanges to make a positive difference. Here are some examples of the small changes that I’ve made recently throughout the day:

Breakfast at Home

When I have time to eat breakfast at home, I’ve been swapping a sugary cereal topped with milk for a seeds and nut mix topped with Optiwell Strawberry Yogurt Drink. I’ve also swapped a cup of tea for hot water with lemon.





Cereal topped with this yogurt drink is so delicious. I’ve poured it over porridge and strawberries for a hearty breakfast too.





Breakfast on the Go

For breakfast on the go, I have swapped a carb filled pastry for an individual bottle of Optiwell. It’s so handy to grab from the fridge . It has 64 calories compared to the 300 calories I would consume by eating a croissant. It’s delicious and fills me up, especially when enjoyed with pieces of fresh fruit.











Healthy Snacks





I have also been using the individual bottles for a healthy snack. They are great to bring out with me on the school run to avoid the 3pm energy slump that often hits. The kids love to drink them with a piece of fruit after school. Dave finds them handy for keeping hunger at bay when he comes in late from band practice.





Desserts

We have even been making small changes by swapping sweet puddings for a yogurt treat. It can be enjoyed poured over a fresh fruit salad, on it’s own as a yogurt or even frozen as an alternative to ice cream. Rebecca made us strawberry frozen yogurt by blending strawberries and a strawberry yogurt drink, then adding it to her ice cream maker-it was delicious and Optiwell Yogurt Drink is completely fat free.





Strawberry Yogurt Breakfast Muffins

We have also made Optiwell Strawberry Yogurt Drink Muffins- these can be eaten for breakfast, snack, pudding or supper. They contain yogurt and fresh fruit so are healthier than standard muffins. Here are the ingredients and recipe in case you’d like to make them:

Ingredients





100g self raising flour

75g self raising wholemeal flour

50g Caster Sugar

2 medium free range eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

100ml strawberry yogurt drink

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

200g fresh chopped strawberries











Method





Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200 C).





Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.





Mix the vegetable oil and caster sugar.





Add flour, eggs, yogurt drink and vanilla essence.





Stir until all ingredients are mixed fully together but don’t over mix too smoothly (I accidentally over-stirred mine)





Stir in the strawberries.





Put a scoop of muffin mix into each muffin case.





Place in oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes (until golden brown and cooked right through (insert a cocktail stick or skewer and check it comes out clear).





Take out of oven and leave a few minutes to cool. Then carefully place them on a wire rack to completely cool (it’s tempting to eat them straight away but ideally they are at their best cool and fully set).

Enjoy as they are or with sprinkled sugar or icing and fresh strawberries.





They taste delicious alongside a glass of strawberry yogurt drink too. It’s good to know that it’s full of protein and calcium so good for maintaining bones and muscles.





As well as the Strawberry flavour, we have also been drinking Peach and Apricot. To be honest, we’re not drawn to this flavour, however when we drink it we do enjoy it, but I can see us only buying the strawberry version as it’s our favourite. We’re feeling great about making small changes.





For more Optiwell recipe inspiration head to their website.





You can find Optiwell at major retailers, including Tesco and Ocado in the long life aisle. Once you unpack your shopping, pop it in the fridge as it tastes best chilled.





In collaboration with Optiwell