Now that I’m back in Hong Kong, I’m trying to find my feet back in normal life. I find myself falling back into old habits that I had managed to avoid for the most part while on holiday, but I have only been back at work since Tuesday, so I’m not worried too much – yet.

The other day, because it was raining non-stop, I only left my house for 40 minutes. The rest of the time I was holed up inside, food-prepping, studying and watching movies. The weather here has been really depressing. When it’s not raining, it’s grey and hot and sweaty. And when it is raining, it’s not just a gentle drizzle. For the most part, it’s heavy, solid rain. Which sort of puts a damper on wanting to go outside and do anything.

Having said that, I had a fairly busy weekend with afternoon teas and birthday brunches. So the beginning of the week was spent unpacking, choosing recipes to make over the coming days, and getting ready to get back to work.

It’s always hard to get back to work after 6 weeks off (yes, I know – teacher life). It will come back pretty quickly though, and that’s what I need to be wary of. I need to make sure I find time to study and write essays, exercise, and food prep/cook. I debated whether I would keep the food blog going while I am studying, and I decided that it would be a great distraction at weekends, or if I need a study break. I still have to eat, and I still want to cook my meals, so there seems no reason to put the blog on hiatus. I do, however, have to warn you that I may not be as consistent with posting. We’ll see how we go.

The best way to start the day is with a good breakfast, and I have been looking at alternatives to my usual homemade granola with yoghurt. While scouring Jamie’s Everyday Super Food, I found a few recipes that I decided to mix up. He has a recipe for a black rice pudding type breakfast with mango and passion fruit, and a recipe for chia seed pots. So I combined the two as I am not a rice pudding person.

These pots are great for an easy breakfast that you can prep the night before in 10 minutes, and then add whatever you like to the tops in the morning before you eat.

For presentation’s sake, I have used clear mason jars, which means that the jar is fairly empty. However, a ramekin would work, as would a lowball glass. Or you can just make it in a bowl.

The recipe below makes 3 pots. And the beauty of it is that you can change it up to use whatever fruit you want. I plan to make some with raspberries, with granola sprinkled on the top soon. For now, enjoy this classic combo.

Ingredients

300 ml skimmed milk
120 grams chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 mango
3 passion fruit
3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt

1. In a blender, blitz half of the milk and the vanilla extract. Pour into a small bowl, and stir through half of the chia seeds.
2. Divide the milk mixture equally among 3 pots, then place in the fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel and destone the mango. Place the mango in the blender with the remaining milk. Blitz until smooth.
4. Stir through the remaining chia seeds, then evenly pour the mixture over the 3 pots with the milk mixture. Use the back of a spoon to help create a clear line between the two mixtures.
5. Leave in the fridge overnight.
6. Before serving, cut open the passion fruit, scoop out the seeds and pour the seeds from 1 fruit over 1 pot.
7. Place a scoop of Greek yoghurt over each pot.
8. The pots will keep up to 3 days in the fridge, if covered with an air-tight seal (such a mason jar lid).