Karen Wright: ​Making those New Year resolutions 2024

I haven't made any specific ones this year, however I do try to keep focused the whole year around and do my best to look for the positives in every situation.

I realised quite recently that sometimes you can't always change things that are happening around you, but you can control how you react to things and can choose the best way forward.

We can also control things like what we eat and drink and make healthy choices more of the time. Now the excesses of the festive season are over it is a good time to take stock of what we have left in our cupboards and our fridge and freezer.

It is always a good idea to use everything up before we consider shopping for food again. How many of us buy the same things week in and week out without first checking what we already have in the house?

I found I had a couple of very ripe avocados left over from Christmas. My intention had been to make some guacamole to go with a chilli but, due to changes of plan, that never came to fruition.

I decided to use the avocado and make a very healthy breakfast, this is what I did.

I toasted two slices of wholemeal bread and, whilst it was in the toaster, I poached an egg. I always add a splash of white wine vinegar to the boiling water to help to keep the egg together.

I cut one of the avocados and scooped out the flesh before mashing it with a fork and adding salt and pepper as well as a splash of lemon juice to prevent it from going brown. When the toast was ready, I spread the mashed avocado onto it and topped it with the egg. I had a few cherry tomatoes that needed using too so they added a pop of colour and were very tasty too.

I have seen this smashed avocado breakfast in some fancy cafés but never tried it before. The breakfast was totally scrumptious and very healthy indeed. The avocados are quite high in calories but the benefits of the nutrients and healthy fats they contain outweigh those in my opinion and it kept me full beyond lunchtime!