I haven’t felt much like cooking lately.  The amount of time spent indoors over the last few months has gradually eaten away at my motivation and productivity, that and it’s also not fun to have an oven on for a long time when it’s 30 degrees out.  I’ve been pretty content in the last couple of weeks to prepare the fastest and easiest options. While that doesn’t always lead to the healthiest meals, sometimes we just have to sit back, coast and recuperate.

This doesn’t have to mean surrendering our enjoyment of food, because you can make some pretty flavourful things in a short amount of time with minimal ingredients. I’ve come up with a steady rotation of meals that I lean on when falling into a cooking slump. I find my cooking motivation and appetite is lowest in the morning, but it’s also when I should be feeding myself something filling and energizing, so most of my go-to’s revolve around those seven am struggles.

One of the easiest and yet most satisfying of these breakfast dishes is couscous, a tiny grain-like pasta that cooks in a matter of minutes.  To make it more breakfast-like, I’ve swapped the savoury element (usually broth) with a sweet one – fruit juice – for a slight sugar buzz to get you moving. There are only two ingredients in this recipe – yes just two – but you can augment it easily with all kinds of fresh fruit.  You can also serve it hot or cold, for that added convenience.

Ingredients
4 cups (1L) of fruit juice (I used a Fruit Medley blend)
340g box of Couscous
Fresh fruit for topping (peaches and mangos are some of my favourites)
Additional topping suggestions: coconut flakes, cinnamon

Directions
1.  In a medium sized saucepan, bring the 4 cups of fruit juice to a boil.
2.  Add the box of couscous to the saucepan.  Technically, you can remove from the heat immediately and the remaining heat should be enough to cook the couscous, but I like to leave it on for a minute or so and then remove it.
3. Once all the juice is absorbed, the couscous should be soft and fluffy.  Transfer into a 9 x 13 serving dish, and pack it down with a fork.  Once it’s cooled, it will form a cake-like texture.
4. Garnish with fruit etc. and serve.