Get the most out of oats.

It's the last week of Winter!! So make the most of delicious hot breakfasts while you can! I made up a porridge handout for the shop after I realised that nearly every person was making "quick oats" in the microwave and adding brown sugar to it. Some people even add butter!! I felt like it was time to intervene...

What are the benefits of eating porridge?
Oats are a wholefood that are packed with protein to stabilise blood sugar levels, fibre which binds to cholesterol and eliminates it from the body and measurable levels of magnesium, tryptophan and B vitamins to improve mood. They also have a thermogenic effect on the body which means they keep you warm! When you microwave oats (or anything!) the nutritional value is lost.

How do I cook porridge for one?
Add half a cup of rolled oats (or brown rice flakes if coeliac) to a small saucepan, cover with water and leave for 10 minutes. In a perfect world we would soak them overnight, but 10 minutes will do for busy people. This will “pre-digest” the oats for you, making them easier for your body to break down. Place the saucepan on the stove and add ½ a cup of water and ½ a cup of milk and simmer on a low heat until creamy and tender. Add extra milk if you want it creamier.

What sort do I buy?
Try to buy organic rolled oats, not flavoured “quick oats” that have had their goodness steamed out of them and have artificial flavours and added sugar.

Banana and coconut porridge
Add 1 chopped banana and 2 teaspoons of shredded or dessicated coconut. At end squeeze on honey and a tablespoon of coconut cream.

Gourmet Aussie Porridge
Add 1 tsp of wattle seeds to soaking porridge and cook as per usual, add maple syrup and squeeze of lime to taste.

Chai spiced Oats
Let a chai teabag steep for four minutes in one cup of boiling water. Remove the teabag and use this water/tea to soak the oats in instead of plain water. Add honey and cinnamon to taste.

Mixed Seed Porridge
Soak the oats in water for 15 mins with a mixture of seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and linseeds. The seeds swell and are delicious when cooked in the porridge this way.

Cran-Hazelnut Oats

Combine 1 Tbsp of dried cranberries, a little orange zest and ¼ cup of crushed hazelnuts to your morning porridge.

Apricot-Almond Oats
Dice 4 organic dried apricots (black in colour) with 1 Tbsp of toasted flaked almonds.

Canadian Porridge
Add 1 Tbsp of chopped walnuts, stewed apples, cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Cinnamon-Sultana Porridge
Add 2 tsp of sultanas, a Tbsp of LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond meal) and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon. Yummy served with some stewed apple and Greek yoghurt.

Strawberry-LSA Porridge
Add 1 Tbsp of LSA and 3 sliced strawberries at the end of the cooking time.

Pear-Pecan Porridge
Add ¼ cup of chopped pecans with some stewed pear

Jaffa Porridge
Add 2 tsp of cacao powder (raw unrefined powder from cocoa beans that has that bittersweet dark chocolate taste) and some orange zest.

Peach-Nutmeg Porridge
Add a few sliced of chopped tinned peaches with a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Date-Walnut Porridge
Add 4 chopped dates to your soaking oats and ¼ cup of chopped walnuts.

Which one to choose first??