I love to start my mornings with a big, comforting bowl of porridge. Living in the UK, it’s always a struggle for me to get out of bed and out of the house on cold and rainy mornings, but a warm breakfast always helps me start my day. My favourite thing about it is that it keeps me full all the way up till lunchtime and prevents me from snacking later on in the day. And as if that’s not enough, it is brilliant for students due to its amazing energy boost which keeps you energised throughout the day due to it being a slow releasing carbohydrate.
So many people skip breakfast, but I really am a huge advocate for it, especially for teens. Eating breakfast has been linked to better test grades, increased energy and improved concentration. Furthermore, it helps you get in all your daily nutrients. A study by the Frontiers in Neuroscience found that children who regularly eat breakfast take in approximately 20 to 60 percent more iron, B vitamins and vitamin D than children who skip breakfast, and also tend to take in more daily fibre and lower total fat and dietary cholesterol. Not only this, they are also at a decreased likelihood of obesity. It may seem like a lot of effort, and a lot of people say to me that they don’t have time, but in my opinion it’s totally worth it.
That’s why I have created this nourishing, warming and absolutely scrumptious chocolate porridge recipe, which literally takes about 2-5 minutes to make.
Porridge
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup plant-based milk such as rice, oat, almond, soy or cashew
1 1/2 tsp cacao powder
1 tsp maple syrup(optional)
1/2 banana, mashed
1 tbsp nut butter
I like to soak my oats in the milk overnight to make them super creamy, but you can skip this step out if you prefer.
Put all the ingredients in a pan on medium heat and stir every now and then until thick and hot. That’s literally it. Takes about 5 minutes, so if you say you don’t have enough time, I’m sure you can afford to get up 5 minutes earlier.
Toppings
Now for my favourite part! This is truly what brings the magic to the porridge. I topped mine with toasted coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, almond butter and some lush chocolate date and nut balls I made earlier. But you can also top it with cacao nibs, coconut yoghurt, maple syrup, berries- anything you like really.
The chocolatey balls I made were truly something out of a dream so I’ve left the recipe for that down below as well.
I didn’t really measure it out as well as I should have as I didn’t know they’d be this good, so this is a rough guide.
10 dates
1 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 cup cashews ( I also added some pecan nuts)
A splash of plant based milk
Simply blend in the food processor, adding more nuts to thicken the texture, more dates to sweeten or more milk if it is too thick. When it is done, roll up into small balls to take with you as a snack, or to top your porridge with. I could eat it straight out the food processor if I’m being honest with you.
Let me know if you enjoyed it! If you try out the recipe, make sure to snap a picture of it and send it to me on my instagram @earthyelena , I’d love to see it. I hope you have a wonderful week and I’ll see you soon.
Elena x
