Today is World Porridge Day! Luckily for me, I love oats. I find them so filling and satisfying so I can actually go through the whole morning without snacking. Plus, you can make it as personal and be as creative as you want with toppings! And it takes less than 5 minutes to make!
Flapjacks: the buttery, sweet and yummy treat made with very few ingredients which pack in a lot of calories! Our waistlines need to watch out when it comes to flapjacks because they are extremely moreish. Stereotypical flapjacks are made of oats, melted butter and golden syrup and they are then baked until golden and although oats are beneficial to health, heapings of butter and golden syrup are not. I absolutely love flapjacks and have been wanting to create a healthy version of flapjacks for a long time. I have finally created a recipe which satisfies those flapjack cravings!
Wanting a sweet snack without any artificial sugar and packed full of protein? You've come to the right place. This deliciously soft and fluffy banana bread is the perfect snack for you and it can be made and baked in under an hour.
What you need:
- 4 mashed bananas
- 1 cup of oats
- 1 cup of plain flour
- 4 scoops of banana protein powder
- 6 egg whites
- 5 teaspoons of apple sauce
- 10 teaspoons of sweetener
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of chia seeds
First set your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Mash up 4 bananas (the riper the better!)
Add all the dry ingredients (excluding the chia seeds) to the mashed banana and mix.
Then add the remaining ingredients (still excluding the chis seeds) and mix thoroughly.
When completely mixed, pour the mixture into a loaf tin.
Then sprinkle the chia seeds onto the top of the mixture.
Bake for 40 minutes, ensuring that when a knife is inserted into the middle of the loaf, it comes out clean and without any unbaked mixture.
Allow to fully cool then tuck in!
What are your thoughts on this recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Best of wishes.
Happy Monday morning! It's the start of a new week and there's not a better way to start the week than with a healthy breakfast. And a coffee of course. Porridge. The first thing I used to think when I saw or heard the word 'porridge' was a bland, cement-like and just very boring food. But porridge isn't boring and is the perfect breakfast or snack for these cold winter months.
Porridge on it's own is I openly admit very boring and is more like a chore to eat rather than an enjoyment. Food is there to enjoy and porridge can be yummy believe it or not!
An excellent quality about porridge is that it compliments a variety of foods ranging from fruit to nuts, seeds to nut butters, sauces to syrups and even chocolate!
My favourite toppings include:
- Peanut butter
- Chia seeds
- Goji berries
- Cacao powder
- Golden syrup
- Linseed
- Nicecream
- Frozen mixed berries
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Banana
- Chocolate
- Jam
- Desiccated coconut
I love a different combination of these toppings so my breakfast always tastes different but my key ingredient is cacao powder. It makes eating porridge so much more easier and it tastes amazing along with any of the other toppings listed above.
So why is porridge so good you may ask? The fact that you can make porridge in just two minutes in a microwave means there is no excuse for not having the time to make it. And the health benefits of porridge make it one of the top food staples to eat.
Oats are the predominant ingredient in porridge and have many health benefits. Oats are packed full of minerals, vitamins and fibre along with evidence of lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure. They also release energy slowly giving you the feeling of being fuller for longer. Oats contain vitamin A which reduce the risk of chronic disease as free-radicals are destroyed by this vitamin. Iron is also found in porridge which helps transport oxygen to red blood cells around the body. Making porridge with milk, which is what I prefer to water, also means calcium will be found in this breakfast which is involved in hormone secretion, muscle function as well as the strengthening of bones.
So involve porridge in your daily diet as either your breakfast or for a snack and reap the benefits! Experiment with toppings until you find your perfect combination and enjoy!
What are your favourite toppings? Let me know in the comments below!
Best of wishes.
