Blueberry and Cinnamon Porridge

The weather in Devon has been pretty miserable of late, and I was craving something a bit more substantial and comforting than my usual smoothie in the morning. I went out and got some organic gluten free oats and the next day made a wonderful bowl of the best porridge I have ever tasted. I added all my toppings BEFORE I started cooking. I recently started doing this after making buckwheat porridge. This ensures that the flavours really melt into the oats as it cooks and you are rewarded with a very tasty bowl of warming breakfast. I love to add cinnamon and blueberries as these two flavours are perfect together. The recipe below calls for a banana too but I have done it with half a shredded apple or some freshly grated lemon zest instead of the cinnamon which is also very yummy. Sprinkle whatever nuts, seeds or other berries you have to hand to serve. This is made with almond milk which I love, but you can easily substitute with any other milk or just water. I sometimes stir in a teaspoon of almond butter for a little extra boost. Sweeten with honey if you need to but the blueberries burst as you cook and stir so they tend to add enough sweetness for me. 

You will need (for 1):

1/2 cup oats (I used gluten free)

1 cup almond milk (or any other milk/water)

1 level tsp cinnamon

large handful of blueberries

1 small banana, chopped into small-ish chunks

extra nuts, seeds, berries for the topping

Into a saucepan add your oats, milk, cinnamon, berries and banana. Stir and transfer to a moderate heat and stir occasionally for about 10-15 minutes until the porridge is at the right consistency. You may need to add a little extra liquid as you go, depending on how you like your oats!

Spoon into your favourite bowl and stir through any nuts or seeds etc. The blueberries will start to burst and their delicious juice will run streaks of deep purple through the oats. 

Blueberry Coconut Nicecream

I'm not sure if I've been living under a rock or something but only in the last few months have I come across the 'nanaicecream' revolution. Why did no one tell me about this before??? It is so delicious and so creamy it really is almost better than the real thing. There are many different flavour combinations but the base is, yes you've guessed it, banana! If you don't like banana don't worry. Once it is blended and other flavours thrown in, you really can't notice it. This recipe has blueberries and coconut so you could add a little cacao to make it chocolatey - try this, it's heavenly - or add in mango instead on the blueberries for a creamy tropical flavour. I topped mine with some pieces of 'Nut Pie' from The Chocolate Pie Company. I get mine from my local health food shop but you can also visit their site here and order online. The company is based in Cornwall and all the products are handmade. They make wonderful raw chocolate bars in all sorts of flavours using only nuts, fruit and cacao or carob. It went really well with this blueberry nicecream but you could try adding a few fresh blueberries or some nuts or having it just as it is! My blender isn't very robust so after I had made the concoction, I popped it back into the freezer to firm up  but for 30 minutes. You don't have to do this if you have a blender that is man enough for the job, mine just took rather a long time! This serves one as a pudding or a yummy breakfast.

You will need:

Blender

2 bananas, cut into coins and frozen for at least 6 hours

large handful of frozen blueberries

1 heaped teaspoon almond butter

1 shot of full fat coconut milk

Toppings of your choice

Get your banana out of the freezer about 5 or 10 minutes before you want to start. When they have softened a little, pop these into your blender and pulse for 1 minute until beginning to break up. Add your coconut milk and blend for another 2 minutes. Stop the bender and add your blueberries and almond butter. Blend again until you get the desired consistency of creamy deliciousness. You may need to stop your blender every so often so it doesn't over heat. Feel free to add more coconut milk if you would like to.  

This is the moment you my want to pop the mixture into a container and put into the freezer to firm up. If not, scoop into your favourite bowl or jar, add your toppings and dive right in! This is just wonderful. 

Raw Smoothie Breakfast Bowl

This week is a big week for me at school so I need a proper breakfast to set me up for the day everyday this week! Not difficult as I love breakfast. I could eat breakfast meals all day. This little gem is a nana-icecream base with my own Chocolate Nut Spread and a pot of coyo added in. If you do not have any raw chocolate spread, and don't feel like making any (although I urge you to do so as it mouthgasmic), then simply substitute for 1 table spoon of almond butter and 1-2 teaspoons of raw cacao powder. I hope you love this as much as I do. I nearly made another batch but managed to resist. Just.

For 1 portion you will need:

1 frozen banana

1 handful of blueberries plus some for the top

1 tbsp of raw chocolate spread (or 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 tsp raw cacao powder)

1 pot of natural coyo

few almonds for the top

sprinkle of cocoa nibs

pinch of shredded coconut

Peel your banana and pop into a blender along with the coyo, chocolate spread and a handful of blueberries. If you are using cacao powder make sure you add it on top of the coyo so that it doesn't get stuck at the bottom. Blend until it is smooth and creamy. Pour into a pretty bowl to make your breakfast even more enjoyable! 

Top with the remaining blueberries, almonds, coconut and cocoa nibs. Prepare for a little rave in our mouth. 

Chia Breakfast Pudding

My first experience of a chia pudding was not one I care to remember. It was bland, chewy and frankly I felt cheated out of a proper meal. I really did think that everyone was going mad, for this was not 'awesome' or 'insane'. It was bllurghhhh. Since then, however, I have persevered and tried various different additions which I have come to adore. This recipe was originally from Deliciously Ella with a few additions and tweaks along the way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It really is mouthgasmic. This makes one large portion or two smaller ones. You can use honey or pure maple syrup in place of the date syrup if you prefer. 

You will need:

1 large jar

At least 6 hours!

5 tbsp chia seeds

half a banana 

1 tbsp almond butter

300 ml almond milk

1-2 tsp date syrup

2 handfuls of blueberries

1 handful raspberries

flaked almonds

cocoa nibs

The night before, place your banana, 1 handful of blueberries, almond butter, almond milk and date syrup into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into the jar and stir in your chia seeds. I usually let it settle for an hour or 2 then give it a quick stir before going to bed. 

In the morning layer up your pudding - give it a stir first - with the blueberries and raspberries, making ure you have a few raspberries for the top. Sprinkle on your flaked almonds and cocoa nibs. Pumpkin seeds also work well or a little dessicated coconut. Et voilà! A delicious breakfast bursting full of goodness and flavours. 

Coconut and berry breakfast pot

I slept really badly last night. Woke up in the small hours thinking about what I could be doing instead of wasting time sleeping. I curled up and forced my eyes shut for about half an hour. Then I made a terrible mistake. I looked at my phone. Cue the next hour fiddling around and not really doing much apart from feeding my social media addiction. When I eventually got back to sleep, I woke up feeling groggy and not at all rested. I craved something fresh to try and wipe away the taste of my dalliance with a night-time spent flicking through my Pinterest board, and hoping someone would like a picture from my Instagram. Sad but true and in the end I really did waste time.

My little breakfast pots are quick and easy to make and I find them very restorative after a bad night's sleep. You could use normal yoghurt if you'd rather but the coconut flavour and creaminess of coyo is heavenly. I sometimes sweeten mine with a little date syrup (see earlier post) or add cocoa nibs with the pumpkin seeds. Whatever you do I promise you won't be disappointed and on the plus side this is a hit with children too!

          

Serves 1 hungry, groggy soul

You will need: 

small jam jar or bowl

handful of raspberries

handful of blueberries

1 tsp almond butter

1 tsp pumpkin seeds

1 small pot of coyo

1/4 tsp raw cacao powder

                                                       

Mix the cacao in with the coyo and stir until all combined. Make sure you incorporate all the powder as it will not be a nice surprise if you find a dry bit of cacao when you eat it. Carefully layer the yoghurt and then fruit. Top with your almond butter, seeds and one more raspberry. Not only is this very quick but it is so pretty too! You'll have a smile on your face for that reason alone.