The cooler weather seems to have arrived suddenly in Sydney, and with the change of season so should follow a change in our diets to match.
Suddenly a cold smoothie for breakfast, or muesli with yoghurt and frozen berries isn’t very appealing, and our bodies tell us to instead opt for warm, cooked breakfast options. Eggs for breakfast are a staple in our house, however we also go for cooked oats a few times per week. Now that we are working from home (and let’s be honest I’m up at the crack of dawn with two little people anyway!) we have the luxury of a little more time in the mornings to prepare a nourishing breakfast.
If you are anything like me, I find a bowl of just oats with banana doesn’t fill me up for long. This is due to the lack of protein in that simple breakfast, and fat to help with satiety too. So to add more protein and good fats to a bowl of oats I’ll add a ‘topper’. A topper is just a small handful of chopped nuts and seeds that I’ve got going in a jar in my pantry.
If I don’t have these or feel like a change, I’ll simply add a tsp of ABC nut butter to the oats once served (my kids love this option). However, LSA (linseed, sunflower seed, almond meal) is another way to add more protein in, so grab a packet in the health food aisle in your supermarket and store in the fridge to prevent it going rancid. It is also very easy to blend up your own LSA in a blender and store in the same way. If you’re feeling fancy, use figs instead of banana to serve!
SERVES 2
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
4 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 date (medjool is the best)
1 cup milk of choice (almond, coconut, oat, full cream cows)
1 cup water
To serve:
1 tbsp LSA
A touch more milk
Chopped banana or fig
Small handful chopped nut and seed topper — I like walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds
OR, 1 tsp nut butter, on each porridge bowl
Drizzle of honey (optional)
Method
Cook the oats and chia seeds with the milk, water, vanilla extract and the medjool date in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir well until it thickens and the oats soften.
After that once cooked, serve between 2 bowls. Add a touch more milk, ½ tbsp LSA to each along with the nut + seed ‘topper’, or nut butter. Add fruit of choice and a little honey drizzle if you like. Enjoy!
Claire Luckman