I love breakfast. No, make that I LOVE BREAKFAST. It is without question my favourite meal. As you can tell from this blog I love other meals too. A lot. But breakfast is sine qua non to my daily happiness.
Although it is rarely elaborate, and often involving no equipment other than a knife and hot overhead grill – or bowl and spoon – any sustenance is gratefully received. If ever I have to skip breakfast (I can’t remember when that last happened) I get seriously grumpy. Dropped-pacifier, burst-football, home-team-lost kind of grumpy. Stay the heck away if that happens, is all I can say. Kindly.
Breakfast could be fruits and vegetables dropped in my blender for a quick morning-fuelling blast of nutrients (along with some protein, like in this recipe for a Simple Green Smoothie). It may be a baked savoury treat, enjoyed warm from the oven then eaten throughout the week. Or a simple greens and eggs concoction, usually involving sriracha or harissa. Weekends are (hopefully) a time for something slower, such as these crazy Waffles With Attitude, and possibly crazier North African Quinoa, Lentils and Poached Eggs. Or, if I am really lucky, the world’s softest omelette, filled with herbs, vegetables and love from my daughter, Rachel. Have a trawl through my Index for many more ideas, if you too are a breakfast-head.
But, when it comes to rib-sticking, warming breakfasts, not much can beat a bowl of porridge. Blame the never-ending cold, living in Scotland, needing the comfort of having my icicle feet tucked under me and a hot bowl on me – whatever. Just don’t let me run out of lovely whole grain, fibre-tastic Scottish oats.
If I can get away with it, at this time of year I will perhaps start the day with hot water and lemon, followed by some sort of juice or smoothie (like this recent berry, pomegranate and pear one), then move on to porridge, like this one, swirled with grated carrot, luscious almond butter and smoodged dates. I really box and cox between egg days and porridge days at this frigid time of year. And with filling and satisfying breakfasts like these lunch can be very light and late: no 11.30 a.m. growling tummy to send me to the biscuit barrel or nearby bakery.
Breakfast isn’t just for potentially “hangry” people like myself: everyone benefits from at least something in their stomach before they leave the house for the day. Or flick on the computer in your jammies. . 😉 To quote the NHS, “Eating breakfast has long term health benefits. It can reduce obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.” Here is a good WebMD link to more detailed reasons why a healthy breakfast – not a giant iced danish – is the best meal.
Long-term benefits are attractive – and I have seen the first two benefits in those I advise through my cancer health education work – but really, honestly, I just love breakfast!
Here is my latest way with porridge. I am sharing this with “Shake Up Your Wakeup” for National Breakfast Week, 25-31 January, 2015. Click on the link and share how you are celebrating this week!
Bee-Awesome Porridge
1/4 cup whole grain porridge oats {here’s a lovely Scottish company with great oats!}
1/4 cup quinoa
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk of choice {I used unsweetened almond milk}
1 persimmon, apple, pear or fat plum, washed and chopped or sliced
handful of raw or lightly toasted nuts and seeds {I used walnuts and sunflower seeds}
1 tsp bee pollen* {it is 40% protein, which is pretty amazing}
Honey or maple syprup, as needed
Place the grains and liquid in a saucepan and bring to a slow boil. turn down the heat and simmer very gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve the chopped fruit, nuts and a flourish of bee pollen.
Overnight Oats: Use double the liquid, bring to the boil, turn off the heat, then cover and leave to soak over night. Reheat on a low heat (or microwave, if you must) with a little more milk of choice, and top with nuts, seeds, bee pollen and fruit. Porridge done this way is much, much creamier.
Soft Food Diet: use 2 tsp of smooth nut butter in place of the chopped nuts and seeds and mix in very well; puree the fruit and swirl into the porridge. Overnight oats tip makes porridge of any kind much easier to swallow
*Regarding the bee pollen: I like the taste of just a little amount, but I don’t ascribe to thinking that it is “the bee’s knees.” It has a high proportion of protein, some B vitamins (yes, really) but it is really just a nice thing to add to porridge and on top of baking. Some people feel it may help asthma and allergies, but there is no clear evidence for this, and it is not something to try for this reason – at least without approval from your physician. I don’t use it for any particular health reasons, but as we don’t know everything about it, it may be helping me and I don’t realise it. 🙂 
Other breakfast posts of interest:
A Right Royal Breakfast (kale, eggs, avocado and toast) – tinned tomatoes
Smoothie Bowl – hungry, healthy happy
Banana Flax Freezer Waffles – the muffin myth
Kale and Potato Breakfast Hash – amuse your bouche
Chocolate Chia Hemp Porridge – wholefood nourishment
Courgette, Goat’s Cheese & Mint Frittata – kavey eats
California Sweet Potato Hash {Greek Style} – the spicy rd
Chickpea Omelet Mix – fatfree vegan kitchen
Miso-Oat Porridge – 101 Cookbooks
Spiced Buckwheat & Oat Porridge with Coconut & Carrot – fuss free flavours
Date-Sweetened Carrot and Almond Porridge (like a healthy Indian halva!) – food to glow
Matcha Yogurt & Citrus Yogurt Bowl – food to glow
Quinoa Peanut Butter Pancakes with Cinnamon & Pear – food to glow
Seven Seed Spelt Bread – food to glow
I love breakfast and have never ever wanted to skip it! A lovely recipe, Kellie. I have a huge packet of quinoa that I’d love to share with you if you lived closer! xo
What an wonderful idea for breakfast! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Gee you eat good!! Lol!! My mouth is watering at nearly 8:00 PM! Lol!! Everything looks so good!! I eat oatmeal every morning and if I have some dried cranberries or fresh blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, I add those. I eat an apple every single evening! I love apples. I also put some yogurt or honey drizzled over my apples sometimes….love that!!
Yes, breakfast is a big one for me too. I notice the more hearty my breakfast is the less I have cravings for something sweet later in the day or a need to eat as big of lunch/dinner. And we’re thinking along the same lines this week with our porridge and persimmon topping. I really love the oat and quinoa mix in this breakfast and of course the persimmons and bee pollen to top. And thank you for including my porridge in your link line-up, Kellie!
I am so with you about breakfast!! And funnily enough, i am sitting here with a bowl of chopped persimmon, greek yoghurt, toasted slivered almonds & bee pollen! Our twin eating habits strike again!!! xx
When I’m working from home, I seldom have breakfast, probably only once or twice a week. I don’t bother unless I feel hungry, and I often don’t. When I’m working a contract in an office, I nearly always need breakfast, or I’m starving by mid to late morning.
Love this, Kellie! Your carrot date porridge is one of my favourites, so looking forward to trying another version. And other than the persimmon I’ve got all the ingredients handy. I love the quinoa / oat blend. Over the weekend I mixed up a big batch of super cereal mix from My New Roots with quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, chia, and sunflower seeds. Enough to last for many breakfasts! I think using half that mix and half good Scottish oats with the bee pollen and persimmon would be the golden ticket.
Thanks Katie. I like mixing it up with homemade cereals (the beauty of homemade is no two bowls need be the same!) and have a ridiculously full cupboard of impulse buys and producer samples to keep me going well into summer. I will have to see how My New Roots does it.
What a yummy looking breakfast! Mine normally involves eggs, but half my hens are having their annual moult so eggs are thin on the ground right now 🙂
Janie x
I remember those days of hen moult. Sadly our hens were foxed a few years ago and we hadn’t the heart to go through that again(we live just off a wooded area). I miss home-raised eggs. Not even a nice porridge can top that. Quite literally. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Janey.
Hi 🙂 Really great ideas and insperation for breakfast. I just can agree, breakfast is the best meal of the day, I’m often getting so excited at the evening, thinking of the next days dish to prepare 🙂 I really like, that you don’t just use oats, you mix it with quinoa. I think this dish is the perfect opportunity to try cereals like quinoa or couscous, if you never had them before. So thank you very much for sharing <3
Me too! I am a morning person so this attitude suits me. But I know some people can’t bear the thought of breakfast. I feel sorry for them. I’m glad you like the mix of oats and quinoa. Quinoa as a breakfast food is common enough in some parts of south america, but I am partial to combining my grains and pseudo-grains and this seems a good combination to me.
Me too! I just love love love breakfast. Especially if eaten alone. I absolutely could never skip it – I’d be passing out within an hour…
Same. And grumpy as hell 😉
I think my life would be so different if I gave more focus to breakfast. I’m encouraged that the quinoa in this recipe cooks at the same time as the oats, this is very goods for my low GI requirements ( and it looks darn tasty too) x
I know. I too am surprised that it cooks together so compatibly. Quick cook oats might be a bit of a disaster but steel cut, medium or wholegrain jumbo seems to work just fine. The quinoa still has texture so pops pleasingly. Try and eat breakfast and see if that makes a difference to you. But, I admit, some people seem to function fine without a proper breakfast. You may be one of those.
I do feel a difference with a proper breakfast, I tend to eat less rubbish through the day if I have had a good breakfast and I need to do the whole low GI thing more consistently, so more planning needed I think x
It’s officially lunch time, and all I want now is breakfast! As in a big ‘ol bowl of this yummy porridge! {Love the name BTW} Since Mr. Spicy is at a work function tonight, I think the kids and I will enjoy a little breakfast for dinner! Can you believe I’ve never tried bee pollen BEEfore? 🙂
Thanks so much, EA. I had hoped you wouldn’t mind me linking without asking, but knew really that you would be fine with being included. I had a hard time deciding which of your breakfasts to choose! PS I had bee pollen as a child (my mom was a bit of a hippie – shhh) but it has has been probably at least 35 years. A little goes a long way. Kind of like saffron in that respect.
I am smitten. I am a HUGE breakfast fan – in fact I would pick it as my preferred meal of any day. Before the world is watching and the day is all for the taking… that’s the magic of breakfast. LOVE your ideas and will honestly try these imaginative delicious recipes. Lx
Thanks you so very much, Laura Kate. Lovely comment!
Breakfast s by far y favourite meal of the day. I recently told my sisters (after copious brunch and breakfast trips on our last holiday), that I hated going for breakfast. I much prefer making an old favourite, or coming up with an exciting new dish in the early morning sun. It fills you with hope doesn’t it? It does me anyway. Thank you for these. I’ll definitely be re-imagining this in my kitchen, or at least adding some textured crunch to my brekky tomorrow morning. Thank you lovely. x
Thank you for taking the time to leave this very well considered response to my porridge post. You have made me look at breakfast in a new way! Hope. I like that. 🙂
Breakfast can never be missed! Lovely recipe Kellie.
I’ve never tried adding quinoa to porridge before!! Sounds like a great idea!
I’m another breakfast fan here, I cannot function without it, usually a big bowl of porridge this time of year. Yours looks delicious, I’ve never used quinoa in porridge before but it sounds like a nice idea for a change.
Interesting about bee pollen. Veggie teen is going vegan for a month so protein is high on my mind. Think this is a good idea.
Stunning as usual and very tempting. I’ve yet to try bee pollen but I keep hearing about it so will have to investigate.
Cheers, Emily. :-))
Love breakfast!! I feel silly getting so excited about the theme, but oh wells. Thanks for sharing this recipe Kellie!
I bought a mug for my dad at Christmas, it had the repeated message “I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry”!!! Totally get what you mean by ‘hangry’ and likewise I can’t understand how people can go without breakfast. Porridge with pureed apple and cinnamon is one of my favourites. Love your take on it.
Looks so tasty! I need to get in the habit of making time for breakfast and this has inspired me
Oooh I love the combination of both oats and quinoa!! Will definitely be trying this out 😀