It's sooooo cold in the morning in Sydney at the moment and I love a warm bowl of porridge, but I'm often hungry a couple of hours after I've eaten it.  I've come up with a fabulous way to increase the protein of your porridge to keep you full all morning.

Oats are a wonderful wholegrain to start your day with.  Actually did you know oats have just as much protein per 100g as quinoa (both contain 12.8 g protein per 100g serve)?   Plus oats contain beta-glucan which is special type of soluble fibre which lower cholesterol re-absorption in the bloodstream, so they are great for heart health.  

Porridge with milk is a bit low on protein and healthy fats to really make a balanced breakfast.  I had tried adding protein powder but I find it a bit gritty and unappealing.  Instead my new trick to increase the protein in my porridge is to whisk in  an egg and some vanilla into the milk before I start cooking the porridge.  Don't worry, there's no scrambled egg flavour, gentle cooking makes it more like a custard.  I've flavoured my porridge with banana, dates and cinnamon.  For a serve of healthy fats  I stirred in a little almond butter (peanut butter would be awesome too) just before serving.  

I inhaled this bowl of porridge after the gym this morning and (along with a coffee) it kept me going all morning!

BANANA, DATE AND ALMOND PORRIDGE

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup traditional oats (use quinoa flakes for gluten free)

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 date, pitted, sliced

• 1 banana, sliced

• 3/4 milk of your choice, or use 1/2 milk 1/2 water

• 1 level tab almond butter

• drizzle of maple syrup to serve

• sprinkle of cinnamon to serve

METHOD

1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the milk, vanilla and oats.  Place in a saucepan on a low - medium heat. Add the banana and dates.  Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer, stirring until the porridge is creamy (3 - 4 minutes). 

2. Pour the hot porridge into a bowl and stir in the almond butter splash of milk, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!  

   Serves 1, you can easily double or triple as needed

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain.  She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.