Hey everyone. First of all, I’m sorry if you love your oats on a morning, you’ll probably like these too. Truthfully, I’m writing this one for me; or at least me a year ago. I hate oats, unpopular opinion, I know but there’s something about them I don’t like. Overnight oats on the other hand, I’m a big fan of. However, in the harshness of winter there isn’t much less appealing than grabbing a jar of something from the fridge first thing on a morning.
I struggle with warmer breakfast foods. Pancakes take a bit too long for your average day. I try to avoid gluten, and most gluten free bread tastes awful, so toast is out. And short of making something in advance and putting it in a microwave, I don’t have any other obvious alternatives. So, I made it my mission to try and force myself to like them. Every conventional way I tried just made me use a ridiculous amount of sugar, not exactly healthy in the long run. As a result, I tried to be a bit more inventive with my flavours and the following three are my favourites.
Each of these recipes involves a source of protein and healthy fat as I think a balance of macro-nutrients makes the dishes more filling.
The Chocolate Lover
Ingredients:
- Half a cup of oats (gf if required).
- 1 tbsp. raw cacao or cocoa powder
- A cup almond milk
- 1 tsp cocoa butter
- 1 heaped tsp peanut butter
- Dark chocolate (optional)
Method:
Now I know making a bowl of porridge is pretty straight forward but I can’t exactly publish a recipe post without instructions so here we go…
- Add oats, almond milk and cocoa/ cacao to a small saucepan on a low to medium heat.
- Leave to thicken, stirring at regular intervals.
- When it is nearly done to your desired texture (we all like our oats differently), stir in the cocoa butter and allow it to melt.
- Once done, remove from heat and serve. Drizzle with peanut butter and add dark chocolate to serve.
The Berry Lover
Ingredients:
- Half a cup of oats
- ¾ cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup of almond milk
- 1 tbsp. chia seeds
- 2 tbsp. toasted flaked almonds
- Sweetener of choice (to taste)
Method:
- Place berries in a small saucepan on a low heat. If you’re using fresh, add a dash of water too. Frozen berries can go in alone.
- When the berries have started to soften slightly (a few minutes), add the oats and milk.
- Leave to cook, stirring frequently, until the oats reach your desired texture and the berries have burst and your oats are a light purply blue colour (I know, such a great description)
- Stir in chia seeds and your choice of sweetener then pour into a bowl.
- Sprinkle with toasted almonds to serve.
The Winter Warmer
Ingredients:
- Half an apple, peeled and chopped
- 1tsp brown sugar
- Half a cup of oats
- A cup of almond milk
- 30g walnuts
- Additional brown sugar to taste
Method:
- Add the chopped apple, a dash of water and tsp of brown sugar to a small saucepan on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes until the apples have softened and the water has almost fully evaporated.
- Add the oats and almond milk to the pan and reduce heat slightly.
- Cook for a further few minutes until mixture is your ideal texture.
- Stir in the walnuts and any additional sugar then serve.
Enjoy!
If you don’t like oats hopefully one of these will change your mind.
Until tomorrow,
Sophie
I hate oats but these have actually tempted me! I’m definitely going to attempt winter warmer I love those flavours! Great post ❤️
Oats seems like such a bland kind of food but this makes it seem like they could be such a nice breakfast!
This is so perfect for me, I hate oats! I need some healthier options for breakfast though, so I want to try all of these!
That’s amazing! I thought when I was writing this everyone was going to love regular porridge and not see the point x
I’m a toast and tea person at breakfast but I have been seriously thinking of switching to oats. Will try out these recipes.
I really don’t like outs but will definitely be trying the chocolate one!
I like porridge, especially with fresh fruits like strawberry, banana and blueberry, but the chocolaty one sounds really yummy! x
These look amazing I really want to start eating more oats and starting with the chocolate one!
LOVE LOVE THIS!
If you would like to come to my house and make me the Winter Warmer pats tomorrow morning that would not be an issue! Lovely post!
R x
Oh I love a nice porridge it would be a toss up between the chocolate and berry for me .
I’m the kind of person that needs loads of things in her oats to make me like them, so this is perfect!
I don’t hate oats but they are not my fav food either. I am all for the chocolate lover one! it looks delish! xx corinne
Oats aren’t bad but I don’t eat them often. I’m gonna try the chocolate lover and see how it goes! Thanks for the tips Sophie ☺️
This is such a great post! I love a good porridge on a winter morning! I love to have mine with fruits and berries but the chocolate one looks amazing too and might give that a go ASAP! Ayse x
I love this post! I’m definitely going to try the chocolate one, I looove porridge, but I’ve never thought about experimenting with different ingredients!
jenny x | http://www.jennyrosee.com
I never used to eat oats but I absolutely love doing ‘overnight oats’ now with all different flavoured yogurts! I also used to add protein powder to give them extra flavour e.g toffee yogurt and banana protein made banoffee oats! These are great ideas, I’ll definitely be trying out the chocolate one!
Jess xx
foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
I love overnight oats too! I tried adding protein powder before but I wasn’t too keen on the texture afterwards. I think I need to play around with a few more recipes! x
Sophie babe you’re doing such a wonderful job at keeping up with Febmas tehe! I love oats, they’re such a great breakfast and snack option. I actually had some right before I saw this post (great minds think alike lol) I’d def try the chocolate one!
xx Lena |
Great ideas – especially for those of us that aren’t fans but really want to be!
Great ideas – especially for those of us that aren’t fans of oats but really want to be!
I’m not a fan of oats either but the chocolate lover I could probably do! Sounds like a no bake cookie yum
This chocolate one looks so delicious, I’m definitely trying that one soon. I eat porridge everyday so this will be nice to change it up a bit.
omg omg omg the chocolate lover looks delicious! I like oats but I can get sick of them very quickly if I eat them for more than a few days in a row but this is giving me some major inspo! Loved this xx
Ahhhhh I think i’ll have the chocolate one! x
I keeping meaning to add stuff to my plain oats! Thanks for a few ideas!
Girl, you had me at chocolate… I don’t think I’ve ever gone past banana and honey oats with strawberry on top! Oatmeal is not very popular here in Portugal but I do love having oats every now and then! I’m dying to try the chocolate recipe you shared here!! xx
Angela |