Every year around this time I start to feel the aftermath of all the heavy Christmas meals I ate in December. So far, I’ve had a pretty healthy January, yet I feel like I’ve gained a little weight since the new year… which is frustrating. It happens every year though… I know that for me it is normal and to ignore the scales in January; to just stick to my routine and things will balance back out in time.

I do however end up with cravings for the hearty meals to continue… so porridge is my go to breakfast dish. It satisfies a craving and keeps me full until (I’d like to say lunch but..) 11.

Traditional porridge – just milk and oats – can get tiresome for me. So here is an alternative porridge recipe I’ve been enjoying lately.

Originally, I wanted to test out quinoa flakes (rather than oats). I intended to hop on the bandwagon and share a quinoa inspired recipe… but here’s what I learned in the process…

Why quinoa flakes?

One notable nutritional difference quinoa has over oats is it’s protein content and quality; there’s more protein in quinoa.

Each cup of cooked quinoa provides 8.1 grams of protein, compared to 5.6 grams in an equivalent portion of cooked oatmeal.

Why Not Quinoa flakes?

Well first of all, they are £6-8 for only 400g. Oats are around £1-2 for 1kg! It’s a no brainer financially.

But quinoa does offer 118 milligrams of magnesium per serving, compared to oatmeal’s 61 milligrams — Oatmeal however offers more than five times the amount of iron found in quinoa.

Quinoa vs Oats Bottom-line

Quinoa flakes and oats are both great breakfast foods and a healthy source of carbohydrates, protein, fibre and micronutrients.

In my opinion it’s not worth breaking the bank for quinoa flakes… I’ll stick with oats for my porridge. I did experiment though and it turns out that regular quinoa (usually £2.50 per 500g) is quite tasty in this porridge recipe as well… but the texture is a bit funny.

Banana Porridge Recipe

In this recipe you can use oats or quinoa flakes.

Prep: 1 minute
Cook: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS (PER SERVING)

• 1/3 heaping cups of oats or quinoa flakes
• 250ml (80z) milk of preference
• Spoon-full of honey
• 1 large banana

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small pot, begin to warm the milk over medium-low heat. I used soya milk in this instance.
2. Using a fork, mash up half a banana in a separate bowl and then add to the pot.
3. Stir in the honey
4. Add the oats/quinoa flakes and let simmer on low heat for around 5 minutes or until softened. I tested out using regular quinoa rather than quinoa flakes, and it took 7 minutes to soften.
5. If the oats haven’t softened to your liking and the milk has all been absorbed, add more milk until cooked.
6. Once cooked, place in a bowl and slice the remaining banana on top.
7. Serve right away and enjoy!

Last remarks…

If you haven’t made porridge on the stove before, you HAVE to try preparing it this way…. so much better than porridge prepared in a microwave.  And finally, if you love bananas as much as I do, you’ll love this recipe too.

Enjoy!