Twice the plums

Prunes…tasty, sweet and full of goodness are your first thoughts-right? Or is it ‘old people’ and ‘fiber’? I find it strange prunes are famed for their fiber when beans are so full of it and even in the fruit world, dried figs have more fiber! Let’s go back to prunes being lovely!

Spot the prune!

This morning my plum was a little sad, it was so over ripe I had to operate on it and remove bits. In order to top up the fruit per serving I added 2 prunes, chopped and mixed through. Heated up they smelt intoxicating-kind of yeasty. That might not be the best description, and truly the photos don’t do this justice- but just try a prune chopped up as a topping and see!

Plum and Prune Porridge

Plums look a lot better before mixing! 

1 small plum

1-2 prunes

1/2 cup oats

1 cup milk

Method

1. Chop up the plums, mix with a fork in a bowl to make them really mussy.
2. Chop the prunes (its much easier with scissors).
3. Mix the plums with oats and milk
4. Top with the prunes and microwave for 2-3 mins
5. Enjoy the plummy goodness!

Pumpkin pie porridge

Pumpkin Pie Porridge
I've seen 'pumpkin pie oatmeal' for so long now, and have been longing to make my own. Every time we have any left over I mean to-last time it was used for soup and the time before bean burgers. But finally I got my hands on some. It isn't actually pumpkin, the only time pumpkin is available in the UK seems to be Halloween but butternut squash pie doesn't have quite the same ring to it. SO this is the British version... If you don't tell I wont! ;)

This tasted so yum.  I had a half day so got home early from school and had left over lasagna for lunch. Then a hot cross bun. Then butternut squash. Then   almost all of the oat/squash mix. I added more oats thinking 'oh I'll stop now' but didn't-I just kept eating. I then sat on the floor and cried and cried and then hyperventilating in a rather pathetic heap. When I stopped I rang my mum, who didn't notice anything was wrong and I wasn't brave enough to tell her. I tried the next morning, telling her I'd eaten to much and felt bad, but she didn't get what I meant. I couldn't actually eat the stuff I managed to save for breakfast (the stuff in these pictures) in the end-just looking at it makes me feel horrible.

I'm a bit stuck now. I'll try to tell her again. I don't want to make her worried and watch everything I eat or get carted off to the doctors.I'm terrified of being left alone in the house in case I just eat and eat again. This was the second day in a row I've done it. I feel completely out of control of it. I stopped eating peanut butter and other stuff and I don't want to go backwards. But at the same time I feel bad if I eat. For dinner today I felt bad for eating all my pasta. Part of that is physically feeling a bit icky to-really hope I'm not wheat intolerant..!

I feel better having written this. Brave even though I'm not really telling anyone.

Enough of my moaning and messed upness. This is the recipe  maybe one day I'l be able to make this again and actually enjoy it.

Pumpkin Pie Porridge-serves 1

1/2 cup/ 80g pumpkin or butternut squash
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk

1. Roast the squash whole for 30-40 mins at 180, peel and chop. Or use left over stuff from another recipe!
2. Put the squash in a bowl, add the spices and blend with a hand blender. You may be able to mash it up it you don't have a blender.
3. add the oats and milk
4. Leave overnight in the fridge for the oats to absorb all the moisture.
5. Pop in the microwave for 2-3 mins.
6. add extra milk if required and enjoy!

Butternut pumpkin!

(pre-blending)

Something New

Passion fruit and toasted coconut porridge
I've never tried passion fruit before. As I am trying to focus on food being fun, I was excited to find out its in season now (Ok-so not in season in the UK, but available at the least). Seroisly excited, I WANTED to go food shopping. And not to ensure the right stuff was bought so I wouldn't freak out (I still get a bit panicky about food sometimes, if its out of the ordinary or 'wrong' e.g. peanut butter with added sugar), but to ensure that my passion fruit was remembered!
It's really nice, kinda sweet and sharp and very, very fruity tasting! Such a shame its so expensive-even when in season :/ I decided to stick with something safe for tring it out, a tropical fruit goes with tropical nuts so I added coconut and cashews. After the sucess the other day of toasting seeds, I tried toasting the coconut. Defiantly worth it for me- It made the whole house smell coconutty! My brother wasn't so happy though, I don't know why, its  a sweet, nutty smell.

 Ingreadents
1 tbsp dried coconut
small handuful cashew nuts
1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk
2 small passion fruit

Method

1. Heat up a small frying pan and add the nuts and coconut, stir until the coconut starts to brown and smell toasty-it changes very quickly!
2. Mix the oats, milk and toasted coconut, cashew mix (save some for the top if you like).
3. Chop the passion fruit in half, scoop out the seeds onto the oat mixture.
4. Microwave for 2-3 mins, then enjoy!

You have what for breakfast?

Carrot and Blueberry Porridge

I promise this is not as weird as it sounds! I tell people I have carrot in my porridge and they freak out! I do not get it. Just because its a vegetable doesn't mean its not good in sweet stuff...Hello, carrot cake?! I could understand if I said 'oh yeah I put cabbage in my porridge' but not carrot! I thought combining it with blueberries would be a nice gentle introduction of carrot in porridge.  I topped it off with some ground cashew nuts I had left over. Once stirred in they make the porridge lovely and creamy, for some reason I'm not quite sure of!

 I actually made this a few weeks ago and I also added a few cranberries, because they'd been sitting there for a while and needed using up... OK I lie-I just wanted them. this bowl is about 1/3 of what I started off with. And  I didn't even feel guilty!! :D Trying to remember that now!

As It would feel dishonest of me to blog about something I didn't actually have today, I recreated it this morning. According to my grandmother it looked 'interesting' . I just smiled brightly and offered her some grated carrot...wrinkled nose and a "I'll pass". Hopefully you'll be more adventurous!?



Ingredients:

• 20g ground cashews/almonds or small handful (20g) cashew nuts
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. If you want ground cashews, blitz them in a food processor, or with a hand blender (it works if you cover the bowl with a tea towel, else they go everywhere!!) or bash them with a pestle and mortar if you don't have a processor or blender. If you want normal cashews, feel free to chop them up or just chuck 'em in whole! (why not after all?).
2. Wash/peel the carrot, Then Grate.
3. Mix the oats, carrot, milk, blueberries and half of the nuts in a bowl.
4. Sprinkle with the rest of the nut mixture.

Apple and peanut butter

Apple and peanut butter

I love eating slices of  apple and dipping them in peanut butter. I thought it was about time I tried this on porridge. I left half of  the apple raw, so it was lovely, crisp and a little sharp which helps to tone down the richness of the peanut butter.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Apple
• 1-2 tbsp peanut butter

Method

1. Mix the oats and milk
2. Chop the apple and mix half of it in with the oat mixture
3. Top with peanut butter.
4. Microwave for 2-3 mins
5. Add the rest of the apple and enjoy!

I went for this topping this morning, as I thought it would help me power through my run! I normally eat peanut-banana butter or make peanut or blended fruit nut balls for after my run to re power and give me a high enegry snack. I have to replace the calories I loose running! Todays post-run snack will be a smoothie and even though I add peanut butter, I cant taste it, so I can cope with the double peanut dose!! I have to say, running is getting tougher, not physically-but because my grandparents dont understand it! They also dont get any of my food. If I get one more that looks interesting comment about my food-I may scream. I’m sure it’ll happen to my smoothie (its going to be green and healthyful) but I don’t get how putting apple in my porridge is that different or unusual? 

Just 2 weeks left...

Strawberry syrup Porridge

Coconut porridge with hot strawberry sauce

My favorite thing to do with strawberries, is heat them up into a hot sauce, and pour onto yogurt. But since finding out I’m lactose intolerant and allergic to soy  there isn't really a yogurt I can eat right now. So I made a plain (but lovely) oat mix, with coconut and cashews and topped with my hot strawberry sauce. Quite nearly as lovely as with yogurt..

 Recipe

• 1 Handful of strawberries
• ½ cup oats
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 1 palm full of cashew nuts

Method

1. Chop the strawberries into very small chunks, put in a small cup or bowl
2. Chop the cashew nuts finely
3. Mix the nuts, coconut, oats and milk
4. Put the strawberry mixture and porridge in the microwave for 2 mins.
5. Remove oats and microwave the strawberries for another 30 secs
6. Pour sauce on top of oats
7. Enjoy!



I decided to splash out and have strawberries while I can. My parents leave for a 3 week holiday tomorrow and despite being nearly 18 I have to stay with my grandparents. I don't really mind, i get on very well with them and it means I can look after my grandma. It just through up a few issues for me.
Number one is food. I think over the last month or even two months, I haven't worried about food at all. The odd wobble  (sugar encrusted dried  pineapple...my brain starts to scream "so much sugar, unnatural, colourings, CALORIES" and I just ate it anyway! I felt pretty proud for over coming that. I don't want to go backwards because I know I will have lots of ready made frozen stuff there. (My grandparents do not understand vegetarianism) I think it'll be OK though, as I cant cope with being hungry any more, and I'll just have healthy lunches-but I'm not looking forward to it. They defiantly wont be buying any strawberries, so I had them today, whilst I can still just ask my mum to buy stuff for me!
Number two on a similar point is, I wont have my scales, so for three weeks how will I check I'm not loosing weight? this I know is silly, but its taken me months to put on.
Number three is sleep. Last time I stayed down there, I didn't sleep more than 4 hours per night...and its 3 weeks.
I think that's enough of me admitting my life and silly problems to the world!

Apple and toasted seeds

Apple and toasted seeds
Yesterday was been such a lazy day for me! I spent the morning in my Pajamas, just making my lunch for today somehow took me 2 hours!! I have never bothered to toast seeds before. So when prepping my porridge last night, to combat my lazyness I tried it. I will do it again and again! It's really worth toasting them just for the smell. It really does bring out the flavor as well though, in particular sesame seeds which can be a little tasteless otherwise.
Sweet apple and a few raisins cut through the seeds bitter toastynes and make a nice balanced bowl.

Ingreadents

• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. Heat up a small frying pan (no need for oil!)
2. When hot add the seeds and stir, keep an eye on them as they go from plain to toasty very quickly!
3. Chop up the apple, mix in a bowl with raisins and oats.
4. Pour over the milk.
5. Top with seeds, mix or leave as a topping.
6. Microwave for 2-3 mins
7. Enjoy!

Thinking about it, I wasnt that lazy, I did go for a run, make my lunch for today; did 45 mins of revision; Make my mum some roasted butternut squash/sage toastys and wrote up 3 blog posts... Maybe I'll say nice and relaxed day instead?!

Its not Terry's...its mine!

Chocolate Orange porridge

Today I knew I would need a bit of cheer. It’s a-level results day and I was pretty much convinced I’d failed chemistry at the very least, which considering I’m apply for it an university was a bit worrying. I decided to go for a ‘ Terry's chocolate orange’ inspired breakfast, quite simply chocolate orange! I always get one for Christmas, but didn't this year, so have been hankering after one since. This is pretty lovely-not as sickly and chocolaty as a real chocolate orange, but sweet, juicy and just a little chocolaty! If you want it to be really chocolaty add 2 tsp. of cocoa powder and maybe melt a little milk chocolate on top. Of course the perfect a compliment would be a real segment of Terry’s…Oh we can dream!

This lovely bowl kept me through until I got my results I ended up getting Chemistry-A, Biology-A, General studies-A and Psychology-B. Unfortunately now I've got my results and found out  got an A I almost feel worse. If I failed the pressure would be off and the decision out of my hands. I don’t want to do chemistry, and hate my lessons but I also don’t know what else to do. My back up plan is now out the window as psychology didn't go too well.

Enough of my moaning- here’s the recipe!

• 1 Orange
• ½ cup oats
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• ½ cup milk
• Milk/dark chocolate* (optional)

Method

1. Peel the orange and cut up the segments into chunks
2. Mix the oats, orange and cocoa powder in a bowl.
3. Add the milk and stir well to mix all the chocolate in
4. Microwave for 2-3 mins*

*(if adding real chocolate, take out 30 secs before the end and add, before finishing off to avoid burning)

<--Mmm...Just look at the lovely chocolaty mix (although I must say sorry about the terrible photographs, I only had my small digital camera, complete with flash).