Porridge is a simple breakfast my entire family loves. My baby loves it just as much as I do. Oats are a whole grain that is rich in fiber, has high protein content and helps stabilize blood sugar levels. They are also easy on the digestive system and a good choice if you are having any tummy trouble. It is also filling, which is great for breastfeeding mamas, which have been up in the night feeding their little ones (raising my own hand here). Because of the night feedings I wake up feeling really hungry and I need a substantial breakfast that is also nutrient-rich and will provide me with steady energy for the day ahead. Oatmeal is doing all of this for me.
You can prepare your porridge in endless ways to keep it interesting, and play around with different toppings. I like to add a banana, or apple, and play around with spices and flavors. It always tastes different, so I cannot get bored of it.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is seasonal and perfect for the month of October. Pumpkins are currently in season and I am using them a lot in my kitchen these days. So it was only logical they will end up in my porridge bowl too. The smell of roasted pumpkin and all spice that filled my kitchen was divine. It is grounding and comforting and makes me feel really happy. I had to resist the temptation to dig right in after I made breakfast in order to take the pictures you see in this post. But as you can see, I was not the only one that couldn’t wait to have a share of this pumpkin porridge. 😉 Taking the pictures was not easy, because there was a little monkey that seemed just as eager to try the food, but lacked my patience. 🙂 While I was holding the camera to take a few shots my baby was trying all kinds of ways to steal a piece of that delicious pumpkin and naturally to ruin my shot. In the end I just let it be, and she got her little hands on a piece of pumpkin and started taking bites and making funny “nom nom” sounds. My heart melted, and so instead of using the moment to finish the shot of the porridge in front of me, I started taking pictures of her instead. The way babies enjoy food is eye opening. They are present; they look at the food, take a bite, make a face and a sound, and in the case of my daughter, even do a little dance when they really like it. It is the cutest thing ever.
As a mom it makes me so happy to see my baby enjoying the food I have prepared. She is currently in the phase where she wants to try every food she sees. Her curiosity is never ending and it reminds me to stop for a second and think about the abundance of textures, colors and flavors food can offer us. Often times we eat in a hurry, on the go, or in front of the computer, not even paying attention to the fact that we are eating. Take the example of my baby and at your next meal sit down, turn off all distractions and take your time to look and smell the food in front of you. Than take a bite. How does it taste? What is the texture? How does it make you feel? This is called mindful eating, and is actually a very important factor in good digestion.
As we take our time to chew, our salivary glands secrete more saliva to help start the digestive process, and our stomach gets ready to welcome the food we ingest. Mealtime should be considered sacred and should not be mixed with other activities. And so, after taking the pictures we sat down and enjoyed our breakfast together.
With that in mind, lets find out how you can make this pumpkin porridge for your next mindful breakfast!
Sweet Pumpkin Spice Porridge
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp roasted hokkaido squash
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- 2 cups oat or almond milk
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon + more to season the pumpkin before roasting it
- 1/4 tsp of mixed nutmeg, clove and ginger
- 1 tbsp raw honey Toppings:
- handfull of chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp hemp seeds
- handful of pumpkin seeds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Wash and cut the squash into quarters. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle some cinnamon on top and roast in the oven for about 50min. Remove the squash from the oven, once it is soft and fragrant. You can do this step the night before to save time in the morning.
- Place the walnuts in the still hot oven for about 5 minutes, to roast them slightly. You can alternatively put them in a hot pan with some maple syrup to lightly caramelise them.
- Heat up the oat milk in a small pot and add the oats. Stir often while they cook. Add the spices and mix well.
- Scoop out 2-3 tbsp of the pumpkin flesh and add it to the porridge. Mix well until the squash dissolves in the porridge and gives it a nice, orange color.
- Pour the porridge in a bowl and top up with the walnuts, raw honey, hemp and pumpkin seeds.
- Enjoy while it is warm!
