Peanut Butter and Jelly Inspired Super Porridge!

Here’s the thing.  We passionately believe that the times of missing out on treats and delicious food and snacks because you choose a healthy diet are gone.  There are so many ways to get ultra good tasting nutrition using fresh, local, organic, real food ingredients that there’s really no excuse once you’ve handled your bad habits.  This recipe is a perfect example.  Yeh so it’s a bit more calorific than some cardboard cracker with low fat cottage cheese and a watercress leaf, but if you’re enjoying some good excercise as part of your #movement pillar there’s really no need to get all unnecessary about it.  Live a little!

This recipe is inspired by the flavours of peanut butter and jelly on toast.  My old habit?  White bread (basically processed high GI cake full of preservatives) toasted with some sort of spread that’s an excuse for butter with a load of Peanut butter and cheap jam (jelly for our American friends) on top.  The peanut butter would have been any old brand which was about 95% peanuts (with some added sugar, stabilisers & emulsifiers).  The jam was basically a shed load of processed sugar with colourings, flavourings and a little fruit (from concentrate) thrown in as a gesture!

So what am I doing now?   Well I’ve found the Meridian brand of Peanut butter.  It’s super tasty and it’s ingredients list is just the way we like it - 100% organic peanuts - nothing else!  They also do some great other varieties as well like Almond and Cashew Butter (we’re not endorsed my Meridian by the way, we just think their stuff is great.)  Anyway - which ever brand of nut butter you choose make it organic and check the ingredients for hidden nasties 😃

As far as Jam is concerned, well I just don’t bother with any processing for this recipe and get the flavours from fresh fruit.

So enough spouting on about all that stuff, let’s get to the recipe.  This is my way of kick starting my day after I’ve done my fasted HIIT workout at 6am.  I’m feeling alive and awake and I’ve worked hard and showered so enjoy it even more.

Ingredients:

Organic Porridge Oats
Organic milk and coconut or almond milk (basically which ever is your favourite or preferred milk)
Malden Sea Salt Flakes
1 desert spoon of Peanut, Cashew, Almond or preferred nut butter
Half desert spoon of extra virgin coconut oil (the best you can find)
1 teaspoon of local honey (just spikes a little sweetness - optional)

Fresh fruit Salad
You can top with any fruit, but for the jam vibe i’ve gone with:
Strawberries
Ginger
Lemon Juice
Red Grapes
Green Grapes
Cherries
Conference Pear

Additional Toppings
Chia Seeds
Bee Pollen
Pistachio Nuts

Method:

Make your porridge.  I use the oats with half and half regular milk and half coconut milk.  When it’s done add a pinch of Malden Sea salt flakes, the coconut oil, nut butter and honey and stir it all to your desired consistency by adding more milk if you need to.  By the way, this is a great spring / summer breakfast or treat if the weather is warm by serving it cooled.

I like to serve my porridge on a plate instead of a bowl.  It tends to cool it down to just the right temperature so I can eat it straight away without a load of blowing and waiting if I’m on a schedule.

After you have your nutty porridge ready it’s time to add the toppings.

To make the fruit salad above (I do this in advance usually the night before), I start with the cherries.  I use a knife to slice the cherries open like i would an avocado and remove the stone, so I’m left with 2 beautiful half cherries.  This takes a little patience, but it’s part of the ritual for me of eating beautiful fresh food and I love it.

By the way, when it comes to fruit salad, it’s worth making a batch of the stuff as it’s a great go to snack attack muncher to keep in the fridge as well as a really good way of getting some of your fruits in for the day.

Next I cut my grapes in half and add them in with some thin flat strips of ginger.  I don’t eat the ginger in the dish, but adding it to my batch of fruit salad imparts some of the ginger vibe into the whole medley and gives it a special something that’s always missing when I forget to do it.  I slice my strawberries too and throw them in.  Finally i dice up some conference pear.  The grainy texture of a perfectly ripe pear in this combination is great with the other ingredients and they taste amazing.  To finish I put in a good squeeze of lemon juice from half a fresh lemon and pop the lid on, give it a good shake and keep it in the fridge.

So when it comes to add the toping it’s as easy as grabbing your fruit salad snack attack box from the fridge, putting a nice pile of loveliness onto your porridge and then finishing with a sprinkle of bee pollen, chia seeds and pistachios.

The taste is amazing.  The peanut butter still has a slightly sticky vibe and if you don’t stir it in too much you get the odd lump as a surprise.  The fruits go so well with the whole thing and the occasional salty crunch from a pistachio just makes it perfect.

If you make this, post a picture to us on social media.  We love to get feedback from our community.  If you change the fruits and find something amazing let us know.

We hope you enjoy making this super kick starter and wish you love in your quest for a better and more nutritious you.

Above all though, don’t forget to…..

#respectyourtemple
 

Anchors & Healthy Chocolate Thick Shakes!

Interview with Shona Vertue on Anchors and her Thick Choc Shake for health!

TST “So Shona.  Great to have you with us today.  We want to explore anchors and how they may affect our eating on a subconscious level.  Tell us about some of your food memories from when you were at school."

Shona "Well, when I was little, one of my favourite things to do with my Dad was to have a Chocolate thick shake from Macdonald's. I became really attached to this Thick Shake because it reminded me of the time I would spend with Dad. It was comfort food."

TST “Ok, so that’s a perfect example of how we can create anchors which associate a particular thing with a feeling.  Over time this can mean that we crave that thing when we need to go to that same feeling.  Do you still drink them?"

Shona “Well I gave up MacDonalds some time ago, and I have to say it’s the only thing I really missed.  I guess it’s because of the thoughts of the great times I had with my father.  I think I was searching for comfort, but I found that replacing it with something better for me hit all the Anchors and kept me healthier and feeling better."

TST “OK cool!  So you effectively used the anchor that you’d already developed, but replaced the old habit with an empowering new one?"

Shona “Yes, that’s right.  I invented my own recipe for a thick chocolate milkshake and I have to say I actually prefer it to the old one so it’s a massive step forwards.  I still get the lovely smooth chocolate hit and feelings of comfort, but also some great fuel for my body which doesn’t have the crash effect of the old version packed with processed sugars."

TST “Thank you Shona.  So it’s a great lesson for all of us.  When you crave a certain food, just stop to think for a moment why that might be happening.  What feelings are you craving?  Try and find another “vehicle” to satisfy your needs.  This can be a food, but it can also be a number of other activities or things.  Maybe even a nice glass of filtered water to replace a bad habit.  Perhaps go for a walk in the fresh air.  Or invent your own healthier version like Shona did!

Here’s Shona’s recipe for her Healthy Thick Chocolate Shake.  We’ve tried it and it comes highly recommended.  As usual go organic with all your ingredients and enjoy!"

MacShona's Thick Superfood Shake

1/2 - 1 Avocado (depending on size)

1 Tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder

1 ripe Banana

1 cup rice or oat milk (maybe more if you like a more runny consistency)

1 teaspoon Manuka Honey (If you like it a little sweeter try adding a couple of dates as well)

3-5 Ice Cubes

Sprinkle of Bee Pollen

Place everything in a good quality blender and hey presto!  MacShona’s thick Superfood Shake.

Shona Vertue xx

#respectyourtemple