A weeks worth of porridge pots

No matter how early I get up in the mornings, I always seem to have to make a made rush five minutes before I’m due to leave. Regardless of if I try to get up five minutes earlier, or even 20, there’s still a frantic rush when it comes close to time to leave, and that moment once I’m in the car thinking “did I grab everything?” Usually the answer is yes – though there has been more than one occasion when I’m getting ready after my morning workout only to realise that I haven’t packed my top, or my shoes. Or even worse, that time when I didn’t pack any bottoms and had to spend the morning in my gym pants – luckily I had no meetings that morning!

And of course, those few times when I’ve left my breakfast on the kitchen table and had to make do with a banana, some nuts and a carrot – my go-to snacks that I keep at work. It’s nothing personal against carrots, but I much prefer something more enticing and exciting for breakfast, and so as not to add to the morning rush, I usually like to make my breakfasts at the start of the week.

More weeks than not, this will be porridge pots – that is oats (and other flavourings such as nuts, seeds, coconut, fruit, even vegetables some times) which are soaked in liquid over night in a pot and then topped with whatever I have on hand. 

As part of my Meal Planning series, I wanted to share with you how I prepare a week’s worth of porridge pots, which normally takes only around 10 – 15 minutes at the start of the week. It’s such an easy, healthy and quick option, and there are countless variations. 

To keep things interesting here, I’ve included my go-to method, plus a few of my favorite flavour combinations to spice things up a bit. You can enjoy these cool straight out of the fridge, or heat them up before eating them – if you do this, you might wish to prepare the toppings at the start of the week but not add them until the day, especially if you are planning on serving with yoghurt.  

Variations

Protein – Blend in 2/3 cup cooked/canned white beans. Stir through 1 tsp chia or hemp seeds per pot, and serve topped with yoghurt and  sprinkled with seeds.

Pretty in pink – Blend in 1 cup mixed berries. Serve topped with fresh or dried berries and cacao nibs.

Choco-coco – Blend in 1 – 2 Tbsp raw cacao, then stir  1 Tbsp shredded cocnut through each pot. Serve topped with coconut cream, cacao nibs and shredded coconut.

Caramel dream – Blend in 3 medjool dates or dried figs and 1 heaped Tbsp mesquite powder. Serve drizzled with coconut milk, chopped pecans and dried figs/dates.

Orange bliss  – Blend in 1 small, roughly chopped carrot, 1 small knob fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp powder) and 1/4 cup orange juice. Serve topped wtih yoghurt, orange segments and grated carrot.

Winter spice – Blend in 1 small, chopped apple, 1 Tbsp Maca powder, 1/2 tsp (extra) cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Top with chopped dried apple and a sprinkle of nutmeg.