Fruity Swirl Porridge Oats

Hello Beauties,

Looking for the perfect start to your day? Find yourself trying to come up with new porridge ideas? My whole reason for beginning these healthy food posts is to really inspire people on how easy it is to incorporate nutritious and feel good food into your lifestyle.

I absolutely love starting my day with a delicious bowl of porridge/oats. I find myself thinking of new flavour ideas and new topping ideas regularly. Starting my morning with a warm bowl of porridge/oats sets me up for the day as it is highly nutritious and will give you a great amount of energy with its high protein content and whole grain source of carbohydrates. Whole grains are absorbed by the body slower than starch based carbs such as bread and pasta. Porridge oats will leave you feeling fuller for longer and give you that boost of energy for a longer period of time instead of a drastic energy boost and dip.

Oats are a great source of fibre which of course is great for your digestive system. They also contain beta-glucan which is a type of fibre which when consumed regularly has been found to lower cholesterol levels.

Nutrient levels can be easily heightened by adding a variety of different toppings. Try to stay away from pre-flavoured oats as they are packed full of unnatural and un-nutritious ingredients. My favourite topping staples would have to be whole chia seeds, cacao powder, cacao nibs, nuts, dried fruit and of course fresh fruit(Aldi Finest). It's completely up to your own preference and taste but it should be noted that adding flavour to your regular porridge isn't as difficult as one may think.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Oats

1 1/2 Cups Water/ Milk( of your choice)

2 Tbsp The Chia Co Chia Seeds

2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
White Chocolate Skinny Syrup

Heated frozen Raspberry

1/2 Kiwi

1/2 Plum

Iswari Exotica Cacao Nibs
Sprinkle Shamrock Desiccated Coconut 

Method

1.    Add half cup of oats to saucepan on medium heat and add 1 cup of water. As it begins to thicken I like to add 1/2 cup more of water to really expand the volume of oats.

2.    While the oats are beginning to heat up I add a few frozen raspberries in a small bowl and add 2-3 tbsp of boiling water and mash them into a raspberry sauce/ compote consistency.

3.    Add chia seeds to oats in saucepan , after a few minutes on heat you will see them begin to thicken up the porridge quite easily. I then add two tbsp of cinnamon and a splash of the white chocolate syrup. Once satisfied with consistency I add it straight into a bowl.

4.    Add raspberry sauce to porridge and swirl around with spoon for that swirl design. Slice a kiwi and a plum and layer on top of porridge, finish with a few frozen raspberries and a sprinkle of cacao nibs.

It all depends on your own preference and what flavours, toppings you like. I love coming up with different ideas and to really experiment with different flavour combinations. Porridge doesn't need to be stodgy or boring, get creative, share your porridge bowl creations online. My inspiration definitely comes from The Happy Pears morning snapchats so make sure to follow them @thehappypear.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe post, make sure to tag me in your re-creations!

Love Rouxella x

Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies.

Hello Guys and Dolls,

Since its the Christmas season I can finally get my Christmas baking started and boy have I started on

a high. The day after I finished my exams I got straight to baking these melt in the mouth 'Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread'. I got the Shortbread recipe off a very close friend but I just had to add something to make it even that more christmassy. And whats a better combo than Cranberry and White Chocolate? I really couldn't tell you..

These are so easy to make and take no time at all. What I love most about these shortbreads are how fragile they are, they just melt in your mouth as soon as you take a bite. They feel so smooth and luxurious and they are definitely an indulgent treat. Perfect for this time of year. They can be made into a normal sized cookie which makes around 14-16 cookies or else you can make small little cookie bites which should make around 40.

This recipe as you can tell for my adaptation is that it is so versatile. Other flavour combinations include Pistachio and White Chocolate, Chocolate Orange, Cinnamon and Raisin, Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate, the list is truly endless. You could even dip half the baked Shortbreads in Melted Chocolate and leave to set. That would be glorious, I must try that out myself.

These would also be perfect as a homemade gift to that someone special whether it is a boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, parent, grandparent. I absolutely love giving homemade baked goods as little gifts to show my appreciation of them being in my life and who doesn't love receiving food as a present? everybody loves baked treats.

Ingredients:

175g Self Raising Flour
125g Cornflour
50g Icing Sugar
225g Soft Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Cranberries

Half/1 Bar of White Chocolate

Method:

• Pre-heat your oven to 160C. Whizz all ingredients in a food processor or even by hand in a kneading motion(which is what I did) into biscuit dough.

• Once it’s a soft dough, roll out with your hands into log (you can take portions of it and do it this way). 

• Cut off pieces and roll into a small/medium ball depending on what you prefer and with a fork dipped in cold water, flatten slightly. Into the oven on a flat baking tray on top of baking paper for 13-15 mins (lightly golden brown). 

• Once baked move onto a wire tray using a spatula or palette knife (they will be quite delicate and may break up when moving them - gently does it).

• Leave to cool for as long as possible before storing them in a lunch box and into the fridge.Leaving them in the fridge stiffens them up a bit without them losing the mouth melting aspect.

I hope ye enjoyed this blogpost and that it encourages ye to bake as soon as ye end reading this blogpost.

Love Chelsea x