Apple Spice Porridge
Jump to recipeThis Apple Spice Porridge is made with nothing but whole food ingredients. Every single ingredient offers nutritional benefits and will leave you feeling full and satisfied after eating. Not to mention, it’s also lick-your-bowl delicious. There’s no better way to start the day!
If you are counting calories then a sugary breakfast cereal like Lucky Charms may seem appealing. After all this “frosted toasted oat cereal with marshmallows” only contains 110 calories for 3/4 cup bowl while also providing 10% of your daily vitamin A and vitamin C needs. Or perhaps a bowl of Fruity Pebbels sounds better? Not only does one bowl only contain 110 calories but it claims to provide 11 essential vitamins and minerals while also being gluten-free, low in fat, cholesterol-free, and a good source of vitamin D. From a calorie perspective it seems like there isn’t anything wrong with pouring a bowl of standard American breakfast cereal but the reality is that nutrition is not measured by calories. Starting your day out with a low calorie, low fat, high sugar breakfast leads to increased cravings, blood sugar, abdominal fat and inflammation. It’s time to rethink our idea of “breakfast bowls”!
The Perfect Breakfast Bowl
A simple rule of thumb that I like to go by is to look at move your eyes to the ingredient list before looking at any of the numbers on a nutrition facts label. The ingredients listed in Fruity Pebbles look like this: Rice, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Coconut And Palm Kernel Oils), Salt, Contains Less Than 0.5% Of Natural And Artificial Flavor, Red 40, Yellow 6, Turmeric Oleoresin (Color), Blue 1, Yellow 5, Blue 2, BHA (To Help Protect Flavor). It pretty much boils down to 110 calories of sugar and artificial dyes. On top of many of these ingredients being artificial dyes and chemicals, they are pure sugar (with no fat and protein) that will send your blood sugar levels soaring, leading to inflammation, abdominal fat and feelings of hanger about two hours later.
If you are able to move on from the “low calorie, low fat” way of eating, you will serve your body in so many amazing ways! This Apple Spice Porridge is made with nothing but whole food ingredients. Every single ingredient offers nutritional benefits and will leave you feeling full and satisfied after eating. Not to mention, it’s also lick-your-bowl delicious. The fat content is higher than a bowl of Fruity Pebbles but that doesn’t translate to gaining weight. A new study in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology compared people following three different eating plans: low-fat; higher vegetable fat (from olive oil) with unrestricted calories; and higher nut intake with unrestricted calories. After five years they found that there was no significant difference in body weight and waist circumference among all three groups of people. The group consuming olive oil lost the most weight, about 2 pounds compared to the low-fat group that lost 1.3 pounds. The study findings suggest that low-fat diets are not serving people as well as we once believed, and the artificial dyes and sugar are absolutely not helping anyone.
Apple Spice Porridge Benefits
If you are looking for a nutritious breakfast bowl that contains healthy fats, plant based proteins, and fiber then give this Apple Spice Porridge a try. The cashews and hemp seeds in this recipe provide a good source of nutrition and research supports that consuming 7+ servings of nuts per week is associated with a lower risk of all cause mortality, compared to those who ate no nuts. Likely the benefits are due to nuts ability to stabilize blood sugar with the protein, fat, and fiber in addition to all of the naturally occurring micronutrients (unlike those found in Fruity Pebbles) such as magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins. Start your day off right with this rich source of fat, protein, fiber and micronutrients that will set a healthy tone for your day!
If you are looking for more blood sugar balancing recipes, checkout The Being Collective, my meal planning and coaching program that’s designed to help you improve consistency without putting so much thought into what you’re making for dinner each week. By joining The Being Collective, my dietitians and I help you create a weekly plan for you and/or your family with hundreds of recipes that are blood sugar balancing, an automated grocery list and a meal prep plan. We would love to welcome you into our community!
Apple Spice Porridge
Ingredients
- 1/2 c cashew butter
- 1/3 c full fat coconut milk (refrigerate for 4-5 hours before)
- 1 c unsweetened almond milk
- 1 serving vanilla protein powder
- 1 medium apple, diced
- 1 c frozen cauliflower rice
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add cashew butter, full fat coconut milk, almond milk and protein powder to a blender. Blend ingredients until smooth.
- Add the blended mixture to a pot on the stove over high heat.
- Stir the mixture continuously until it comes to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and continue to stir for the next 2-3 minutes, until it becomes thick.
- Add the diced apple, cauliflower rice, hemp seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Continue to stir for an additional minute.
- Divide into two servings.
Nutrition Facts
Apple Spice Porridge
Serves: 2
|
Amount Per Serving: 3/4 cup
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 320.1 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 24.1g | 37.1% | |
| Saturated Fat 7.3g | 36.5% | |
| Trans Fat 0g | ||
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0 | |
| Sodium 604.9mg | 25.2% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 20.5g | 6.8% | |
| Dietary Fiber 3.1g | 12.4% | |
| Sugars 10.2g (Added Sugar: 0 g) | ||
| Protein 10.5g | ||
| Vitamin A 1% | Vitamin C 10% | |
| Calcium 3% | Iron 18% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
BeingBrigid