Get these:
50g oats or oatmeal – I really like jumbo rolled oats, but whatever you want is fine, ok?
300ml milk – skimmed, semiskimmed or (OMG!!1!1!) whole – which, by the way, is still a low-fat food and not a dirty word.
1 heaped teaspoon of peanut butter – smooth OR crunchy or maybe like a completely different nut butter altogether?
1 flat tsp golden caster sugar, or to taste.
Then do this:
1. Make up the oats and milk according to packet instructions. (Newsflash: microwaved oats do not taste anything like as good as porridge that’s been cooked on the hob. I’m not sure it’s even the same breakfast. But it’s your party.)
2. Stir in the peanut butter and sugar.
3. Eat, making small squeaky noises.
4. Realise at 2pm that you haven’t been hungry since breakfast.
That sounds HEAVENLY. You just told me what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow. Genius.
Comment by Wendy — February 27, 2008 @ 10:43 am
OH yum yum yum! I love PB in porridge and my husband always says I’m a freak so I feel validated now
PB and banana totally rules, too.
Comment by redstapler — February 27, 2008 @ 11:58 am
That sounds awesome.
I’m purchasing and making for brekkie on Saturday morning. Also recommendadding golden syrup?
Comment by nuttycow — February 27, 2008 @ 1:48 pm
‘Nother quick trick – try coffee syrups, the sugar-free ones. Hazelnut is nice, for example, or a friend of mine likes almond. If you don’t want to do THAT you can do a really simply flavor boost by just adding a dollop of vanilla extract – really jazzes up oatmeal and adds NO fat. Of course… and I admit I personally think this is kinda disgusting… for my kids I sometimes (just sometimes!) would stir in some cocoa powder and a bit of sugar and… ew… a small bit of mint extract. Yes, Friday mornings were, now and then, York Peppermint Patty Oatmeal mornings. But the other two suggestions are quite nice!
Comment by Megan — February 27, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
Peanut butter and sugar taste great but surely these are the two worst things to eat when trying to shift weight?
Comment by Nevill — February 27, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
What, worse than Kentucky Fried Chicken?
Comment by Katy — February 27, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
Sorry, Nevill, I don’t mean to be facetious. If there is a “worst thing to eat”, it most certainly isn’t peanut butter. Peanut butter is just peanuts ground until the oils are released. It is high in protein and full of good fats that not only help your body perform vital functions but also provide mouthfeel, making it all in all a very efficient source of protein because you feel good after you eat it. I seem to recall remembering that it provides the same feeling of satiety and mouthfeel as chocolate, but with the added bonus of protein that keeps you going for hours, rather than empty calories. As for sugar, it’s a matter for individual judgment, isn’t it? Dieting is very hard because you’re basically fighting your own body. If you want to succeed it’s important that what you do eat tastes good. I personally loathe unsweetened porridge and I have difficulty with the idea that a teaspoon of sugar is the “worst” thing to eat if you’re losing weight. It isn’t that much in the way of calories at all (0.5 weight watchers points) and if it means you go to work having enjoyed your breakfast then I don’t see the problem with it.
But then I don’t believe in good foods and bad foods. It’s all just food. We need it to live. Food isn’t just about calories, it’s about nutrients. Our bodies need sugar. Our bodies need fat. They do stuff with it. It doesn’t all get diverted to the hips as soon as it hits the back of your throat. Most people eat too much of both, that’s true, but that goes for people of average weight too – I can’t tell you how many people I know who seem to live entirely on toast and Nutella and chocolate and alcohol yet have never had a weight problem. Or at least not so far. If you believe in restricting calories, I think it’s key to think moderation, not prohibition. Nothing gets me obsessing about a particular food like the idea that I’m NEVER ALLOWED TO HAVE IT AGAIN. But that’s just me. I can’t speak for anyone else, really.
Anyway, for what it’s worth, I think this breakfast is a nice compromise for dieters who are looking for something that will taste good and keep them satisfied until lunchtime. If you do count points, it works out at 6 weight watchers points, for anyone who counts them (of which the peanut butter is 1.5 points), and will keep you full right up until lunchtime without the need for snacks in between.
Comment by Katy — February 27, 2008 @ 6:48 pm
I do not have any golden caster sugar but I am determined to have this tomorrow. I eat breakast at 7am and I need help getting through the 10am hunger barrier and this sounds like just the ticket.
I imagine granulated or brown sugar or even honey would be reasonable alternatives.
Also, sorry to be a pest – do you know roughly how many calories 6 WW points equates to? I’m not doing the obsessive Scottish Slimmers check counting anymore but I want to makes sure I adjust my day a bit if it’s going to be a lot.
MOUTHFEEL. You are a Goddess.
Comment by Wendy — February 27, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
Sadly I cannot really comment on anything as yesterday for breakfast I had cake and buns on a tray. However, I am with Katy on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food & think one of the advantages of being able to cook (as Katy can) is that she knows how to use seasoning and small bits of things with good judgement to make large amounts of boring things taste nice.
As an aside I heard this story today about this man’s wife who lost 50lbs about 15 years ago and since that day has not let a ‘french fry’ (we are in Canada) or any other ‘bad’ food past her lips, as her theory is that food’s as addictive as alcohol and that to get over it you have to give it up together. Sounded like a load of old bollocks to me.
Sorry Wend I don’t know about the calories thing, Katy might?
Comment by non-workingmonkey — February 28, 2008 @ 4:17 am
I read the above as ‘food is as addictive as school.’
Either I need a new job or I need to stop drinking. Or possibly drink more. Much, much more.
Comment by Cheerful One — February 28, 2008 @ 8:04 am
It’s two hours after I ate my porridge, and I’m not only not hungry yet, I am still FULL. I made it per the instructions on the packet, so ended up making it with water and only a splash of milk. It wasn’t quite sweet enough for my taste, so I’ll try it again tomorrow. I might sack off the peanut butter and use extra honey. I’ll also switch the water for skimmed milk I think (I actually prefer it to semi-skimmed or whole).
This might be the dullest comment of all time. Go me!
Comment by Wendy — February 28, 2008 @ 9:11 am
My mum’s scottish, she makes it with water and salt.
It tastes rank.
Comment by Sam — February 28, 2008 @ 10:03 am
I use giant rolled oats, skimmed milk, a pinch of salt; then I put yoghurt on it (of the fat -free variety, if necessary) and a handful of seeds. Prince of Breakfasts is of course porridge with chopped banana and a bit of honey. I hate the expression ‘handful of seeds’. It makes me want to lie down.
Comment by nonworkingmonkey — February 28, 2008 @ 10:33 am
I need spoonfeeding because I am a porridge amateur. Do you use fruity yoghurt? And just a mixture of seeds? I’m determined to make myself like this stuff because it’s 11.19am and I’m still not ready for a snack.
Comment by Wendy — February 28, 2008 @ 11:19 am
hello again, i commented earlier but cocked up by using an ancient wordpress login. ANYWAY, porridge is also tasty is PB with a teaspoon of Bonne Maman apricot jam. And I know Nevill says it doesn’t sound very diety, but I find having something nutritious YET kinda sweet and gooey for breakfast means I don’t feel all deprived and whingy come 3PM when everyone else is raiding the vending machine, coz I already got a hit! Mwahaha.
Comment by shauna — February 28, 2008 @ 11:27 am
Yes, fruity yoghurt – then you get a good fruity sweet kick, and you also get something dairy-ish to cool down yer porridge a bit. And yes, a mixture of seeds, except I usually shove on sunflower seeds and some dried cranberries. But mainly I like banana and honey. Miam miam, as they say.
Comment by nonworkingmonkey — February 28, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
I say that, but my main foodstuffs for breakfast this week have been cake, bagels and coffee, that I then spill all over the table (and myself)
Comment by nonworkingmonkey — February 28, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
I think I just might have that for dinner tonight – but substituting maple syrup for the sugar …!
Comment by clarissa — February 28, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
I have porridge every day (with golden syrup, like nuttycow), but this sounds lovely – must try it tomorrow!
Comment by anxious — February 28, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
Great news!!! I think I have flu for I have ENTIRELY LOST MY APPETITE. Also, I am speeding on Benylin and about to get on a flight. Fingers crossed for trans-Canada vomming!!!
Comment by nonworkingmonkey — February 28, 2008 @ 10:37 pm
Booo Wenders I know nothing of calories so I have no idea, but try weightlossresources.com (or google Weight Loss Resources). If you want to increase the sweetness of the porridge try two teaspoons of golden syrup, which is the same as one teaspoon of sugar, or you could use a sweetener like Splenda which is much sweeter per teaspoon than sugar.
When not having peanut butter, I like a splash of low-fat evaporated milk or a small curl of low fat spread. If you’re feeling dirty you could even have a tablespoon of Nutella stirred in, which is 1.5 points and has nuts in it so also has a bit of protein going. As the Monkey says, the trick is knowing how to add just enough not-diet-food to your food to really enjoy it without going CRAZY.
Caution, though: whilst porridge is a very filling food with or without peanut butter, the peanut butter does bulk it out, my Wenderlet, so expect to feel hungry a bit earlier if you leave it out.
Comment by Katy Newton — February 29, 2008 @ 11:17 am
PS and also what Shauna said re: a bit of indulgence at breakfast going a LONG LONG WAY. What I really love about this breakfast is that it tastes as if it’s absolutely riddled with decadence. It tastes amazing, and then when you’re next hungry the chances are you’ll be hungry for something crisp and sharp, like bean salad or tabbouleh or grilled meat and salad.
Comment by Katy Newton — February 29, 2008 @ 11:26 am
I had porridge again today, and again I didn’t need to eat until lunchtime. That’s SIX HOURS WITHOUT WANTING FOOD OR EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT MUCH. This is MIRACLE food! Does everyone know about this? Had you all heard about porridge BEFORE?
I made it with skimmed milk (no water this time!) and it was perfectly creamy. I mixed some Activia Forest Fruits yoghurt in it, and there was no need for any other sweetening agent at all.
There’s no getting away from the fact that there’s about double the calories than my usual breakfast – possibly even more – but given that I’m not having to snack in the morning and not wanting as much food at lunchtime, I think it’s a worthy trade-off. I normally don’t get enough calcium in my diet, and since I’ll be 40 this year (WAIL) it’s about time I started. 300ml more milk per day is going to help that a lot – especially since it’s skimmed milk which proportionally has more calcium in it (less fat taking up space) than semi-skimmed or whole.
ALSO
I RAN UP STAIRS TODAY. I didn’t mean to, it just kinda happened. That’s got to be good, right?
Comment by Wendy — February 29, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
[...] I didn’t like it. I’d tried it as a child and thought it was awful. When Katy posted this, I thought I’d better try it because I’d probably be in big trouble if I didn’t. [...]
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