This Chocolate Porridge is made with rolled oats and cacao and is rich, creamy and delicious and guaranteed to hit the spot. Not too sweet, easy and quick to make, great for snack leftovers or breakfast the next day, and full of nutritious ingredients packed full of fibre, magnesium, whole grains, and antioxidants.

I make mine vegan and dairy-free by using almond milk and I just love it with a teaspoon of peanut butter swirled in at the end, then topped with lots of different textures like berries, banana, coconut flakes, nuts and seeds and buckinis ….The options are endless!

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Chocolate Porridge

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 cups your choice of milk I used almond milk
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• pinch sea salt
• 2 tbsp raw cacao mixed with 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1.5 tbsp maple syrup or you can use rapadura or coconut sugar
• 1/2 tspn vanilla extract

Instructions

• Pour the milk and 1/2 cup water into a saucepan. Add the oats and sea salt and bring to boil. Reduce to a light simmer and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
• Whilst this is cooking, add the cacoa powder and 2 tablespoons hot water into a small bowl and mix to create a smooth paste.
• Add the cacoa paste, maple syrup and vanilla extract, to the oats. Mix well to combine and keep simmering for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally so the porridge doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Take off the heat but leave covered for a few more minutes to achieve more creaminess.

Notes

If the porridge is too thick for you liking just add extra liquid, a little at a time.

Adjust sweetener as necessary to suit your tastebuds.

You can also add in half a mashed banana for extra, natural sweetness in the last 5 minutes.

See my comments above for my favourite healthy topping ideas. 

This porridge is even tastier the next day so be sure to make extra for leftovers! 

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my recipe ebook getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Other breakfast recipes you might like:

Berry Smoothie Bowl

Strawberry and Coconut Crumble 

Golden Honey and Ricotta Wraps

Delicious and creamy. Sweet, satisfying, and quick! How healthy are these bowls really?

Smoothie bowls are fruit-based which means while it’s all-natural sugar they can contain far more servings of fruit than you’d typically eat in one sitting. In its blended form, the fructose hits the bloodstream quickly and all at once. All that fructose can spike insulin and get you riding the blood sugar roller coaster.

And because smoothie bowls are carbohydrate-based you can end up hungry again very soon after.

The trick is to make sure there is enough protein, fat, and fibre to balance out the carbs and get a slower release and stable breakdown in the body.  This is why I always recommend including things like nuts, seeds, yogurt, and protein powder to slow down that fast release.

Smoothie bowls topped with lots of fruit are popular and make the bowl look very pretty and Instagram worthy but I try to limit the fruit toppings for more fat and protein-based toppings like nuts, seeds coconut flakes or shreds and my homemade granola.

The same goes for your regular ol’ smoothies like this Choc-Banana Nut Butter Smoothie and Ginger Mint and Green Apple Smoothie. 

In the recipe below you’ll see how I make my smoothie bowls with one of our favourite combinations.

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Berry Smoothie Bowl

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup your favourite frozen berries or you can replace berries for frozen mango
• 1 banana, frozen and sliced
• ¼ cup mixed raw cashews and chia seeds or macadamias and almonds work well too
• 2 tbsp natural or Greek yoghurt
• 1 scoop protein powder optional
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/4 cup milk of choice add extra if needed

Toppings

• 2-3 tbsp homemade granola
• 1 tbsp coconut flakes or shredded coconut
• fruit sliced paw paw, banana, berries or your fruit of choice (optional)
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tbs peanut butter optional

Instructions

• Blend up nuts and seeds until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low until smooth
• Serve into bowls with toppings

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration take a look at my ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes. It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved and take the guess work out of what delicious, healthy food to make your kids for lunch!

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Other recipes you might like are Anti-oxidant Smoothie and Super Smoothie. 

Once you’ve given this recipe a go, try a different combo of Notella and Banana Wraps. Yum!

Get the kids in the kitchen to help make them!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh, and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Raw Honey
Nut butter
Cinnamon
Coconut Oil

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Golden Honey & Ricotta Wraps

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 8 slices of Mountain Bread
• Raw Honey
• Fresh Ricotta
• Banana sliced
• Nut butter
• Cinnamon
• Coconut oil ghee or butter for frying

Instructions

• Lie Mountain Bread on kitchen counter
• Spread honey and nut butter at the end of each slice
• Next spread the ricotta cheese
• Place slices of banana on top
• Sprinkle with cinnamon
• Roll it up remembering to fold in the ends as you go
• Heat coconut oil, ghee or butter in large frying pan on medium heat, when hot fry the rolls for approx 3 minutes each side or until lightly golden.

TO SERVE

• Allow to cool slightly and serve warm with a side of sliced fruit or berries

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration take a look at my popular ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar-free, sweet and savoury recipes that have all been kid-tested and approved, and take the guesswork out of what delicious, healthy food to pack your kids for lunch!

If you make this recipe and share on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise, feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook.

Some other easy breakfast ideas you might like are Gingerbread Smoothie and Brenda’s Big Batch Bircher Muesli. 

When we start thinking outside the cereal box, homemade granola makes a wonderful, delicious breakfast option.

The bought stuff is mostly high in sugar with industrialised oils and lots of other less than ideal ingredients, so just don’t go there!

This version has wholesome goodness by the mouthful. Filled with fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals galore from the oats and coconut flakes, healthy saturated fat from the coconut oil, protein from the nuts and seeds plus texture and that all important crunch, the cinnamon balancing out your blood sugar.

Granola is pretty forgiving, you can tweak and change to suit any taste. I personally go for a more less sweet, more crunch vibe, but go ahead and add in some sultanas or goji berries if that takes your fancy.

Serve as cereal with your favourite milk, or with yoghurt and fresh fruit. My kids also love grabbing it by the handful as an easy snack. You can also make this lunchbox friendly by using just seeds instead of nuts. Or my favourite way is as a parfait including chia pudding and fruit in the layers. This breakfast keeps me full until dinner time!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh, and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

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My Favourite Homemade Granola

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free whole rolled oats
• 3 cups coconut flakes/chips
• 1.5 cup mixed nuts chopped - I love a mix of brazil nuts, hazelnuts, cashews
• 1/2 cup mixed seeds - I love pepitas sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds
• 1/2 cup sulphur free chopped apricots or you can use dates
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup maple syrup or raw honey- or add sweetness to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160 C
• Line two baking sheets with baking paper
• Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
• Add coconut oil and sweetener and stir well
• Spread the mixture over the two baking trays
• Place in oven for 15 minutes until edges start to golden, then stir around and pop back in oven for another 5-10mins or until golden brown. Stir a couple of extra times during cooking if necessary.
• Keep in Mason jar in cupboard or fridge for up to 2 weeks.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my recipe ebook getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar-free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Check out this post for other delicious ‘think outside the cereal box’ breakfast ideas

Bren x

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One way I like to up the quota of vegetables for my whole family is by including vegetables for breakfast.

Not only does this jumpstart our day with a boost of nutrients, but the phytochemical-rich foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds start pumping through our bodies right from the beginning of the day.

Initially, when I help clients to start thinking outside the cereal box, typically we start moving away from things like boxed cereals, vegemite or nutella on toast and breakfast drinks like Up & Go. Depending on the family, we may move towards muesli, bircher muesli, porridge, notella on sourdough. Then start including recipes like smoothies, banana bread, parfaits and breakfast ice-creams.

It’s when I suggest vegetables for breakfast that I get the most resistance. “Vegetables for breakfast!! We would never eat that!”

There are some really simple, non-confronting ways to ease the whole family into the idea of eating vegetables for breakfast. Here are a few examples of breakfast ideas which are rotated in my house:

Placing an egg with a side of sausage on a bed of baby spinach and chopped tomato, capsicum and cucumber;

Haloumi on sourdough toast with avocado, baby spinach and tomato slices;

Open omelette with rocket, chopped tomato and avocado;

Sourdough with scrambled eggs, ham, herbs, baby spinach and tomato.

You’ll note the ‘realness’ of these photos, no fancy plating up during rush hour!!

Need some more inspiration? Here are some delicious recipes for you to try.

Ginger, Mint and Green Apple Smoothie by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Shakshouka with Tomatoes, Feta and Peppers by Yummy Inspirations

Veggie-Loaded, Super- Nutrient Primal Pizza Omelette by The Holistic Nutritionist

Garlic Mushroom Omelette Wrap by Well Nourished

Carrot Cake Pancakes by Well Nourished

Cauliflower Toast by The Holistic Ingredient

Sweet Potato Bruscetta by Vegan Sparkles

Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Vegetables by Salus Southern Highlands

Enjoy!

This quinoa porridge is choc-a-block full of goodness with just about all the ingredients containing powerhouse immune-boosting properties such as protein and zinc, iron and fibre, Vitamin C, lauric acid and so much more. And it’s gluten-free!!

The recipe makes enough for breakfast for two days. I just stash leftovers in the fridge and add more water to heat it up the next day. It’s so grounding and filling I can often skip lunch and just settle for an early dinner instead!

Just a little note to please try to buy your quinoa from Australia if you can, as there’s a sustainability problem in Peru, they can no longer afford to buy their own quinoa : (

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

White quinoa
Coconut Oil
Salt
Coconut Milk 
Dried Figs
Medjool dates
Cinnamon Powder
Cardamom Powder
Nuts & Seeds
Coconut flakes

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Spiced Quinoa Porridge

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 2

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• pinch sea salt
• 1 tablespoon yoghurt or whey
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spices like cardamom nutmeg, cloves
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 - 2.5 cups coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons orange blossom water optional
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
• 1/4 cup chopped Turkish figs and Medjool dates
• Sprinkle of cinnamon and cardamom
• 1/2 cup mix of nuts and coconut flakes raw or roasted (I love pistachios with this dish)

Instructions

• Soak the quinoa overnight in warm filtered water, a pinch of sea salt and a tablespoon of yogurt. Rinse very well in the morning. This is to release all the bitter saponins and make the quinoa more nutritious and digestible.
• Warm the coconut oil in the saucepan, add the quinoa and mixed spices and toss for a couple of minutes.
• Add in the water and cinnamon sticks.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, with lid on for approx 10 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk and orange blossom water, vanilla, dates and figs. Stir through and simmer on a very low heat for 5 minutes.
• Serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder and the nut and coconut flake mix.
• Enjoy!

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my new recipe ebook which is getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life.

Other  recipes you might like are Pimped Up Oat Porridge and Breakfast Rice Porridge.

Well, there are a few healthy versions of the Nutella recipe floating around, and I’ve played around with them and tweaked the living daylights out of these recipes to finally create my family’s favourite version.

We all think it’s much tastier than the commercial Nutella, and it’s much healthier too, using healthy oils, sugars and no artificial flavours. What’s more, as you’ll see, sugar is not the main ingredient in this recipe.

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Notella

Chocolate Spread

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or brown rice syrup or raw honey, add another tablespoon if you prefer it sweeter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coconut cream

Instructions

• Warm the nuts up in the oven then remove the skins by rubbing the nuts together in a tea towel. (To be honest I skip this step because my kids don't complain about the taste or texture but you may not want to risk it).
• Place nuts in a food processor and blend until smooth. This can take a few minutes.
• Add cacao powder, sweetener of choice, vanilla, cinnamon, and coconut cream.
• Whizz up all ingredients.
• Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Notes

Thermomix Instructions
Whiz hazelnuts on Speed 9 for 1 minute
Add cacao, sweetener of your choice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, coconut cream, and mix Speed 6 for 30 seconds.
Push down the sides, and mix Speed 6 for 20 seconds.
Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Double the recipe and store in the freezer. 

We love our Notella:

• spread on sourdough toast for breakfast or a snack
• spread over apples or bananas
• mixed with natural yoghurt
• spread on spelt and buckwheat pancakes
• mixed with warm milk for a hot chocolate
• eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek.

Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life.

Other ‘think outside the cereal’ breakfast ideas you might love are Strawberry and Coconut Crumble and Egg Muffins.

Take a look at my FREE breakfast ebook below. The recipes will be sure to make your morning’s shine!

Bren x

And it’s packed with all the beneficial ingredients needed to feed the gut bacteria, making for a happy digestive system : )

Swiss nutritionist Dr. Bircher-Brenner believed that the raw, natural ingredients of his muesli brew (brewsli!) would have healing properties for his patient’s health.

Bircher Muesli was born!

Soaking the oats and nuts and seeds overnight reduces the phytic acids. This not only makes them more digestible but also allows the body to absorb the nutrients more efficiently.

This is my family’s favourite homemade combination for bircher muesli, which is jam-packed full of goodness and a great way to start the day. There’s some in the fridge right now!

Got picky eaters? The Fussy Eating Bundle was created to help as many parents as possible instill positive eating habits in their children and provide a lifelong joyful relationship with food, thus creating peaceful, stress-free mealtimes. FIND OUR MORE HERE.

This is a big batch that will be enough to last for breakfast, snacks, and lunchboxes for the week. Top it with My Favourite Homemade Granola recipe to add some texture and crunch.

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Brenda's Big Batch Bircher Muesli

A delicious breakfast option to make mornings run smoothly.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 5 x cups of rolled oats
• 3 x cups of milk or coconut water or a combination of both
• A couple handfuls of almonds
• A couple handfuls of sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
• A couple handfuls of sultanas
• 2 x cups of natural yoghurt
• Juice of one orange
• 1 x grated apple
• A good shake of cinnamon
• A good pinch of vanilla powder

Instructions

• Mix all of the above together, cover and leave pop into the fridge overnight.
• In the morning, serve with extra milk and/or yoghurt, fresh seasonal fruit and a swirl of raw honey or pure maple syrup.

Notes:

* Fresh fruit is a fabulous source of fibre and has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. In this recipe, I use grated apple, which is packed with vitamins like A, B1, B2, and C, as well as minerals like calcium, potassium, iodine, iron, and phosphorous.

* Oats can be powerful in lowering cholesterol and, therefore, fighting heart disease. Oats contain insoluble fibre which lowers blood sugar and control diabetes.

* Nuts and seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with numerous health benefits including the development of the nervous system and reducing bad cholesterol. They are also are a great source of protein which is important for building and repairing muscles.

* Chia seeds deserve a special mention as they are highly nutritious and a natural source of Essential Fatty Acids, a great source of fibre, full of antioxidants, protein, amino acids, essential minerals, and vitamins.

* Yoghurt provides good bacteria for the digestive tract, is a good source of protein, and is loaded with vitamins like calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium.

So let’s think outside the cereal box and enjoy this nutrient-rich, healthy wholefood breakfast that is exploding with goodness!

Other breakfast recipes you might like Date and Walnut Bircher Muesli and Spiced Quinoa Porridge.

We literally throw in a bit of this and a bit of that. But there are some constant main ingredients which provide a combination of nutrients which are going to keep us healthy and strong.

Within minutes we can blend up a healthy breakfast or snack which couldn’t be further from the processed white bread or sugared-up cereals often consumed for breakfast. It’s clean, it’s live, it’s delicious & nutritious!

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Almond Milk/ coconut water
Raw honey
Raw cashews
Cinnamon
Vanilla powder

Here’s one of my family’s favourite combinations:

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Super Smoothie

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 6 minutes

Servings 4

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 3 cups of milk coconut water & flesh or almond milk (your preference)
• ½ large ripe avocado has a neutral taste but thickens up the smoothie to an ice-cream like consistency
• 2 small frozen bananas broken up
• 1 – 2 scoops of frozen raspberries
• 1-2 teaspoons raw honey optional
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup natural yogurt
• Handful of raw cashews
• A nice pinch of cinnamon
• A pinch of vanilla powder optional
• Ice

Instructions

• Pop all these ingredients into the blender
• Blend & taste (the fruit, bananas and cinnamon usually provide enough sweetness for our family, but if you need a little extra, add the raw honey or some medjool dates)
• Pour and enjoy

Notes

Overipe bananas & mangoes can be frozen and used in smoothies
Freeze smoothie overnight, pop into lunchbox in the morning, should thaw by lunchtime : )

Check out these 6 health benefits you and your family will get from the wonderful nutritious ingredients:

1. Coconut – the water is low-calorie and high in electrolytes, the meat has healing properties because of it’s high lauric acid content
2. Natural yogurt – is a high-quality protein, is rich in vitamins and minerals & is a wonderful natural probiotic
3. Nut butter – great source of protein, good fats and dietary fibre
4. Cinnamon – provides flavor and natural sweetness, digestion and good for blood sugar levels
5. Avocado – It’s considered a superfood and contains good fats & has beautifying qualities
6. Raspberries – are low GI and jam-packed full of anti-oxidants

Why not whizz up this smoothie to a lick-your- lips experience! Or create your own version this week and drop me a line and let me know your favourite combinations.