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

So I dropped everything, marched into the kitchen, and threw together a mix of tastes that would satisfy me .

But I barely got a taste before they kids piled in from school and smashed bowls of it with almond milk and raspberries.

We have since just eaten it by the handfuls, layered into parfaits, lobbed into a bowl with fruit and yoghurt, and topped it onto smoothies.

This Chocolate Crunch Granola is seriously one of my favourite things to munch on.

The recipe is quite forgiving so feel free to use your preferred mix of nuts, seeds and spices.

Here’s some more breakfast inspo in my FREE “Think Outside The Cereal Box’ recipe book. You can download it here >>>>>

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:

Rolled oats
Activated buckwheat kernels
Coconut flakes
Sunflower seeds
Pepitas
Hazelnuts
Apricots
Ground ginger
Cinnamon
Raw cacao
Sea salt
Vanilla powder
Rice syrup or maple syrup
Coconut oil

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Chocolate Crunch Granola

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup activated buckwheat kernels optional, I use Loving Earth brand. They're exy but they last forever
• 1 cup coconut flakes and an extra cup if you're not using the buckwheat kernels
• 1/4 cups sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts because I love hazelnuts and chocolate
• 1/2 cup chopped apricots I use sulphur-free and organic, you can use sultana's, dates, dried figs, but it is important to include some dried fruit as it helps to cut through the bitterness of the cacao and is just plain delicious when mixed with everything else
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch cloves
• 2-3 tablespoons raw cacao depends on your taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
• 3 tablespoons rice syrup or you can use maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted (I just put the coconut oil into a ramekin and pop into the oven while it preheats to melt)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C
• Line a big baking tray with baking paper
• Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl
• Add coconut oil, vanilla and rice or maple syrup
• Spread the mixture in the tray
• Place in oven for 10 minutes and check 2-3 times, each time stirring it around to ensure it's cooking evenly and the edges aren't burning. Total cooking time will be around 25 mins
• Allow to cool completely before transferring granola to jar or container, so you get those nice chunky pieces.

If you know someone who could use some healthy breakfast inspo, please share this recipe with them!

And please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. You know I get a kick out of seeing you make my recipes.

Here are a couple other breakfast recipes ideas you might love My Favourite Homemade Granola and Choc-Banana Nut Smoothie.

Bren x

It could have something to do with the fact that being Middle Eastern, growing up, a treat usually consisted of a Medjool date with a walnut stuffed inside. So I just love them.Yum!

You’re going to love this oat slice which is the quickest thing to make, totally scrumptious, and perfect for lunch boxes.

You may also like to check out my popular recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes, much loved by long suffering, lunchbox making parents everywhere.

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

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Oat, Seed and Date Bars

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 100 grams butter
• 1/3 cup coconut or rapadura sugar
• 1/2 cup Medjool dates chopped
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Grease and line a 9 x 22cm loaf tin with parchment paper.
• Melt butter in small saucepan, once melted keep on very low heat and whisk in the sugar until smooth.
• Turn heat off, add dates and stir through. I highly recommend dipping the finger in to make sure it tastes ok.
• Transfer to a large bowl and stir in egg and vanilla.
• Add flour, oats, chia and sunflower seeds and stir until combined.
• If mixture appears too wet, add in more oats and flour and stir through
• Pour into loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes.
• Cool in pan for 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack.
• Once cool, slice into bars and pop into lunchboxes.
• Can be frozen.

Notes

NB: If texture is an issue you can grind up the sunflower and chia seeds before adding to the mixture.

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. 

And remember, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of Easy Wholefood Luncbboxes here.

Other recipes you may like are my Raspberry Coconut Squares and the Orange and Poppy Seed Bars. 

Bren x

In this recipe I manage to skip the step of stewing the apples by simply slicing the apple thinly enough so they cook through in the oven. And adding the berries means you need less apples to peel and slice.

This dish makes another lovely well-balanced #thinkoutsidethecerealbox breakfast or dessert option, providing good carbs from the apples, berries (not to mention all the antioxidants) plus oats, good fats from the cream and butter and protein from the almonds. And it’s perfect fare to eat in the depths of winter in front of the heater with your favourite ugg boots on. Nom nom.

I make some of the topping nut free by either leaving them out or replacing them with sunflower seeds, so I can pack some of this deliciousness into lunchboxes.

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:

Ground cinnamon
Nutmeg
Spelt flour
Rapadura or coconut sugar
Oats
Desiccated coconut
Vanilla powder

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Apple and Berry Crumble (Cheat's Version)

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 3 medium green apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 cup mixed frozen or fresh berries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Cream to serve
• Crumble
• 1 cup spelt flour
• ¼ cup rapadura or coconut sugar
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract
• 150 grams butter melted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced
• Combine the apples, berries, spices, lemon juice in a bowl and pop into an ovenproof dish with 1/3 cup of water.
• To make the crumble, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
• Spread the crumble mixture over the fruit, then pop into the oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• Serve with a big dollop (or two!) of thick, fresh cream and a sprinkling of chopped macadamia nuts.

Notes

This is also delicious served cold.
Make extra crumble topping, pop on a baking tray and bake until golden brown. The topping is handy to throw on top of fresh fruit, served with yoghurt for a quick breakfast, snack or lunchbox idea. Just store in the fridge or freezer.

Enjoy!

Bren x

Real Food for Hungry Teens

Created by certified health coach, Brenda Janschek, and her hungry food son Orlando, this eBook contains a rich variety of over 20 nourishing, real food recipes designed to satisfy the tastebuds and growth requirements of developing teenagers.

As outlined in my Big Batch Bircher Muesli post, Swiss nutritionist, Dr. Bircher-Brenner was the inventor of Bircher Muesli and believed that the raw, natural ingredients were essential to health and healing. The grated apple in the muesli, for example, is choc-full of awesome vitamins and minerals, not to mention adding some chopped seasonally fresh fruit on top for a nutritious sensation! I’m not overselling it, you’ll see …

The deliciously sweet and chewy dates kind of melt into the mixture overnight. They are easily digested and contain lots of fibre and nutritional goodness which protect our eyes, skin and mucus membranes, and from certain types of cancer. The crunchy walnuts soften in the mixture overnight, and add a lovely subtle texture to the bircher once soaked.

In a nutshell (pun intended), the Omega 3s found in walnuts help us in all sorts of ways, such as protecting against heart disease and cancer, and even mental illness.

Bircher is a perfect way to start the day, makes a great snack, and is perfect for the kids to take to school.

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 which have all been kid-tested and approved and take the guess work out of what delicious, healthy food to pack your kids for lunch!

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:

Rolled Oats
Walnuts
Medjool Dates
Cinnamon

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 breakfast recipes you might like are Brenda’s Breaky Balls and My Favourite Homemade Granola.

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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.