As the days are getting longer and very slightly warmer, porridge appeals to me less and less in the morning. I imagine it is purely psychological and that I simply associate porridge with dark, gloomy winter mornings. The problem is that porridge is one of the best ways to start the day: it is healthy, releases its energy slowly and keeps you feeling full for longer.
I’ve tried many different breakfasts in my time: pancakes, bacon sandwiches, various things on toast and very occasionally last night’s Chinese pork noodles. The only breakfast that seems to come near porridge for keeping me full – and here we are talking about a sensible workday-morning-sized breakfast, not a weekend brunch – is a smoothie.
A few weeks ago I was rabbiting on about Pip & Nut nut butters and I shall give nut butter another mention now. Combining a table spoon of nut butter, be it peanut, almond or any other, with a banana and about 300ml of unsweetened almond milk creates a lovely smoothie for first thing in the morning.
A tablespoon of nut butter averages around 15g of protein so it is a good addition to your diet. Obviously, avoid if you can those with palm oil and try to get pure nut butters to make you – and the planet – healthier.
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This is a quick, easy and healthy breakfast – it takes about two minutes to peel the banana, pour the almond milk, add the nut butter and whizz together – that can be improved however you see fit; some like to add oats for extra bulk, others avocado or additional fruits, others chia seeds and flax.
It is a versatile addition to your morning routine and will give you a spare ten minutes in the morning (compared to making porridge) so you can make the most of the early light and go for a run, or simply take those moments to read the paper and remove some of the rush from your morning routine.
I realise I’m not telling you anything new, but sometimes things are worth repeating when they make sense.
Basic recipe – if you can even call it that
Blend together the following:
1 banana
1 tbsp of nut butter
300ml of unsweetened almond milk (adjust to your thickness preference)
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