Sunday, February 12, 2017

The original British 'nursery food' grows up. . . . . . . . .



. . . . . . but even more important, now we know so much more about nutrition,
 the old familiar phrase from British kitchens and nurseries on cold, damp wintry
 mornings, is perhaps more important for we grown up children!

Antique soup bowl Doulton's 'Chrysanthemum'  ~ Anthropologie white latte bowl ~ vintage silver monogrammed spoon ~ antique French table linens.


My almost daily breakfast is my bowl of oatmeal. Although I rarely take time
 to make porridge from scratch and admit to tearing open one of those little
 brown paper packets - Trader Joe's Maple & Brown Sugar is my favorite - I feel
  the almost instant microwave version is still nutritious. . . . . . especially
 when doctored up a bit with healthy additions, including some oat bran flakes
 as these have often been removed during processing oats.

Because I have trouble swallowing uncooked fruits (even with the thyroid gone
 over seven months the problem continues somewhat), I 'cook' my strawberries,
 banana, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, whatever I have on hand, cut up
 if large, along with the oatmeal and water. It takes a little longer - perhaps
 up to two minutes - but is really good, and very hot. I then add a dollop of rich
 creamy Greek yogurt, and today you can see a spoonful of last Summer's
 homemade fig jam as I have many pots to use up.

Because I eat a late breakfast this often is also my lunch, so I have no feelings of
 guilt with full fat yogurt (I so dislike fat free) or a little extra sugar from the jam. 
I've even got Bob eating more oatmeal lately, although he prefers his added 
fruits uncooked and adds a splash of heavy cream instead of yogurt.


Here's the link to another post I wrote back in 2012 with more about the
importance of oatmeal in our diets - and it includes a recipe for a quick breakfast
 Apple Crisp. . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . and if you are not a hot cereal lover, and I know from those older
 oatmeal posts there are some of you out there. . . . . . . here's link to a simple
 breakfast with a bowl of fruit and yogurt which is also healthy - Breakfast with Apples.

This sunny Sunday morning is quite amazing already. the clock is just striking 
9:00 AM and the temperature has already reached 50F. This afternoon we'll
be breaking the record for this date when it's due to hit 80F. 
Not exactly a 'wintry morning' here today, however I'm off to make
my porridge soon!


16 comments:

  1. Dear Mary, We love hot cereal for most of the year. Ours has 8 grains from the Health food sore. Most of the time we only add bananas and for sweetener a tablespoon of liquid CoQ10. All aimed at keeping our hearts healthy.

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  2. I love the steel cut oats and yours look delicious. That said, I rarely make them. Need to start.

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  3. Looks delicious and so pretty! I think I will head on into my pantry and see if I have some!

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  4. I eat oatmeal every morning. When I don't, I can feel the difference in my energy and my sense of being grounded.

    xo
    Claudia

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  5. That does look good, Mary. And I love your dishes and linen.

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  6. Oatmeal is a favourite of mine too. Throughout childhood breakfast from September through June was hot porridge. Summer brought lighter fare. I still think my Dad.makes the best porridge!

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  7. Your oatmeal looks delicious!

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  8. Hello dear Mary! Yum, hot oatmeal, the thicker the better as far as I am concerned! The fig jam I'm sure adds a bit of richness to the mix. Brown sugar and maple instant is also my favorite. I only just began using the instant packets since they include calcium. Usually toss in some wheat germ and dried cherries. I am an early breakfast eater but I think I might begin trying your late method and making it count for lunch as well sometimes. I could certainly do with the reduction in calories this would bring.

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  9. Your porridge looks amazing. I should give it a try. I tend to eat toast with peanut butter and jam, then some fresh piece of fruit. Sorry you are still having swallowing problems.

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  10. Like Pondside, porridge was a staple in our home in the winter. To this day I cannot stomach it. But I do like oats. I make granola regularly - very simply - with oats, cinnamon, almonds, honey and butter. Tim eats it every morning for breakfast. I sometimes have a bit sprinkled onto my yogurt (also full-fat, or 3.5%) with berries and nuts and that takes us through the morning quite easily.
    I'm glad your weather is clearing up. Bring on spring!

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  11. It looks and sounds delicious! I prefer fresh fruit on my muesli, not cooked fruit, but then I have no trouble swallowing uncooked things. When I am at O.K.'s, as I was all weekend, we have long, lazy breakfasts with freshly squashed orange juice, muesli and full-fat yoghurt on top. Most days, we skip lunch, as we prefer going out after our (late) breakfasts to catch the best daylight for long walks or hikes. Therefore, nothing better than a cereal breakfast to give us enough energy for that!

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  12. Your table looks very inviting. I once knew a man who had porridge every morning, but made with whisky instead of water or milk. He lived to a ripe old age, which proves to me the value of porridge. Or is that the value of whisky in the morning?

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  13. What a beautiful presentation! My oatmeal certainly pales in comparison.

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  14. There was no bribe on Earth that my great grandmother could come up with that would make me eat porridge. I finally ate a form of it when mama made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies lol

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  15. I am so with you on that, Mary, and do the exct same thing. Almost every morning I have hot porridge. I don;t use packets, jsut raw oatmeal in a bowl with whole almonds, raisins and sometimes a banana sliced up in it too. Then I jsut add boiling water, let it soak up about 4 mins then add a bit of milk. Works well enough and super nutritious. The only side affect, we've discovered, is that hot tea does not taste good with porridge, at least not how we make it. So, we always have to guzzle down water beforehand.

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