Blogmas 15: Cooking For One: Keeping Porridge Fun

I don't like cereal. I think it's probably mostly to do with my dislike of milk, but even then most of it is far too sweet for me, and when I do eat it its a Fruit and Fiber, Muesli or Weetabix type of situation.

So, particularly in the winter, it's porridge (or oatmeal) for me most morning. I make mine on the hob, 1:2 oats to water ratio, boiling for about 5 minutes. You can use milk to make porridge (hazelnut milk is really delicious with it), but you still get a pretty creamy taste with just water.

Plain porridge is pretty boring, especially if you're eating it everyday, so here are a few ways I spice mine up in the morning. None of these recipes are particularly healthy - porridge is quite high calorie and I'm adding sugars and fats to it - but they will all keep you full till lunch.

Caramel Porridge - This is the porridge I have most days. To achieve the caramel taste, I rip up a handful of dried dates into my porridge as it's cooking. They just dissolve away into the mixture and are completely delicious.

Apple Pie Porridge - I chop up half an apple into my porridge as its cooking (I leave the skin on but if you want a smoother mixture you can peel them). I sprinkle in some cinnamon and a little bit of ginger and nutmeg to make this a really warming dish which replicates the taste of the dessert.

Banana, Choc Chip and Peanut Butter Porridge - This one is pretty self-explanatory. I buy a pretty big bunch of banana's when I shop, and because I never get through them all I chop them up and place them in freezer bags in halves. I use the frozen bananas in smoothies and also in this porridge. The banana's dissolve away, so they're basically just adding sweetness. I then add a teaspoon of peanut butter and a small handful of dark chocolate chips. Stir it all together and it tastes delicious.

Blueberry Porridge - Again, I use frozen blueberries for this one. I normally add a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger into this too. It almost tastes like a blueberry muffin.

PB&J Porridge - Another self-explanatory one, but I add a spoonful of both peanut butter and my favourite apricot jam into this. It also tastes delicious with orange and ginger marmalade.

What ways do you spice up your porridge? Tweet me @VickiMaitland or leave a comment to let me know!