The Perfect Winter Breakfast

I am not one of those people who can't eat in the morning. I wake up with a growling stomach and among the first three thoughts in my head is, "What's for breakfast?" I can't wait to eat.

There are a handful of things I have for breakfast, weekday or weekend, usually involving some combination of granola or cereal, yogurt or milk and fruit. Or maybe some good bread, toasted with some PB and jam.

In cold weather, I'm partial to oatmeal. It's a great whole grain and it's easy to find locally grown, organic varieties. But it presents a few problems.

First off -- the better tasting (and better for you) the oatmeal, the longer it takes to cook. Steel cut oats take about 20 to 30 minutes on the stove top and I don't give myself lots of time to linger in the morning. You can make it ahead, put it in the fridge, and heat it up day by day, but then I'm committing to having it several days in a row and I like some variety.

Then there's the question of protein. A bowl of stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal, while full of fibre and other good things, doesn't really give me a protein kick, which, I've learned, is important. And fibrous as it is, I'm always looking to get an extra boost of that, too.

Lucky for me, the perfect solution arrived in my email inbox this winter by way of a newsletter from my naturopath, Dr. Joanna Thiessen, at George Street Naturopathic Medicine in Waterloo.

In her newsletter, Joanna shared her Winter Breakfast Recipe, a great porridge that mixes oats with bran, flax and ground nuts and seeds. It's oatmeal but with a boost of extra fibre, protein and omega-3s. And -- most exciting of all -- it doesn't need to be cooked! You soak it in milk overnight and just warm it up when you're ready to eat.

I've been eating Joanna's porridge a few times a week now for the last few months and have shared the recipe with a few people, including my mom, who is also hooked, and who recently made a batch to take to a friend she was visiting for the weekend along with a copy of the recipe. (Something a little different than the token bottle of thanks-for-having-me wine).

I have been so chuffed about the porridge that I thought it only fair that I share the recipe with you, so I emailed Joanna this week to find out the particulars on why it's especially good for us.

"It's very high in fibre," she explained, "particularly soluble fibre. This is primarily due to the oat bran, but also the oats and ground flax."

Soluble fibre lowers cholesterol and keeps the heart healthy. Then there's the insoluble fibre from the flax, which keeps the bowels working nicely.

As for the protein, that comes from the ground almonds and sunflower seeds.

"Protein is essential for proper functioning of our immune system, and also helps to keep our blood sugar stable," Joanna said. "Eating protein in the morning will also get our metabolism and energy production off to a good start, and this is very important for helping us to maintain a healthy body weight."

And so, without further delay, here's the Winter Breakfast Recipe. I know spring (mercifully) officially arrives today but let's not get carried away and think we won't have any more mornings that don't have us hankering for a warm breakfast. Plus I think this would be good cold in the summer months, topped with fresh berries and a bit of extra cold milk.

A trip to the bulk food store will stock you up on most, if not all, of these ingredients. I bought the sunflower seeds whole and ground them myself in a food processor.

Winter Breakfast Recipe

4 cups oatmeal

2 cups oatbran

1 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup ground sunflower seeds

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Store in a container in the fridge. Joanna says to use it up within four weeks but I think I've had mine slightly longer than that and so far, so good.

To prepare, scoop 1/3 of a cup of the mix into a bowl (I use 1/2 cup scoops -- I told, you, I'm hungry in the morning!) Pour enough of the milk of your choice (cow, rice, almond, etc.) overtop to cover it, and, if you like, add dried or frozen fruit. Refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, just heat it up. Joanna, being a naturopath, suggests warming it in a pot; convenience wins out for me in this case and I just use the microwave. Add a little more milk at this point to loosen it up, if need be.

Top with maple syrup or honey to taste (both great because they're natural sweeteners).