The FastDay Forum

I used to have porridge with 1% milk and a drizzle of honey for breakfast for years. I added stewed apple, cinnamon and yoghurt sometimes. Often a banana, often dried fruit and chopped nuts. I thought I was being so good! Can you imagine the calorie count of that little lot? I haven't had porridge since I started 5:2. I no longer have breakfast but oh I miss my porridge. It is so good for you. Maybe now I am a mainteneer I might have it as an evening snack. I eat so well these days and only when I'm hungry so I'm really not sure how I could fit it in. I still make it for the family for breakfast. I zap it in the microwave with my eyes still closed.

@Wendy Darlling you could try the Graze porridges - all under 170cals and various flavours http://www.graze.com/uk

Love the idea of it done in a crockpot @MLCDz might try that!
Am i the only one who generally makes and prefers porridge made with water? Then a swirl of milk or cream on the top?

I see I made a mistake in my recipe. There should be 3/4 cup water in addition to the 3/4 milk.

What is the solution if it doesn't agree eg like gluten intolerance. Agree porridge is wonderful would have it but for not feeling well after eating it.

Wow a trip down memory lane. Grew up in the 50's with daily porridge made on water but if lucky got a turn at a dollop of the fresh cream scraped from the raw milk from our jersey cow dad milked and then we sweetened with brown sugar. Or honey. Great for you if you if no gluten intolerance

On my non-fast days I have oatbran. I put 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup oatbran. pinch of salt and cook it in the microwave for 1 min,stir, microwave 30 seconds, stir, another thirty seconds and it's done. You have to watch that it doesn't flow over. I think the Quaker box says 1/3 cup of the oat bran for the same amount of water but I like it a little runny. It's very quick and of course, healthy for you. I eat it with a sprinkle of raw sugar and half banana.

Wow, I never realised porridge needed soaking or cooking for so long! I'm wondering now if I am using some sort of proceseed oats. http://www.flahavans.ie/index.php/site-structure/main-menu/our-products/porridge-oats/porridge-oats/flahavans-jumbo-oatflakes-500g/180
I thought I was using the unrefined stuff but I never cook it for more than a couple of mins in the microwave and often eat it raw.

I mix through a little cold water and then microwave it just to heat it through. I then top it with a low fat yogurt or cinnamon & dried fruit. For the kids I add a splash of whole milk (to cool it for them) and a half spoon of hot choc powder. I think that is lower in sugar than most of the processed cereals? It keeps us going for ages.

For a 100cals: a handful (10g) of oats into a 0% fat yogurt is quite satisfying.

I also use these oats as the basis for my own museli: I throw in about 10g of mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, ground flax) and a little dried fruit for sweetness.

I used to have porridge with 1% milk and a drizzle of honey for breakfast for years. I added stewed apple, cinnamon and yoghurt sometimes. Often a banana, often dried fruit and chopped nuts. I thought I was being so good! Can you imagine the calorie count of that little lot? I haven't had porridge since I started 5:2. I no longer have breakfast but oh I miss my porridge. It is so good for you. Maybe now I am a mainteneer I might have it as an evening snack. I eat so well these days and only when I'm hungry so I'm really not sure how I could fit it in. I still make it for the family for breakfast. I zap it in the microwave with my eyes still closed.

@Wendy Darling You know how you say you didnt have it since 5:2, how about your feast days...porridge should be able to be a part of a "normal eating day" in our WOL, or that's how I understand it.

So even if your not in maintenance yet you should be able to have it.

Wow, I never realised porridge needed soaking or cooking for so long! I'm wondering now if I am using some sort of proceseed oats. http://www.flahavans.ie/index.php/site-structure/main-menu/our-products/porridge-oats/porridge-oats/flahavans-jumbo-oatflakes-500g/180
I thought I was using the unrefined stuff but I never cook it for more than a couple of mins in the microwave and often eat it raw.

I mix through a little cold water and then microwave it just to heat it through. I then top it with a low fat yogurt or cinnamon & dried fruit. For the kids I add a splash of whole milk (to cool it for them) and a half spoon of hot choc powder. I think that is lower in sugar than most of the processed cereals? It keeps us going for ages.

For a 100cals: a handful (10g) of oats into a 0% fat yogurt is quite satisfying.

I also use these oats as the basis for my own museli: I throw in about 10g of mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, ground flax) and a little dried fruit for sweetness.

i know what you mean .. i thought oats are cooked for 5 minutes tops, and i used to do it for 1 minute and I even used to add it raw to my muesli which i prepared and ate straight away (as opposed to bircher). its not like Kidney beans and chickpeas and split peas that need soaking i thought. So surprised about the slow cooking method by @MLCDz.

On my non-fast days I have oatbran. I put 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup oatbran. pinch of salt and cook it in the microwave for 1 min,stir, microwave 30 seconds, stir, another thirty seconds and it's done. You have to watch that it doesn't flow over. I think the Quaker box says 1/3 cup of the oat bran for the same amount of water but I like it a little runny. It's very quick and of course, healthy for you. I eat it with a sprinkle of raw sugar and half banana.

Is oatbran different to oatmeal or rolled oats?

I got the crockpot recipe from a diabetes educator a few years back. Because its the steel cut oats, it needs a lot of cook time. Wheatberries also take a while to soften up. It really does come out creamy, yet has texture & chewiness from the grains. Lots of fiber too, so a cup keeps me full a long time. I am always surprised @ how many differtent types of textures & styles oatmeal comes in. I like Kashi hot cereals too, very toothsome & satisfying..

My husband loves loves loves oatmeal/porridge. He eats a huge serving (3.5 to 4 servings) every morning that I make it. He's 6'4" and still has a pretty high metabolism (even at age 72)! I've changed to steel cut oats and soak them overnight in the fridge. Then you just heat it through, no extra cooking required.

The recipe I use is:
1 c. steel cut oats
4 c. water
4 Tablespoons crunchy natural (peanuts & salt) peanut butter (sounds weird, but is really good and sticks with you; got it from "Flat Belly Diet").
about 1/4 c. dried cherries
For my husband:
3.5-4 c. served with about 1/2 c. fresh berries (or chopped apple or other fruit), about 1 T. chopped almonds, and a bunch of low or nonfat cold milk.
For me: about 1/4 c. cooked oatmeal topped with 1/2 c. berries, 1 T. chopped almonds, 1/2 c. plain non-fat Greek yogurt and about 1/2 t. Splenda/brown sugar baking mix. With 14 pistachios, I find this oatmeal very filling; holds me until lunch.

My husband loves loves loves oatmeal/porridge. He eats a huge serving (3.5 to 4 servings) every morning that I make it. He's 6'4" and still has a pretty high metabolism (even at age 72)! I've changed to steel cut oats and soak them overnight in the fridge. Then you just heat it through, no extra cooking required.

The recipe I use is:
1 c. steel cut oats
4 c. water
4 Tablespoons crunchy natural (peanuts & salt) peanut butter (sounds weird, but is really good and sticks with you; got it from "Flat Belly Diet").
about 1/4 c. dried cherries
For my husband:
3.5-4 c. served with about 1/2 c. fresh berries (or chopped apple or other fruit), about 1 T. chopped almonds, and a bunch of low or nonfat cold milk.
For me: about 1/4 c. cooked oatmeal topped with 1/2 c. berries, 1 T. chopped almonds, 1/2 c. plain non-fat Greek yogurt and about 1/2 t. Splenda/brown sugar baking mix. With 14 pistachios, I find this oatmeal very filling; holds me until lunch.

both recipes sound yum. what does "steel cut" mean. and is what im buying steel cut? (rolled oats usually from Aldis.. and the Macro porridge mix i mentioned in first post from WWs. )

I tend not to weigh everything but go by rule of thumb, I also use shot glasses to measure everything out as a shot glass full is roughly 1 portion size that stays under 100 cals and makes for a good breakfast even on fast days! so my way of making is:
1 shot glass of oats, semi skimmed milk and water,
when it's all done i add 1 teaspoon of sweetener.

Makes for a lovely brekkie, and can add more if more folks want some, 1 shot per person (or 2 if ya serving a bottomless pit!) I make mine the night before and stick it in the fridge ready to go on the hob straight away that morning,

@Juliana.Rivers - steel cut oats, rolled oats and the instant kind all started from the same oat but were processed differently (more processing in the rolled oats and even more in the instant kind), and the more processed the oats are the cooking time will be less ... here is an excerpt I copied from the Internet explains the different kinds you can buy.

The purists say steel cut are best for you because they are the least processed

Who knew that something as simple as porridge could be so co complicated!

Steel-Cut Oats - We get steel-cut oats when the whole groat is split into several pieces. Simmered with water, steel-cut oats retain much of their shape and make a chewy, nutty-tasting porridge.

Rolled Oats - Whole grains of oats can also be steamed to make them soft and pliable, and then pressed between rollers and dried. The resulting "rolled oats" re-absorb water and cook much more quickly than whole groats or steel-cut oats. When a recipe calls for "rolled oats" or the packaging mentions it, they generally mean the thickest rolled oat, which retains its shape fairly well during cooking.

Old-Fashioned Oats - The source of much confusion, old-fashioned oats are actually the same as rolled oats. You'll usually see them called "Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats" on packaging.

Quick or Quick-Cooking Oats - These are oats that have been pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They cook more quickly, but retain less of their texture.

Instant Oats - Pressed even thinner than quick oats, instant oats oats often break into a coarse powder. They cook the quickest of all and make a very soft and uniform mush (erm...for lack of a better description).

Edited to add the link http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-diff ... cut-138355