Pear and Orange Porridge with Sunflower and Poppy Seeds

Here's a little quickie which was thrown together whilst waiting for my children to get up - but it tasted so good (even with no added sugar!) that I had to write it down so that I can make it again!

Also, it's rather healthy stuff because as well as having no added refined sugar, is made from wholegrain cereal with a nutrient boost from the seeds, and if you use almond milk it's dairy free!

Sorry, no photo of the finished article as it got scoffed down before I had a chance, so here's a quick one of the ingredients - but it does look quite pretty for porridge with the little flecks of orange zest in it, and smells absolutely divine!

Serves two, 280 calories per serving using almond milk. (If you want to reduce the calories further, skip the seeds and dates and this will reduce it to 216 calories per serving). N.B. If you use 350ml semi-skimmed milk, this raises the calories to 343 per serving.

Ingredients
[Calories in square brackets]

• 80g rolled porridge oats (check gluten free if necessary) [312 calories]
• 600ml milk/water (any milk you like, dairy or non-dairy, I use about 350ml milk to 250ml water) [175 calories for 350ml semi-skimmed milk / 49 calories for 350ml almond milk]
• 20g dried, stoned dates, finely chopped [59]
• 1 pear, cored and diced quite small (skin on) [70]
• Zest of 1/2 an orange, finely grated [1]
• 1 x 15ml tbsp sunflower seeds [52]
• 1 tsp poppy seeds [17]
• Good grating of nutmeg (or add 1/2 tsp cinnamon or a pinch of ground cardamom if you prefer) [1]

Method

1. Add all the ingredients to a small / medium pan, and bring gently to a simmer, whilst stirring. If you prefer, and your pear is nice and ripe, you can just stir through at the end, or add as a topping.

2. Continue cooking over a low heat for a further five minutes (or as directed per the oats instructions on the package) until thickened and creamy and the oats are cooked. Enjoy!

Notes
You could increase the protein and pretty it up a bit at the same time by topping it off with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, an extra grating of orange zest and some pumpkin seeds. Next time I make this, I think I'll do that and take a pretty photo!