Power Porridge

It's an age old story. 

Everyone's been there. 

It's that moment when you begin to feel a little bit hungry.The room is silent; heads are down, frantically scribbling away at something. You feel a slow growl beginning to form deep inside your stomach. Panic. Shuffle papers, whisper, shift in your seat - anything to create noise and distraction.

But despite all of your best efforts, you just know that it's going to happen. Oh yes - the dreaded stomach rumble. You glance at the clock again (how can there still be twenty minutes left?), drop a pen on the floor - maybe that will make time speed up a bit - whilst all the while slowly resigning yourself to the fact that, at some point, a snarling beast will awaken inside you and will not be quiet, despite all of your attempts to suppress it.

And there it is. A deep rumble, a troll-like groan - or, as some others have put it, a whale mating call. It bubbles up inside you like a fountain and it erupts like a wounded animal. You look up in horror, powerless to do anything except issue a grimace at the rest of the room who are staring at you in a mixture of disgust, amazement and surprise.

However you wish to describe it, I'm sure you can all empathise with this situation. You didn't eat anything for break, and now you're paying the price.

But sometimes, break is just not on the cards. For me, music practices have to take priority, or occasionally a quick trip to the photocopier and so a good breakfast is essential - especially as we come into exam season! My longest exam lasts for two and a half hours and therefore I have to make sure that I am well-prepared in order to avoid any embarrassing rumbles.

The solution is porridge - good, old fashioned porridge that fills you up until lunchtime. Admittedly it's not something I would have hit upon for a summer breakfast (we should be eating grapefruit and pastries instead) but it is substantial, healthy and so good for you. 

I've already posted a recipe very similar to this - but I've tweaked this one around a little to make it a little less wintery (i.e. no cinnamon, as much as that killed me, and more seeds for an energy boost). The pictures are much better too. Oh, the early days of blogging! 

Power Porridge (serves 1)
1 banana, halved
5 tbsp ready-to-cook oats (e.g. Readybrek)
Milk
Handful dried cranberries
Handful of mixed seeds
Drizzle of honey or maple syrup (optional).

1. Mix the oats with milk in a heatproof bowl until it is fairly runny. Microwave at 600W for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the microwave. Add half of the banana and mash it into the mixture. Give it a good stir round and microwave at 600W for another 1 1/2 minutes.

2. Remove from the microwave and scoop into a bowl. Top with sliced banana, cranberries and sprinkle over the seeds. Drizzle a little bit of honey/maple syrup over the top if you want it a little bit sweeter. Leave to stand for a minute or two before eating.