Waking up in winter isn’t easy, I’m reluctant to get out of my bed and my mind is telling me to stay curled up in my fluffy doona, snooze my alarm and oversleep. But let’s be real – I don’t have time for that!

To curb the bad habit and get my day started off on the right track I need to plan my day – and when I say plan my day, I mean plan breakfast as an incentive to face the chilly morning.

As the temperature drops our bodies crave a nourishing warm start to our day. This recipe is a powerful porridge to sustain and warm your body enabling you to take on the world, or whatever your day throws at you.

My Quinoa Coconut Porridge is a great option for breakfast at home or even on the go. I chose to use quinoa because it is a complete protein which means it contains the 9 amino acids our body needs, but cannot produce for repair, also an excellent gluten free option. I top mine with a berry chia jam I make at home and fresh fruit – you can alter the flavours to suit you or whatever you have readily available at home.

What you will need:

1/2 cup quinoa

1.5 cups coconut milk

Coconut nectar

Jam

Banana

½ tablespoon Coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ tsp ground cinnamon

What to do:

In a strainer rinse the quinoa under cold water

On a medium stove cook quinoa with coconut milk, this should take no longer than 20 minutes

While quinoa is cooking add in coconut sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.

As this cooks away on the stove prepare your fruit for the top. Either use fresh fruit or caramelize a banana with coconut sugar under a grill until it is golden brown.

Time to plate up your winter warming porridge, topped with your favourite fruit or jam.

Healthy hormones tip:

Did you know that what you fuel your body with can help you curb the cravings around your menstrual cycle and reduce your PMS symptoms! Complex carbohydrates like quinoa, oats or sweet potato are high fibre, rich in protein and will help keep you fuller for longer – destroying those nasty mood swings and reduce your carb cravings.

Quinoa is rich in tryptophan – which is a precursor to that feel- good neurotransmitter serotonin. This means adding foods like quinoa to your diet will help increase the absorption of tryptophan, which in turn stimulates serotonin production.