Pumpkin Porridge Recipe

November Recipe of the Month 

by Dina Griffin, Sport Dietitian at eNRG Performance

Pumpkin Porridge

As the weather begins to change to cooler temperatures in many parts of the country, some athletes tend to gravitate towards starting their day with warmer breakfast foods.  Some of us also desire comfort breakfasts which have a pleasant aroma, rich set of flavors, and give a ‘warm the bones’ type of feeling. Enter into the picture the pumpkin porridge!  

Although porridges typically contain a grain as the base (such as oats or rice), this recipe is using nutrient-dense pureed pumpkin instead.  Additionally, porridges often are high in added sugars and are low in fat and protein content.  You’ll find this recipe quite different in that sense and hence, will be more filling yet still provide a good energy boost for the day ahead.

Pumpkin Porridge (1 serving)

Preparation time: Less than 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c pureed pumpkin

• 1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk (from carton; can certainly swap for whole coconut milk)

• 1 Tbsp almond butter

• 2 tsp chia seeds

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 10 grams of protein from your protein powder of choice (Thorne vanilla whey protein isolate used here, ~2.5 Tbsp)

• 1/2 oz (or 2 Tbsp) chopped pecans

• 1/4 c flaked unsweetened coconut

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

In a small pan, mix together pumpkin, coconut milk, almond butter, chia seeds, and pumpkin pie spice on medium or medium low temperature for 5 minutes.  Stir a few times while heating.

1. As the mixture begins to simmer, stir in protein powder and pecans.  Heat further if needed.

2. Spoon mixture into serving dish. Top with flaked coconut and cinnamon and serve.

Nutritional information:

• 450 kilocalories

• 24 grams carbohydrate

• 14 grams fiber

• 20 grams protein

• 35 grams fat

• 1:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio 

Enjoy this twist on the classic porridge recipes and feel free to experiment with different ingredients to find your favorite mix of flavors to satisfy!

Bonus tip: You can make a big batch of this recipe by multiplying the amounts appropriately and then put into several storage containers in the refrigerator for the week ahead. This tastes great cold too!

I would love to hear how you liked this recipe. Feel free to reach out via email.
--Dina