I’m worthless if I don’t eat breakfast. You laugh, but I mean it. Without a quality, nutritious breakfast, I’m tired, unfocused, grumpy, unmotivated and a little dazed. Not fun for me, not fun for anybody else.

Actual video of me around 10 a.m. sans-breakfast.

So each morning priority #1 is breakfast.

My schedule is all over the place, so I have time to make breakfast most mornings, but that wasn’t always the case. For busier times, I love make-ahead or pre-prepped breakfasts I can just it heat up and enjoy with my coffee. Apple cinnamon porridge is one of my latest favorites.

When you look at this recipe, you might think, “whoa, this recipe makes WAY too much! Why would I make this for one or two people?”

Hold up. Hear me out. If you are regularly struggling to eat breakfast, one of the biggest tips I can give you is to plan ahead. You can make this Sunday, portion it out into containers and have breakfast for days. You can even freeze it for breakfast emergencies. You don’t have to eat it every day, but it’s nice to have options.

Why steel-cut oats?

Steel-cut oats are minimally processed, so they fill you up and keep you full. Complex carbohydrates are best for lasting energy and fullness, and that’s where steel-cut oats deliver. Your body can’t digest the sugars as quickly, so you don’t burn through it all at once and get that gross sugar crash.

Rolled oats (probably the most common form of oatmeal you see) are actually steel cut oats steamed and then rolled thin and flat. They cook quickly… but they also don’t take much time or energy to digest. That sounds great, but what it really means is that the sugars break down faster and you get hungry faster.

Instant oatmeal is even more processed. It’s rolled oats shredded up and steamed again, then dried–broken so the carbs are so simple they’re basically sugar by the time you chew them.

Beyond that, I just love the texture of steel cut oats—soft but a bit chewy. They take a little longer to cook, but it’s worth it.

Uh, porridge? Okay, fancy-pants.

Mind blowing statement ahead: technically, oatmeal is porridge. But that’s not why I call it that.

I call this particular recipe porridge because I like to use a mix of two grains. One of those is amaranth. I first had amaranth in Mexico, but it’s becoming more popular around the world. You might see it marketed as an “ancient grain” or “superfood.” I take those buzzwords with a grain of salt, but it is true that amaranth is a good source of protein, lysine and more.

Amaranth is usually considered a cereal grain, but technically it’s a seed. It’s a little bit like a finer version of quinoa, but with a nuttier flavor. When you cook them up they give a nice little pop-crunch that I really enjoy to breakup the texture of

Warm and cozy

I use two forms of cinnamon at different stages in this recipe because they have different purposes. Cinnamon sticks have a higher concentration of oil than ground. They slowly release their flavor during the cooking process, infusing the liquid and oats with a warm aroma. The ground form packs the classic punch we expect cinnamon to bring to the party.

Another perk of using cinnamon sticks is eating the oats stuck on them. The sticks keep a great flavor throughout the cooking process, and the little bits of oats that get trapped in the center are truly a delight.