To celebrate world chocolate day…… i’m starting my morning off with a warming bowl of chocolate orange porridge, any excuse to have a bit of chocolate 😉

This is a great recipe if you are wanting a warming and filling breakfast that still has a bit of a sweet hit without having a bowl of sugar laden cereal, granola or jam on toast for breakfast. By using cacao powder and cacao nibs (these are the purest form of chocolate) these foods provide an abundance of nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and iron. Cacao contains no sugar and is great source of monounsaturated fats, which your body needs to keep your heart healthy and reduce your bad cholesterol levels. I also use pure maple syrup which is a natural sugar rather than being a refined sugar, although still a sugar only a little is used in this recipe to help keep your sugar intake within the recommended daily allowance. Porridge is such a great choice for breakfast as it will help balance your blood sugar levels, its filling due to the fibre content of the oats and will help you feel that bit fuller for longer.  If your trying to eat more healthily, snack less and increase your fibre in your diet why not give this recipe a go and ditch the empty calorie breakfast cereal! Its also a great one for children too especially with the chocolate flavour as I know many kids like the sweet breakfast cereals and are very reluctant to eat porridge, as lets face it without adding nice toppings and flavourings to porridge it is a struggle to eat it plain!