Cocoa Banana Cauliflower Porridge – Toddler breakfast

A super yummy and nutritious breakfast for your toddler that you would love to taste too!!

Let’s start the morning in the best way with a breakfast full of nutrients = vegetables (hidden, yes, but still there!!) + vitamins + fast digesting carbs and proteins…and a lovely chocolate flavor that will make your little one smile at first sight!!!

This recipe is lovely for toddlers (12 months up) or, if you want to serve it to your little ones (+9 months), simply skip the cocoa and chocolate 🙂

I have to say a huge thank you to my Instagram friends Martha (@organicfoodforkids) and Kayla (@thefamilyfoodproject) for making me hop on the #veggiesforbreakfast train. If you don’t like the idea of starting the day in a savory way with a veggie omelette, there are still so many creative ways to incorporate vegetables in a sweet breakfast!!! And today’s recipe is one of many.

I started from a traditional oat porridge recipe and I added cocoa powder to give that distinct chocolate taste that kids love. I also added riced cauliflower to the oats to give the veggie touch to the recipe. Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable that it’s soooo easy to sneak in thanks to the color, the creamy texture and the easy to blend flavor. The key ingredients for the best result of this recipe are: banana + coconut milk. That’s where the sweetness comes from to balance the cocoa bitter taste and reach that chocolaty flavor. Also, to add more nutritional value to the recipe, I added one tablespoon of almond butter for more protein. You can also add peanut butter, but I love the not too strong taste of almond butter.

The recipe can be easily prepared in less than 15 minutes!!

A quick parenthesis about cocoa and chocolate. You could ask: can I give chocolate to my baby? and to my toddler?

The main concern about giving chocolate to your baby is related to the added sugar and the caffeine amount in it. The combo acts like a strong stimulant for your baby and it might cause over excitement, increase heartbeat, make her feel alert and uncomfortable. If the chocolate consumption is regular it can also have consequences on the sleeping and eating routine and on the brain functioning. Your baby’s body is still tremendously developing and chocolate would simply be too much to process.

To be sincere chocolate contains many sugars for little nutritional benefit. And those not needed sugars can in the long term result in tooth problems or poor oral health. That’s why the usual recommendation is to wait after one year to introduce chocolate in your baby’s diet.

Ok, but what about unsweetened cocoa powder?

Unsweetened cocoa powder doesn’t have sugar in it (good!) but still contains caffeine. That being said, the amount of caffeine is so low that I felt comfortable giving it to my two kids when they were toddlers. Also, consider that cocoa powder is only one of the ingredients of a recipe, so the final amount of caffeine your little one is going to absorb is even smaller.

Here you are some numbers to give you an idea. By the way, to find the nutrient profile of each food, I rely on the Canadian Health Department “Nutrient File” Database https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/newSearch-nouvelleRecherche.do?action=new_nouveau

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder = 12mg caffeine

1 chocolate brownie (25/30gr.) = 1-4mg caffeine

1 bar dark chocolate (40gr.) = 27mg caffeine

1 cacao nib = 22mg

1 cup tea = 25-45mg

1 cup cappuccino = 45-75mg

1 cup coffee = 100/170mg

Let’s now go back to our yummy breakfast recipe.  Simply add the oats, the riced cauliflower and the coconut milk in a sauce pan. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir frequently so that the porridge doesn’t stick to the pan. You will obtain a grainy creamy mix. Turn the heat off and let it cool down a bit. If this consistency is simply too lumpy for your toddler, easily puree everything in a food processor or using and immersion blender.

In a cup mash the ripen banana and add the cocoa powder with the almond butter. Mix well.

Combine the banana mix with the porridge. Serve warm and add any topping of your choice. Today I went for kiwi + dark chocolate chunks + coconut flakes. YUM!!

You can store the porridge in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3/4 days or freeze it for 4/5 months.