Apple + cinnamon is a dreamy combination. Especially in autumn when the apples are fresh, crispy and slightly sour. These apple pie pudding oats are perfect for colder mornings when you are looking for something more comforting. If you are looking for a more refreshing start in the day, you might like this “berries and cream” version!

why does food have an comforting effect?

“Comfort foods are so comforting because they provide psychological comfort”. And my comfort foods might look very different to yours. Why you might be considering a food as comforting:

• food that reminds us of positive childhood experiences
• special foods designed for special events
• tasty foods that are easy to cart, carry, and consume
• foods that “feel good” to eat, with pleasant mouth-feel and flavor profile 

Food releases dopamine into the body, conferring rewards such as pleasure, stress relief, and warm feelings. Often comfort foods are also associated with memories of caring and love. So, eating comfort foods puts us in a pleasant emotional state.

In conclusion: Food can bring us comfort and it actually should! You should not have a breakfast that will leave you feeling super uncomfortable or unsatisfied. But turning to food should also not be the only way how to release dopamine in your body.

Other activities might me talking to friends, hugs and cuddles, going for a walk in nature, drawing a picture, practising playing an instrument, sports or dancing. Again: what feels good for your body varies from person to person. And you might need to experiment for a little while to find out ways how to experience good feelings over and over again.

the apple pie pudding oats you are probably looking for

quick comforting apple pie pudding oats

Course: breakfast, recipesDifficulty: easy

Cooking time

20

minutes

the combination of the sweet vanilla pudding, the creaminess through the melted oats and a slightly sour apple is heavenly. Perfect for colder mornings or when you are just craving something really comforting. If you try it out, don´t forget to let me know, how you liked it!

Ingredients

• 300ml water

• 170 ml (oats) milk

• 1/2 cup melted flakes (20g)

• pinch of salt

• 1 pck. vanilla pudding powder

• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

• 2 tbsp skyr/curd/…

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 grated apple

Directions

• combine the water, milk, melted flakes and pinch of salt. Keep a little bit of the mixture in an extra bowl and bring the rest to boil
• stir the pudding powder and sugar under the left-over-mixture and pour it in the pot, once the water-milk mixture is boiling – KEEP STIRRING
• the mixture should thicken up now, let it sit for another 2 minutes, before you add the curd, cinnamon and the grated apple
• pour everything in a bowl, let it cool down slightly and add your favourite toppings. I went for the other half of the apple, puffed quinoa and some raisins

Notes

• depending on how hungry you feel this gives 1-2 portions

What are your comfort foods and do you know where they are coming from?