Overnight oats have been a food trend for several years and for good reason. They are easy to make for a quick grab and go breakfast (or lunch), they are filled with fiber, protein and healthy fat so you don’t get hungry between meals, and they have just the right balance of nutrient dense ingredients.
If you forget to make them the night before, you can assemble them in the morning, take them with you to school or work and in an hour to two, they’ll be ready to eat. The consistency will be a little thinner then overnight oats but equally as delicious.
If you plan to take them with you, you’ll want to use a 16-ounce Mason jar or the same size jar with tight fitting lid. This size of a jar gives you plenty of room to stir your ingredients and is perfect for traveling.
Start with the base recipe of rolled old fashioned oats (not steel cut), milk (I suggest fat-free dairy or soymilk because both are higher in protein than other plant milks), yogurt, chia seeds and maple syrup. This simple combination is delicious as is or you can add an endless combination of ingredients to create your favorite flavors. The base recipe serves four so you will have enough to eat for the week. They store well in the fridge. This post was inspired by the overnight oats created on downshiftology.com.
A Few Hour Oats or Better Known as Overnight Oats
Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups milk of choice (see note)
1 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until combined.
- Divide mixture into 4, 16-ounce Mason jars. Place lid on jars and store in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Note: For more protein, use fat-free dairy milk or unsweetened soymilk. This recipe can be made as a single serving just reduce the amounts to 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
Flavor Combinations Pictured:
- Pina Colada: add pineapple chunks and unsweetened coconut
- AB&J: add a swirl of almond butter and low sugar jam topped with fresh berries
- Apple Pie: add chopped apples, walnuts and nutmeg
- Banana Bread: add sliced bananas, pecans and cinnamon
The blog post was inspired by downshiftology.com.
judymatusky.com
Judy Matusky, RDN, LDN 