Berry Oats On the Go: Power Packed Breakfast in Just 5 Minutes

Recipes

Mar 1

I have never been one to roll out of bed with a ton of energy, ready to greet the day. I have always been more of a night owl. In fact, I personally feel like the bed reaches its peak comfort level about 30 minutes prior to my alarm going off. With that being said, I know that I am not going to wake up in the morning to have a balanced meal without a little preparation the night before. Along the journey of trying to find quick and nourishing options that would provide me with a sustainable energy source, I stumbled across overnight oats.

One of my favorite things about overnight oats is that there are SO many OPTIONS! I love that I can use fresh, canned or frozen fruit. I love that I can try various flavors of yogurt and toppings --- yes, let’s not forget the toppings. Before I share my latest go-to combo with you, let’s go over some overnight oat basics so that you can experiment on your own and test your creativity in the kitchen. Also, this is a great dish to have kids prepare – RDN tip: Start them young!

Oats: You can use old-fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats. I prefer the steel cut oats because it has a granola-like texture (crunch) in the morning.
Yogurt: I prefer Greek yogurt to provide a little more protein. You could also opt for regular yogurt if you prefer.
Fruit: Fresh/frozen/canned – just use what you have on hand.
Toppings: Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, walnuts, almond slivers, chia and unsweetened coconut flakes are some of the things that I have experimented with. The options are endless.
Milk: I typically use 2% milk, but any milk that you have on hand will do. You can also substitute this for a dairy alternative if you would like.

Berry Overnight Oats

Total Time: 5 minutes
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Serves: 1
Cooking Time: Overnight

Ingredients:

1 single serve Greek yogurt cup (I use Chobani Less Sugar or Dannon Light and Fit – both are to taste preference)
1 Tbsp chia seed or ground flax
1/3 cup dry steel cut oats
1/2 - 1 cup fruit (fresh/frozen/canned)
1/2 cup milk
Dash of cinnamon
Sprinkle chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a small container mix yogurt, oats, milk, chia, cinnamon, walnuts. If you are using frozen fruit, then go ahead and add this in, as well. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, the mixture will have thickened and absorbed the milk. Give it a stir and enjoy! No heating necessary!

**If using fresh/canned fruit, then I typically wait until the morning and add on top just before eating. Example: fresh banana or canned pineapple tidbits.**

I typically make 2 different combinations in separate containers so I have breakfast for 2 days. Overnight oats store well for a couple of days in the refrigerator.