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The morning rush..it seems it doesn’t matter how early I wake up I always feel rushed to get out the door. I love a breakfast that can be made ahead and is just waiting on me to grab it and go. Overnight oatmeal is one of my favorite things. It takes me a couple minutes the night before to make, I make it in the same dish or container I plan on eating it out of, it’s easy to change up the flavors, and I can make enough for two days at one time.
Breakfast is a very important meal. Some people say they are not breakfast eaters but I would encourage them to rethink skipping the first meal of the day. Here are just a few reasons why:
- Skipping breakfast is strongly related to obesity. You would think skipping a meal may actually help you lose weight but by the time you get to the next meal you are so hungry you eat more than you normally would and are more likely to eat unhealthy foods.
- Test shows that children who have breakfast perform better on test, are less hyperactive, and better behavior in school. Breakfast helps give our brain a jump start in the morning and helps to provide nutrition to keep us going all day.
I believe breakfast is also the easiest meal of the day to control and to get good nutrition. You are most likely to be eating at home and even if you are out there are more healthy options on breakfast menus. Such as oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, egg whites, and fruit. If you are looking to kick start healthy eating start changing one meal at a time. I think you will find starting with breakfast is the easiest to start with and will make you feel better all day!
I don’t know about where you are but where I am it is a rainy fall day. I love sitting on the back porch and listening to the rain and this was the perfect meal to sit down and enjoy! I flavored my coffee with a little almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. It went perfect with the oatmeal. I am hooked on the working glass cups from Crate and Barrel. Since they have lids that fit them I can use them to make my oatmeal, store leftover smoothies or any leftover for that matter, chopped veggies to use throughout the week, and homemade salad dressings! They are great for many things!
| Overnight Oatmeal |
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- 1 cup of milk (I prefer almond or coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, not quick cooking
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. raisins
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and cover.
- Place in the fridge for at least three hours or overnight.
- If you prefer it warm, just heat it on the microwave or stovetop but you may need to add a little extra liquid.
- Enjoy!
This is easily a gluten-free and vegan recipe by using the gluten-free oats and coconut or almond milk.
The chia seeds help to absorb some of the liquid and thicken the oatmeal. If you are not using chia seeds you should reduce the amount of milk but about 1/4 cup.
This recipe has daily recommended amounts of 50% calcium, 32% iron, 25% vitamin D, 50% vitamin E, in large part due to chia seeds.
26 comments… read them below or add one
Yum!!! I can’t wait to try it tomorrow!
Great!! Hope you enjoy as much as I do! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it. Enjoy!
I tried this, and it was AWESOME! Definitely becoming a standard breakfast in my household. I love that it has zero sugar (unless the type of milk you use is sweetened)! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Amy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the oatmeal! It’s a favorite here too! Have a great day! -Victoria
Hi Victoria,
So glad that I stumbled upon your site, you have just reignited me to get back to clean eating! Thank You!
I have a few questions if you do not mind answering:
What size working glasses are you using 14oz?
Where did you purchase your mason jars from? what brand are they?
What brand containers are you using to store all of your fruits & vegetables in when you do your Sunday night prep?
Lastly, write a post of day of what you eat?
Sorry to ask so many questions, but you are so inspiring.
Thanks
Mechell
Hi Mechell! I’m glad you found my site!
I do have the 14 oz. working glasses.
I ordered my mason jars online on Amazon, and I’ve also bought them at local supermarkets. I prefer the wide-mouth jars, and have them in almost every size available. I use them for everything! I recently ordered BPA-free canning lids from Tattler, http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/
The containers in my refrigerator are all different brands — some are BPA-free plastic, and some are glass. We are phasing out the plastics and buying more glass.
At some point I will do a post that talks more about what I eat on a daily basis but all the recipes on this site are the things I’m eating regularly. Oatmeal is my staple breakfast, usually a green smoothie with it and a cup of coffee. Lunch is almost always a veggie wrap or a salad (around 11am), and Dinner is usually a salad with some type of quinoa side dish, soup, or pasta (around 6pm). I try to snack on fruit and veggies and occasionally I have greek yogurt (usually have a snack around 3pm).
Hope that answers all your questions!
Thanks so much Victoria for the reply, you are Amazing!
Do you think you could substitute flax seed in place of the chia seeds? I haven’t tried chia seeds, but I do have flax on hand and have bought oatmeal with flax seeds in it before. Looks so yummy!
You could use ground flax in place of chia but I prefer chia seeds. Enjoy!
Can you use steel cut oats for this?
Yes, it should work but I have not tried it. Have a great day!
I love your webiste and recipes. Thanks so much. Oatmeal is so much easier than cooking and healthy too.
How long will these keep? I was wondering about making some on Sunday to eat throughout the week. Can I just make them in a mason jar, lid it and pop it in the fridge?
They will keep three days. You could stretch it to four, but I think three days would be best. It’s not that the ingredients will go bad, but the texture will get really mushy. Yes, I make them in mason jars all the time so they are ready to grab and go! Enjoy!!
I have been eating this for a few weeks and it is one of my favorites. Sometimes I add sweetened cocoa nibs and unsweetened coconut /blueberries. Quite a yummy breakfast.
I’ve been eating this for about two weeks, and I’m absolutely in love! You’re right, the easiest meal to change is breakfast, and once I’ve started my morning with healthy eating, I’m way more motivated to keep it up during the day
You’re such an inspiration, thank you so much for this website, it’s been life changing!
Just curious, you mention that it’s easy to change the flavours.. Any other flavours you can recommend?
Great to hear you are enjoying the oats! If you leave off the cinnamon and raisins, your options are endless! Recently, I’ve been enjoying some shredded coconut with cranberries and pecans, and my girls love when I add almonds and chocolate chips.
Love this. I’ve been making it with cranberries instead of raisins and I also add some chopped apples or pears. Delicious!!! Thank you!
This is probably a really dumb question, but do you cook the oatmeal first?
You do not have to cook the oats. Just add everything together, mix it up and let it sit overnight!
This sounds great! Can I use soy milk instead?
Sure!
This is great – found it in the Wonderful World of Pinterest. Have you ever tried it with steel-cut oats?
I have not tried it with steel cut oats. If you try, let us know how it works!
Hi!
Want to try this. Is the oatmeal cooked before you mix it with the other ingredients?
No, use the dry oats. They will absorb the milk overnight. Enjoy!