Mornings are tough, and often rushed, so it’s not surprising that a lot of people still skip their morning breakfast or at least not go as healthy as they should be. But there are plenty of options that you can make in advance and not have to think about again…besides how tasty it is when you get to eating. Overnight oats are one such breakfast, that can be made in single batches or enough for a couple days, and they’re not only easy to make they are a really great fuel choice for the morning with sustainable carbs and fiber to fill you up.
The other thing about over night oats, is that you can make a single serving in a jar that literally doubles as a bowl or a to-go container so you don’t even have to bother serving yourself. Here’s an easy recipe that of course can be modified in a variety of ways to suit your preferences.
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw old fashioned style oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp peanut butter
3/4 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup if you like it sweeter
Directions
Basically all you need to do is layer all of the ingredients into a jar and give it a few stirs. It’s good to get the almond milk mixed with the oats but the peanut butter doesn’t need to be completely blended in. Then you just need to cover the jar with a lid or with some plastic wrap and let it sit for six hours, and it will basically make itself into a delicious breakfast treat. Instead of cooking the oats, the soaking process softens them up in a similar way. You can also top this with sliced fruit is you want, but either way if you make it before bed it will be ready to go when you wake up.
The peanut butter is a very tasty part of the recipe, but it also adds in some protein and fat to balance out the carbs and make a more rounded meal. Peanut butter also has fiber in it, so when eaten in moderation it fits really well into any diet. (Just be sure to go with the natural kind and skip the ones made for kids that are full of sugar and other junk.) Peanut butter is also a good source of potassium, magnesium, and B6.
The fat in it is monounsaturated fat which is the healthy kind, so don’t feel bad about adding up the fat grams in a serving. (But again, stick to a single serving.) Reduced fat peanut butter can actually be higher in calories than the original since they put other stuff in it to make it taste good when they remove some of the fat. You can swap peanut butter for almond butter, or even coconut butter if you don’t do peanuts.
The chia seeds are so unassuming but packed with health benefits. Chia seeds are full of protein and have five times as much calcium as milk does. They are also a great source of both Omega-3 and Omega-6, plus potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
I would have never thought of this, I didn’t know you could “cook” oats without cooking them
Chia seeds are so on trend