By Emily
During our stage 4 Melbourne lockdown, I’ve been looking for new recipes to try. I stumbled upon ‘overnight oats’ and I haven’t looked back. It quickly became my favourite recipe. I make this up to 2 times a week!
It is such a quick and easy meal to make the night before, ready for breakfast or lunch for the following 2 days! What I love about ‘overnight oats’ is that it's like eating a healthy dessert and you can make endless different flavours!
What are overnight oats?
Essentially they are a no-cook option of making oatmeal. Overnight oats are a combination of oats mixed with milk, yoghurt, additional ingredients and refrigerated overnight. The liquids allow the oats to soften and it creates a creamy and delicious texture!
What are the health benefits of oats?
Oats are filling! Eating foods that are filling will more than likely help you to eat less calories throughout the day, therefore helping you to lose weight if you’re a snacker. Otherwise, it will help you to maintain a healthy metabolism.
They are loaded with important vitamins, minerals and antioxidant plant compounds. Good source of fibre and great for digestive health
First I’m going to share a “base” recipe. This is vanilla flavoured, it’s super simple to make and is so yum on its own! After adding the ingredients you can add any additional options to give it whatever flavour you would like! Then lastly I’ll share my favourite part, toppings!!
Ingredients:
(serves 2)
- 1 mashed banana
- 1/2 cup yoghurt of choice (I use greek yoghurt)
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (I use almond milk)
- 1/2 cup oats (preferably rolled oats)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Dash cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Sweetener of choice (maple syrup, honey, rice malt syrup etc)
Instructions:
Mix ingredients together, divide into two bowls or containers and cover. Leave in the refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours. The next morning, give it a stir, add your toppings and enjoy!
Additional ingredient options for more flavour/nutrition:
- 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1-2 tbsp nut butter (I use peanut butter)
- 1-2 tbsp cacao powder for chocolate flavour
- 1-2 scoops protein powder
- 1/2 cup fruit of choice
Topping options:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Any fruit of choic
- Yoghurt
- Cacao nibs
- Maple syrup
- Nuts of choice (I use walnuts)
- Chia seed jam
- Honey
I hope you are inspired to make this delicious meal! It’s easy to make and has tons of health benefits to it. It will leave you feeling full, while also giving you energy throughout the day.
If you decide to make this recipe, don’t forget to share it with us and let us know what flavours you come up with!
To see additional overnight oat flavours, check out:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/how-to-make-overnight-oats-recipes/
For additional health benefits of oats, check out:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal