Have yourself a yummy breakfast in two easy steps with this Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oat Parfaits. With the fibre and whole-grains from oatmeal, the antioxidants from the raspberries and the protein from the greek yogurt this breakfast recipe will keep you satisfied for hours!
Last week when I was in Minneapolis, Lee and I had the chance to skype with my girl Megan. We were chatting about blogging (duh!) and Megan shared that one of the reasons she gravitates to both of our blogs is because she really relates to our sense balance. We’re ladies who “aren’t afraid to add chocolate to [our] oatmeal”. It was at this point that I turned to Lee and asked her if it was possible to even eat oats without chocolate?
That statement summed the three of us up in a nutshell (covered in chocolate…). We love eating healthy but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a some fun. Live a little!
This community of health/wellness/food/whatever you want to call us bloggers is made up of people from all walks of life. We each have our own philosophies on health and what’s considered balance. Adding chocolate to oatmeal is mine.
Some people will hate on me for the grains, or the dairy or even the sugar in the berries! Some of you will tell me there’s too many calories or not enough protein. Most of you are probably wondering wtf chia seeds are.
Here’s one thing none of you can argue about…chocolate.
Yes, you read that correctly. I don’t care what label you put on your diet, chocolate is 100% a part of a healthy diet. I feel the same way about wine but jury’s still out on that one.
Chocolate is rich in Flavanols, which in addition to having antioxidant qualities, have potential influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart, and making your blood less susceptible to clots (source).
Now before you go out eating ALL THE CHOCOLATE, it is important to note that not all chocolate is created equal. Well actually technically they’re created equal but they aren’t always processed equally. Sometime the processing of the bean ends up killing the flavanols, which strips the chocolate of its nutritional-powers and other times it’s laden with sugar and milk to get rid of the bitterness, which totally defeats the health purposes of eating chocolate.
Fortunately there are awesome chocolate options out there that are minimally processed and free of additives so you can continue on your merry chocolate eating ways. Your best bet is to reach for the dark varieties, which are likely to be higher in flavanols.
If you’re really looking to get some serious bang for your flavanols, CocoaVia makes a chocolate supplement, which is rich in all the awesome benefits that chocolate has to offer. They actually use a patented process called CocoaPro which allows them to gently handle the beans while also ensuring all of the cocoa flavanols remain in tact. It also makes an awesome addition to smoothies, chocolatey drinks or these Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oat Parfaits!
Further proof of why Lee and I might be onto something with chocolate in our oatmeal!
PrintChocolate Raspberry Overnight Oat Parfaits
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: No-Bake
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats (GF if necessary)
- 1 tbsp of Unsweetened CocoaVia (about 1 packet) or Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1–2 tbsp pure maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
- 1 cup greek yogurt of choice
- 1 cup raspberries
Instructions
- In a jar combine rolled oats, cocoa powder, chia seeds, almond milk and maple syrup.
- Seal jar and give it a good shake before storing in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- To serve, put a 1/4 cup of greek yogurt into each bowl or cup, top with a 1/4 cup of raspberries and then a 1/4 of the oatmeal mixture.
- Repeat process until both bowls or cups have been filled.
What’s your philosophy on balance? Do you consider chocolate healthy?
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16 Comments
Cait
February 9, 2019 at 5:36 amCould you use regular milk for this recipe? Also, could i use frozen raspberries? This recipe sounds amazing 🙂
Shauna A
April 18, 2016 at 9:10 amMade this on Sunday for my breakfast meal prep of the week. It’s so delicious! Very refreshing. I didn’t find the oats sweet though (I used a lighter ED Smith syrup instead of maple syrup maybe that’s why), but the raspberries added a perfect sweetness! Next time I would add in a bit more syrup or maybe sprinkle on some sugar in the oats mix.
On another note, do you think I could bake the oats a little so that I could get them crunchy? Or would that mess up the oats/not work?
Davida Kugelmass
April 18, 2016 at 9:38 amHi Shauna! So happy you enjoyed. Yes, the lighter maple syrup may have affected the taste, but feel free to add more to your level of sweetness 🙂 As for baking, I wouldn’t anticipate that they would get crunchy unless you baked them like granola, but then it’s a whole other recipe. If you’re feeling adventurous, go for it! But I haven’t tried it myself 🙂
Ann
May 27, 2015 at 11:10 amI just had overight oats with dark chocolate this morning 😉 And I considere dark choclate (85%+ for me) healthy, for the reasons you’ve already pointed out, but also for “mental health”! I made it my mission to have a piece of dark chocolate every day now to get all the benefits from it alll the time. It’s also supposed to benefit workouts!! If that’s not a health food, I don’t know what is. 😉
Thalia @ butter and brioche
May 16, 2015 at 3:21 amYou definitely have inspired me to put a little more thought into my usual breakfast routine. I have to make these overnight oat parfaits!
Cassie
May 15, 2015 at 10:12 amYummy yum yum! This is perfect for the summer! I love chocolate and raspberries!
Davida Kugelmass
May 15, 2015 at 5:00 pmme too!!
Megan @ Straight From The Jar
May 15, 2015 at 9:25 amHAHA. This is the best. Moderation is totally defined by oats and chocolate obvs. Jarrifying this ASAP. You’re da best.
Davida Kugelmass
May 15, 2015 at 5:01 pmyou da besttttt. Oats + chocolate fo life!
Davida Kugelmass
May 19, 2015 at 9:59 pmI love that jarrifying is now officially a word haha
Davida Kugelmass
May 19, 2015 at 9:59 pmsorry just had to share that 😉
Megan @ Straight From The Jar
May 20, 2015 at 12:02 amLOL. It’s totally a word. Imma jarrify everythaaaaaang!
Amanda @ Slimplify Life
May 15, 2015 at 8:34 amI completely agree, I’m all about everything in moderation. If your body is craving chocolate, let it have it, but just don’t go cray! 🙂
These look delicious, I cannot wait to try them!
Davida Kugelmass
May 15, 2015 at 5:01 pmAgreed 😉 And now since chocolate is healthy, all the more reason to eat it 😉