Hearty Overnight Oats

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day. I actually don’t mind waking up in the morning because I know the first thing I can do is eat breakfast! Sometimes I go for the savory stuff but usually my sweet tooth kicks in and I end up giving in.

My go-to breakfast has always been steel-cut oats. Most weeks I would make a big batch on Sunday and re-heat them for breakfast throughout the week. I was a hard-core steel cut oats fan, none of the rolled stuff for me! You see, I was under the impression that steel-cut oats were higher in fiber and protein than regular rolled oats. On the downside steel-cut oats take forever to make. Thankfully The Nutrition Diva cleared things up for me! Turns out steel-cut and old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cook) are essentially the same in their nutrient profile. Yes, steel-cut oats are slightly less processed but nothing that would make them any more nutritious. This discovery saved me plenty of time and most importantly opened me up to the world of overnight oats!

Ahhhh overnight oats. How I love thee. So simple to make and so much variety. At first it seemed I would never be able to indulge in this glorious morning treat due to my steadfast loyalty to steel-cut oats. Note: Don’t try to make overnight oats with steel-cut oats…it tastes gritty, yuck! But alas a whole new world was opened up to me and with it the absolute best way to start off your day.

There are so many ways to make overnight oats but I stick to this method which never seems to fail me. There are also many different milk, sweetener and add-in variations but why not start with my favourite hearty version? I have an arsenal of indulgent (perhaps not so hearty) versions that I also plan to feature in future blog posts….

*Note if you are gluten-free be sure to use gluten-free oats. For those of you who don’t know, oats themselves are naturally gluten-free but are often processed in facilities that produce other non-gluten-free grains and thus contamination is frequent.

And with that here is my tutorial on making the perfect, hearty overnight oats.

1. Take out all ingredients and 1 small-medium mason jar (or sealed container).

Hearty Overnight Oats

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• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 6 hours

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (plus more for next morning)
• 1.5 tsp Chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 T Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 T Unsweetened Coconut
• 1 T Goji Berries
• 1/2 Banana
• pinch of salt

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Instructions

1. 1. Place all ingredients in a mason jar or sealed container and shake well.
2. 2. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
3. 3. Heat up in microwave in the morning. Add additional almond milk if desired.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1

How is this a step up from your typical breakfast cereal? Well let’s discuss some of the ingredients…

Oats-High in both soluble and insoluble fiber, oats help regulate your blood sugar and keep you full for many hours without that dreaded mid-morning crash. They also help lower cholesterol and are a good source of many vitamins and protein.

Chia seeds- Chia delivers 42% of your recommended daily value of fiber in a single serving. Chia absorbs up to 12 times its own weight and expands to curb your appetite. Most importantly Chia is a fantastic source of omega-3 fatty acids which helps reduce inflammation in the body and improve heart health.

Pumpkin seeds– These guys are packed with iron, magnesium, fiber, zinc, potassium, healthy fats, and protein. Vegans & vegetarians use pumpkin seeds as a natural source of iron as they have one of the highest iron levels of any plant-based food.

Coconut– Due to its high medium chain trigycerides (MCTs) content coconut helps enhance the absorpotion of calcium, magnesium and amino acids, the building blocks of protein, thus aiding in muscle recovery and bone health. Plus it’s also great for your skin!

Goji Berries– Filled with powerful antioxidants goji berries can take away the destructive power of free radicals. By doing so, goji berries help reduce the risk of some serious diseases including cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as boosting immune function.

Bananas– Bananas are one of our best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Other benefits include strong bones, decreases in inflammation and improved gut health.

Do you eat breakfast? How do you fuel yourself in the morning? Give these overnight oats a try and let me know how you feel!