We have been digging overnight oats at our house lately! It's an easy way for me to make my hubby breakfast he can take to the office, because lets be honest...I'm ALWAYS asleep when he walks out the door. We have made some we loved, others leave something to be desired. So the good ones are the ones you will see here. My other go-to one is the Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats. In our trials of different oats, I have found I need texture. I can't just have oats with mashed up bananas. I need chunks of fruit, or nuts, or both. Hence this one made the cut! It was super yummy...in fact I got a text the morning after I made it from the mister saying "these oats are super good!" So there you go...husband approved ;) Enjoy!
Strawberry Almond Overnight Oats
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon strawberry jam (plus more, if desired)
2 teaspoons honey, or more to taste
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
4 strawberries
In a jar or bowl, combine oats, almond milk, chia seeds, jam, and honey. Stir until well combined and all the oats are covered in liquid. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
For serving: warm oats in the microwave, if desired. Add almond butter and little more jam and stir just slightly so that you can see the swirls. Top with sliced almonds and strawberries.
Recipe Source: Julie's Eats and Treats
I am always on the hunt for new healthy options for meals and snacks for the fam. I was excited to see this recipe with healthy oil and honey as a sweetener. It is delicious on it's own, over yogurt, and I am excited to try it over ice cream when I'm feeling indulgent :) It's super yummy and you won't feel guilty eating it. Win-win!
Ultimate Granola
6 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. wheat germ
2 c. coconut
1 c. peanuts or cashews (I use roasted peanuts)
1 c. slivered or sliced almonds
1 c. pecan pieces
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 c. coconut oil
1-1/2 c. honey
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Heat coconut oil and honey in microwave safe bowl until melted. Pour over oat mixture. Stir well. Divide mixture onto 2 cookie sheets and spread out into an even layer. Place on separate shelves in oven and cook 6 minutes. Swap the two pans places and cook 6 more minutes. Stir well. Put back in oven for 6 minutes, swap and cook 6 more minutes. Stir well. Turn oven off and place pans back in oven and let cool. This may take overnight. Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Leah Young's Instagram :)
I feel like I have been going through old-fashioned oats by the bucketful lately. There are much worse things I could be consuming, I suppose ;) Anyhow, this last weekend we headed out to our favorite berry patch to get our first dibs on this season's blueberries. We also got 30 pounds of cherries, which we froze most of, and some dang delicious strawberries.
I've had overnight oats pinned for years on my breakfast board and thought it was high time I tried them. They fit in perfectly to my new ways of eating, are filling, and lets be honest-dang delicious. My favorite is fresh fruit in these (enter my previously stated blueberries). I am really excited to try the other 20 varieties I've had pinned! The Mr. also gave this one 2 thumbs way up :)
Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice, or water)
1/2 of a medium-large banana, mashed
2-3 Tbsp. fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
Mix all ingredients up and place in a 1/2 pint mason jar. Cover and place in fridge overnight. Top with extra blueberries in the morning, and breakfast is served!
Recipe Source: Another Root
I have been so happy about my progress over the last 7ish weeks. I followed the 21-Day Fix meal plan fairly closely for a few weeks, and since then I have just been doing my own thing. If anything else, it gave me a better idea on what portions should be and how much of certain food groups I should be eating. My weight loss has slowed, but I am still losing while not counting containers either. I have still been eating many 21-Day fix meals, just not worrying about the container counts.
So, during my whole pregnancy I am pretty sure the only thing I ate was sweets. No joke. Cookies for breakfast, pudding cups for snacks, and lets just say I stocked up on Halloween and Christmas candy (yikes). Cutting back on sweets has been hard, so what I've tried to do is find healthy alternatives. Frozen grapes work sometimes, and my Shakeology holds of my morning cravings, but in the afternoon or after dinner I need a little something. Enter energy balls. I have been so happy with these! My kids have been requesting these over cookies, and since they are filled with things like flax, chia, what germ, and small amounts of sugar, I am glad to have these for them for after school snacks or an on-the-go breakfast.
Try them. You will like them, especially cold out of the refrigerator. YUM!
Here's some benefits to some of the components of these balls:
Peanut Butter- Full of protein, fiber and potassium. Gives you an energy boost.
Oats- Filling, whole-grain, full of fiber and so much more!
Honey- Natural sweetener and full of vitamins.
Flax Seed- High in Omega 3, full of antioxidants and vitamins.
Chia Seed- Full of Iron, Omega 3, and even more vitamins and minerals.
Wheat Germ- Boosts immune system, full of nutrients.
Monster Cookie Energy Balls
½ cup creamy Peanut Butter
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup old fashioned oats
⅓ cup ground flaxseed
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
optional: 2 Tbsp. wheat germ
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup mini M&M's
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes then roll into balls. Keep energy bites stored in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer.
This recipe can easily be adapted to your preference. M&M's can be omitted and substituted with your favorite nut or dried fruit etc. I usually add shredded coconut instead.
