I am not a morning person, and although I am seldom late getting to wherever I need to be, I do procrastinate and often end up running out the door before a proper breakfast. Enter: Oats 2 ways. It’s worth taking an extra 15 minutes at the end or the beginning of each day to make a nourishing and delicious breakfast that will sustain you until lunch. For the kiddos, add extra salt or honey as needed so they devour every last bite.
Regardless of whether you have kids that need to get to school or not, it feels good to get back into a routine after the lazy days of summer. Most of us are constantly multi tasking so time management skills are essential for the day to run smoothly. My husband is usually the first one up. He is super alert and hits the ground running in the morning. I on the other hand, am slow moving and not a morning person. To help function at my best I’ve gotten into the habit of rising before the rest of the family. This allows me some quiet time to get my mediation app going, have coffee, and get breakfast going.
Breakfast
Getting up a few minutes early to prepare a proper breakfast or preparing it the night before helps ease morning stress and makes for a more productive day. To prepare overnight nights I need to clean up the dinner dishes and then prepare the mixture. I say this because some of our days are ridiculously long and I don’t have the energy to do one more thing that requires I clean up afterwards. As a result I end up not being prepared the following day. On those mornings I take advantage of the many other breakfast options that require minimal prep time: hard boiled eggs, avocado toast, almond butter on toast, or microwavable oats to name a few.
You can prepare overnight oats one or two nights ahead of time and add a variety of superfoods , fresh or dried fruits, yogurt, granola, and the like. Both of my options contain steel cut oats which contain more fiber that regular oatmeal. I have another recipe (here) that’s made with “old-fashioned oats”if you want to take a peak!
Blueberry, Kiwi Overnight Oats Parfait
Feel free to use “old-fashioned oats” instead of steel cut oats. Prep time is 15 minutes plus refrigeration overnight.
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Vanilla Hemp or Almond Milk (choose between sweetened and unsweetened)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp pumpkin or pepitas
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 cup unsweetened greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup kiwi
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)
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Combine steel cut oats, seeds, spices, salt, water, and almond milk, and maple syrup in a medium size class bowl: cover and refrigerate overnight.
Smash 1/2 of the berries with a fork. If you want this to be extra sweet, add a teaspoon of your favorite jam;)
Assemble: Layer oats, yogurt, and mashed berries. Top with fruit.
Variations are endless! Pear and Chocolate: Replace the berries with sliced pear and add 2 tbsp cacoa nibs. Apple and Peanut Butter: Replace the berries with chopped able and add 1 tbsp of creamy peanut butter. Fig and marcona almonds: Replace the berries with sliced fig and chopped almonds.
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3 Responses
Such great ways to enjoy oats Leslie. We make them five days a week. Cinnamon, raisins, blueberries are what we like. I will have to try your recipes. Not only good but yours are such a pretty presentation.
Thank you so much Emily. I’ve added super foods, seasonal fruit, and steel cut oats instead of old-fashioned oats. Your version sounds delicious and the possibilities are endless!