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Success Does Not Happen Overnight, but Oatmeal Does!


Have you had the chance to try overnight oatmeal?  When we first discovered it, we will admit, we were skeptical.  Cold oatmeal?  It's not cooked?  What?  Being open-minded, we decided to give it a try, and the result?  We were blown away!

Overnight oats are very similar to muesli, which was developed by a Swiss physician and pioneer in the nutrition world.  His original recipe included oats, apples, milk, nuts and lemon juice and he credited it as contributing to significant health improvements in his patients.

With the holiday season fast approaching, we wanted to share some more about this fantastic idea of overnight oatmeal, as it's a great, quick & easy way to prepare breakfast for your family and guests.  Plus, on those crazy-busy mornings, breakfast is ready for you to just grab and go!  It is also great other times of the day, as a pre- or post-workout snack, afternoon pick-me-up and even for dessert!

With overnight oats, the ingredient combinations can be anything you can dream up!  Plus, you can incorporate some great seasonal flavors (peaches and pecans during the summer, pumpkin spice during autumn...you get the idea!).

Want to make mornings a little easier?

Mornings are typically so chaotic, it can be tempting to grab a bowl of cereal, a frozen waffle or a donut or muffin on the way out the door.  Unfortunately, many of these options quickly turn to sugar and leave us hungry by mid-morning.  See our Better Breakfast coaching tip for some delicious and healthy ideas.

Why oats?

The beauty of oats is they keep us full and help keep our blood sugars stable.  Our coaching tip on oats describes why they are so good for us:

Think of oats like a cholesterol sponge, sopping up bad cholesterol.  To get the full picture on this, visualize a cop (police, fuzz, boys in blue — no, not the Royals).  Big, strong and full of fiber.  Plus, they help get rid of the bad guys...in this case, the bad guys are bad cholesterol (or LDL).  Oats will bind to the LDL (handcuff them, throw them in the back of the car and haul them off!), helping to remove them from your system.  The result?  Lower LDL, along with reduced risk of clogged arteries and heart disease.  Since oats are a whole grain, full of fiber and slow-digesting carbs, they help you feel full longer and help stabilize blood sugars.  For these reasons, oats have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease, prevent Type 2 diabetes and even reduce the risk of certain cancers!

Tips to help make your overnight oats easy and delicious:

The formula!  There is a basic formula you can use if you are new to overnight oats...plus, this simple formula makes it easy to whip up an overnight oatmeal without feeling like you have to "follow a recipe!"  You can adjust this formula based on your preferences to find the consistency you like best.

Overnight Oatmeal Formula:

 

Oats + Liquid + Yogurt (optional) + Nutritional Boost + Sweetener + Fruit + Optional Add-ins

For 2 servings:  1/2 cup oats + 1/2 cup milk (your choice of milk, such as skim, 2%, soy, coconut or almond milk) + 1/2 cup plain yogurt (optional) + 1 Tbsp chia seeds + 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey) + 1 cup fruit (frozen or fresh) + 1/4 cup of add-ins such as nuts, coconut flakes, nut butter, dark chocolate chips, etc.

  • Magical ingredient -- chia seeds!  Because chia seeds absorb so much liquid, they help give overnight oats a great texture!  Chia seeds don't really add any flavor, but in addition to helping provide a great texture, they are a nutritional powerhouse...each gram contains more Omega 3s than an equal gram of salmon, more potassium than bananas, and more calcium than milk!

 

  • What kind of oats?  Most people will probably like regular, old-fashioned rolled oats the best.  Instant oats tend to get too mushy.  If you prefer a chewier texture, you can use steel cut oats...but you will definitely notice the chewier texture.  (Zonya says, use half steel-cut oats and half old-fashioned oats for the perfect texture!)

 

  • Mason jars!  A half pint size mason jar is perfect for a single serving, so for a grab-and-go breakfast, these are ideal!  You can prepare the oatmeal in a small or medium-sized bowl, and then transfer to your mason jars for individual servings.

 

Two of our favorite overnight oats are the Carrot Cake Overnight Oatmeal and Scrumptious Swiss Oats.  Both are absolutely fantastic!  The ingredients work perfect together to provide amazing taste and texture...plus they are good for you!  Both of us (Krista and Zonya) have served these at lunch-and-learns and other events and people consistently provide rave reviews!

 

 

Other flavor combinations that are worth trying include:

  • Mixed berries, pecans, coconut, maple syrup - try the Mixed Berry Nut Overnight Oatmeal.
  • Apple, pecans, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup - the Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal is perfect for Fall!
  • The Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oatmeal includes banana, nut butter, walnuts, and dark chocolate chips (no additional sweetener needed)!
  • Tropical (mango / kiwi / pineapple, pistachios, coconut)
  • Mocha (cocoa powder, fresh brewed coffee, banana)
  • Black forest (cherries, cocoa powder, coconut, dark chocolate chips)

What are your favorite overnight oatmeals?  We would love to share your ideas with Eat REAL America members!

 

 

 

 

 

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9 Responses to Success Does Not Happen Overnight, but Oatmeal Does!

  1. Just tried the pumpkin tiramisu oats and loved them. Thanks for making breakfast fun and healthy! (And I do love eating healthy breakfast recipes at other times of the day!)

    • You are so welcome, and we are glad you enjoyed these as much as we did! Tiramisu is one of my husband’s favorite things so we loved the idea of pumpkin and tiramisu all in one! It really is ideal ANY time of day – thank you!

  2. So, you know how I’ve said this gets my creative juices flowing. Well, I start with the creamy chocolate oats from the Neopolitan, add fruit, coconut and nuts for a chocolate sundae version. I‘be made it with drained pineapple tidbits or cut up mandarins. I also add less syrup or honey to these. They are yummy! But now I want to try the Black Forest oats!

    • We LOVE how this gets your creative juices flowing – that is what keeps us inspired, thank you! The chocolate from the Neapolitan oats is so yummy they would be the ideal base for so many ideas! Please let us know what you think of the Black Forest is you try that version!

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