Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal ( Overnight Oats)

Monday, April 29, 2013

I learned about the no cook refrigerator oatmeal from a  fellow blogger Daria at http://dariasdelishdish.com . The original recipes are from the Yummy Life at http://theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal .

These are so good, filling and low in calories that I have had one of the varieties for breakfast almost every day since I have discovered them. These are completely portable, nutritious and keep me full till lunchtime (rare). They are even a hit with my kids (SCORE!)  Anyway, for a full post with all the info, check out the original link. I will tell you about my tweaks and what I did/did not like as far as the flavors. And of course, there are some I am yet to try.

Essentially, what this is an overnight porridge or a muesli or yogurt oats or summer oatmeal. Whatever you call it, you will be glad you tried it. It’s cute to store/serve transport these in a mason jar but really any container, preferably glass will do.

If you are interested in 8 oz mason jars, you can purchase them through Amazon here. They are also available at Walmart, Target and others but if you are a lazy online shopper like me, check out below.
Ball 8-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12

There are many flavors of these and so for full info, you can have a look on the original link but so far these are the ones that I tried:

Raspberry Vanilla—very tasty

Strawberry Raspberry Vanilla—very tasty (not in original link though but it’s great)

Mango Almond—very tasty

Blueberry Maple—very tasty

Cherry Chocolate—tasty but I found this one slightly more labor intensive


I tried these and did not like them so not blogging about them, feel free to look at original link as mentioned above.
Banana Peanut Butter—ok but not as good as the others

Pineapple Coconut—I used fresh pineapple and it turned bitter so I did not like it.

For ANY of these flavors, you will need the below:

1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds (any brand is fine)
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (NOT instant, quick or steel cut)
I have been using Bob’s Red Mill Organic Oats with good success
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt (I have tried it with Fage Total and Chiobani, both fine)
1/3 Cup Milk (I have tried 1% milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Almond Milk, all work well)

I will list the ingredients for the above flavors separately.

Also, note that though Monica from The Yummy Life says that you can premake these and store for up to THREE days in the fridge, this has not worked for me as I did not like the texture after the 2nd day.

So what I have been doing is pre-measuring the dry ingredients for as many jars as I have (oats and chia seed) and adding the wet ingredients the night before for the next day. That’s my preference.

Let me know what you think and what flavors you have tried!


Raspberry Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Raspberry Preserves/Jam/Spread (I have been using Sarabeth’s)
¼ to 1/3 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries cut in half.

In a 1 cup jar, combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, vanilla and raspberry jam. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in raspberries. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. You can also top with slivered almonds or mix in shredded coconut.

Strawberry Raspberry Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Raspberry Preserves/Jam/Spread (I have been using Sarabeth’s)
If you have strawberry preserves, go ahead and use those.
¼ to 1/3 cup of fresh strawberries cut into small pieces

In a 1 cup jar, combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, vanilla and raspberry jam. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in strawberries . Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. You can also top with almonds or mix in shredded coconut.


Mango Almond
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
¼ teaspoon almond extract, vanilla extract also worked for me
½ teaspoon honey (or another sweetener)
¼ cup diced mango (I used frozen from Dole brand) and it was delicious

In a 1 cup jar, combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, almond extract and honey. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in mango. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. You mix in shredded coconut which I tried and liked.

Blueberry Maple
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
¼ cup blueberries

In a 1 cup jar , combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, almond extract and honey. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in blueberries. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. Also tasty topped with slivered almonds.


Cherry Chocolate
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely chopped dark chocolate
¼ cup fresh or frozen pitted cherries

In a 1 cup jar , combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, honey and vanilla. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in cherries and chocolate. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning.

As you can see in the first picture, I topped these with some slivered almonds. Totally optional.

For my other healthy breakfast recipes, check out Chia Breakfast Pudding .



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