If you follow me on Instagram, you saw my post last Saturday that marked my entry into the vast, über-customizable world of overnight oats! It took me way longer than it should’ve to jump on this delicious bandwagon, honestly, but I’m now officially a card-carrying member of the club. Woo hoo!
My initial venture required a little help from friends, so I consulted Pinterest to prep myself for my first go-round. I was inspired by a recipe I found there, so (as usual) I took it and made tweaks to it, because I’m never content just following a recipe as-is!
It really is so very simple, so the fun of my first successful batch got me hooked. Once you know the “secret” (i.e. use a 1:1 oats-to-liquid ratio), the possibilities are truly endless.
So, with the plethora of overnight oats recipes already out there, I wanted my next batch to be one that is truly mine! We do a ton of cooking, but my creativity usually is limited to tweaking (and “healthifying”) existing recipes. Up until now, my Homemade Banana Oat Bars recipe was the only thing that was 100% my own creation!
So, here it is! I’m sure it’s an absolute impossibility that I’m the only one who thought of this idea, but hey. I’m a happy camper. It came out freakin’ awesome, so I’m pretty dang pleased that I actually made a real recipe! It’s the little victories, friends.
Very Berry Overnight Oats
You’ll Need: Food processor & two glass containers (2-cup capacity or greater) with lids.
Yields: Four (8-oz jar) servings
– 2 cups rolled oats, divided (not instant oats)
– 1 cup coconut milk (or almond milk), divided {I used Silk Coconut Milk}
– 1/2 cup* organic frozen strawberries, thawed
– 1/2 cup* organic frozen blueberries, thawed
– 1 Tbsp chia seeds, divided
– 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar, divided
– 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, divided {I used SO Delicious Coconut Yogurt}
– 1/3 cup granola, divided {I used Nature’s Path Organic Love Crunch Granola}
– 1/2 organic banana, divided (for garnish)
*Fruit was measured whole, so I used a heaping 1/2 cup in order to get a full (or very close to full) 1/2 cup’s worth of puree.
1) In each container, put 1 cup oats, 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds, and 1/4 tsp sugar.
2) Puree the strawberries as smoothly as possible, then pour the puree into one of the containers. Add 1/2 cup plant milk, and stir well. Cover. Refrigerate overnight.
3) Puree the blueberries as smoothly as possible, then pour the puree into the other container. Add 1/2 cup plant milk, and stir well. Cover. Refrigerate overnight.
4) In the morning, portion your oats into serving jars, creating layers as you go! These two jars pictured each have one layer of blueberry oats, strawberry oats, and yogurt, plus two (thin) layers of granola. I decided to play a bit, doing them in different order!
5) Top each with a garnish of 1/4 banana, sliced thinly. Enjoy!
Seriously, it doesn’t get much easier than that, does it?! I made this for my husband and myself for breakfast, and there’s more than enough left to do the whole thing over again tomorrow morning. (I’m so excited!)
Of course, the possibilities here are endless. You could do this with any fruit purees you like! Any garnishes. Any mix-ins. Want an almond layer? Do it. Want a banana layer? Go for it! Have fun with it!
The best part about overnight oats, in my opinion, is that they are so easy to do before bed, making breakfast essentially already done by the time you wake up. You can totally grab-and-go with a jar of overnight oats, whether you want to eat it during your commute or throw it in the work fridge to eat as a snack later on in the day.
Like I’ve done here, overnight oats can also be used as a very quick and easy base for making some truly amazingly delicious parfaits, too! The magic never stops!
And, no matter how you cut it, it’s a better choice. I’m all about better choices here at a.healthier.happy, and this is definitely one of them! Nothing is worse for your body than starting out the day either A) not eating breakfast or B) eating an unhealthy breakfast (the worst being fast-food breakfast sandwiches, and the like). So, let’s change that, okay?
Happy overnight oating to you all, and (hopefully) welcome to the bandwagon! Please let me know if you have any questions about my recipe!
Wishing you healthier, happier days!
a.healthier.happy 