Ridiculously quick and easy to make breakfast recipe, overnight oats are a super cheap, high fibre meal to add to your weekly menu. Preparations take only a matter of minutes, and when you flavour them with chocolatey raw cacao, you can enjoy a delicious wholefood treat. Ready? Let's start cooking..
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Overnight oats are a rich source of dietary fibre, pre-biotics and trace protein. Oats also contain a variety of essential vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, iron and zinc, making them especially idea for women of child-bearing years. Consuming oats raw increases the dose of soluble fiber beta-glucan, which has been shown to help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and balance blood sugar.
On a budget? Rolled, steel cut, or quick oats are super cheap to buy. I know at Coles or Woolies you'll find all types of oat for under $2-3 a bag. You can make all kinds of fibre-rich recipes from oats from toasted granola, oatmeal, biscuits, muffins, to homemade muesli and soaked oats.
What Are Overnight Oats?
So, just what are overnight oats? Overnight oats are a quick and easy way to prepare a high-fibre, wholefood breakfast that will keep you satiated for hours. You make them by soaking raw, rolled oats in your choice of milk, water or yoghurt overnight. The oats absorb the liquid like a micro sponge and create a deliciously healthy meal that can be enjoyed in a few hours or the next day.
Are overnight oats healthy? Absolutely. As I mentioned above, oats are a rich source of essential fibre, and when made with other healthy, wholefood ingredients create a densely nutritious main meal or snack. Once soaked, they taste similar to rice pudding which can be very high GI and is traditionally rather sweet. If you are in the process of cleaning up your diet, a drop or two of stevia may be all you need to enjoy soaking oats instead.
Batch Cook & Meal Prep
Yes, you can totally batch cook overnight oats. In fact, making a monster batch of overnight oats takes no more time than making a single batch. Simply triple or quadruple the ingredient portions. Then divide the oats and liquid mix into several small 200ml mason jars. Store in the jars in the fridge to enjoy a quick and easy breakfast all week. The sealed jars will keep fresh for 4-5 days in the fridge if kept air-tight.
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Key Ingredients Used
This overnight oat recipe is perfect for the lazy cook. All you need to make it is a little raw cacao, rolled oats and liquid such as water, milk or your choice of yoghurt.
Raw cacao: cacao is chocolate in its purest form. It is harvested right out of the bean, and remains unroasted and unprocessed making it a nutrient-rich superfood.
Rolled oats: oats are high fibre and super absorbent. Once added to milk, they will soak it up like a sponge creating a creamy textured and a very filling "pudding".
Milk or yoghurt: in my opinion the best milks to use are plantbased. I like them as they are dairy-free, low in calories and subtle in flavour. However, if you absolutely love your dairy, give it a go with an organic cow or goat's milk. You can also use vegan or Greek yoghurt to make a thicker, creamier texture to soaked oats.
These are the key ingredients really, however there many other way to make it which I will share below.
Healthy Overnight Oats Variations
Aside from the basic ingredients of oats and milk, you can boost the nutrition and flavour of overnight oats by adding a variety of other healthy ingredients.
Protein powder: make a super high protein, low carb post workout snack or meal by stirring in 10-30g of whey or vegan protein powder. Choose a top quality whey protein from grass-fed cows or a clean plantbased variety that contains both pea and brown rice protein to create the full amnio chain.
Sweetener: if you have a sweet tooth, add a little stevia to make a very low carb dessert-like pudding, or try more nutritious sweeteners such as a drizzle of raw, organic honey or maple syrup.
Spices: this is by far the best way to pimp out your oats. Try spices such as all-space, anise, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and of course, vanilla extra or the bean paste.
Superfoods: oh yes you can! Boost the nutritional profile by adding your favourite superfood powders to the mix. Aside from the raw cacao used here, also try a 1/2 - 1 tsp of acai berry, a greens blend, maca root, spirulina, or turmeric root.
Probiotics: yes, that's right. Crack your probiotic capsule or powder into your oats once they have soaked overnight and you are ready to eat.
One of the best parts about this overnight oat recipe is how simple it is! It'll literally take you 2-minutes to whisk, pour into a mason jar and tomorrow's brekkie is done and dusted!
Food Sensitivities
Are oats really gluten-free? Oats contain a protein called avenin which is similar to gluten. However, nutritional research has indicated that most people like myself who have coeliac disease (intolerance to gluten) can usually tolerate oats with no problems. The risk only arises IF the oats are processed in a facility that also processes gluten grains such as wheat or barley where the oats can become contaminated. Shop around for "wheat-free" oats.
Cinnamon Spiced Overnight Oats Recipe
This overnight oat recipe is deliciously spiced with cinnamon and raw cacao chocolate. Its tasty served cold straight from the fridge or warmed, and simply lovely as a dessert or breakfast. Being such a high fibre recipe, its a great way to enjoy oats on a carb reduced diet in a way that supports natural weight balance.
Cinnamon Spiced Overnight Oats Recipe
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 cup plantbased milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
1/3 cup rolled or quick oats, gluten-free
1 tsp raw cacao powder, organic
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 scoop chocolate flavoured protein (optional)
Add all the ingredients to a mid-sized mason jar and whisk to combine. Add a lid and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hrs or overnight is best. To serve, add a few berries, sprinkle of raw nuts and enjoy!
Other Recipes You'll Absolutely Love...
If you love overnight oats or just want to experiment, be sure to check out my Coconut Vanilla Chia Pudding, and my Overnight Oats & Chia Infused Collagen. You'll find more tasty recipes like the above inside my 7 Day Meal Plans all geared towards supporting a wholefood diet.
Healthy + happiness,
Emma Lisa xx
HEALTH & NUTRITION PRACTITIONER
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