Overnight Oats - Another whole-grain breakfast idea

Well, apparently here at the FPP, we like our whole grains for breakfast. I have seen "Overnight Oats" talked about frequently on several different blogs now, so I figured I should give them a go, and what better time to try them than this week?? So, on Monday night, I decided to try Angela's Easy Vegan Overnight Oats from ohsheglows.com. It seemed as good a place to start as any! So, I pulled out my old-fashioned oats, some chia seeds I found at the local co-op, and almond milk. I started making it according to the recipe and then thought "Only 1/3 cup of oats? That's nothing!" So, I decided to double the recipe and use one average-sized banana. That may have been a little ambitious - having never had chia seeds before, I did not realize the heft they can acquire! They get rather bulky and filling (don't worry, I still ate everything the next morning!). But next time, I will probably stick to one helping, and maybe add in some more fruit - take some inspiration from some other recipe ideas.

But I digress. Overnight oats seems like a great way to get in some good healthful oatmeal during the summer when even turning on the stove is unappealing, much less a piping hot bowl of oatmeal... Plus, it's great for people like me who can rarely get out of the house on time, even without eating breakfast - it travels quite well!

So, here's the idea - raw oats plus milk of your choosing and/or yogurt, and maybe some bonus seeds (I've read about chia seeds, ground flax, and wheatberries being added), plus a mashed banana for sweetness - all mixed together and left to sit in your fridge overnight. Then in the morning, add a dollop of nut butter or granola, or fresh fruit, or whatever suits you, and maybe some maple syrup or agave. The mashed banana already adds some sweetness in there and seems to bind it all together pretty well. I followed Angela's recipe pretty closely, adding some peanut butter and fake maple syrup (because it's what I had) in the morning, and I was good to go. It's definitely filling and gets you going in the morning!  Here's Angela's photo:

Easy Vegan Overnight Oats, ohsheglows.com

And the recipe:

Mix together the following ingredients in a bowl and place in fridge overnight.

• 1/3 cup regular oats
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tiny ripe banana, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the morning, add:

• 1 Tbsp. nut butter
• pure maple syrup (to taste)

And, you're done! Doesn't get much easier than that! And if you're looking for some ideas for different flavors, here are a couple places to start:

• Bluebery Banana Pie Vegan Overnight Oats
• A tribute to Overnight Oats with tons of different ideas from Kath Eats Real Food
• An ode to Overnight Oats from EatingBirdFood.com (people really do seem to love this stuff, huh?
• A zesty twist from Whole Foods

If you're feeling really adventurous, and have extra time, you could try:

• Vegan Overnight Oat Parfaits

And if raw oats just aren't your thing, but you like the idea of making oatmeal at night and having it ready to go in the morning, try:

• Alton Brown of Food Network's Overnight Oatmeal Recipe

Good luck! Let us know if you try any of these, or have any success with something else :)