Favorite Meal of the Morning

So. For those of you who know me, you know my days of international travel have been at a standstill for a while now. But please, it is not possible for my life to not have adventures. And now my adventures have shifted to a very small radius: my kitchen. And boy has it been an adventure as I have begun to cook. And like it.

I like order. Therefore I have decided to start at the first meal of the day. Or as my husband would say: "My favorite meal of the morning." Since I hate having to scroll through a bunch of other stuff I'm going to put the recipe first, then if you don't want to hear anything I have to say about it, you are free to stop reading at any point.

Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled (not quick) oats*

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (this is a great source of protein)

Enough milk to cover once all ingredients are added (any kind of milk will work)

Also add any/all of the following:

Fresh or frozen fruit (we used to use apple and banana; now we prefer frozen blue-, rasp-, and blackberries, but they can be texturally intimidating to some)

Dried fruit (craisins, raisins, apricots, dates, cherries, etc)

Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)

Crushed nuts (almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts)

Zest/juice of citrus (either 1 small lime/lemon or 1/2 large orange)

1 t chia seeds

1 T ground flax seed

1/2 t vanilla

Pinch of salt (this is just to bring out the other flavors, not to taste)

If it's not sweet enough for your taste you can add honey, but if you have enough fruit and citrus juice, you won't need it.

1. Cut up any large fruit and crush nuts in food processor (or buy them already cut/crushed)

2. Pour oats, yogurt, dried or fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, chia and flax

3. Add enough milk to cover

4. Zest the citrus**

5. Cut citrus in half and juice**

6. Add vanilla and salt**

7. Mix everything

8. Cover and refrigerate over night

9. Mix in frozen fruit when ready to eat

* This feeds my husband and me for about 2 days. If you’re eating it alone I would suggest making less since it’s best to eat the first 2 days

**Steps 4-6 aren't technically necessary, but I would strongly encourage you try. The citrus adds sweetness and keeps it a little runnier, but it’s just fine without it. If you don’t add the citrus and vanilla than I would suggest a little honey for sweetness. Also the citrus and vanilla fill the room with what I think might be the most divine aroma.

The night before

Ta-Da! In the morning...

Yum!

I won't try to take credit for this idea, I'm just bringing together the slightly different ways I've seen this done and giving you my favorite combination I've made after many batches of this. Overnight oats are our go-to breakfast. They're fast, easy, and feel good in the gut. I know exactly what's going into my body, and it isn't abbreviations or words I can't pronounce. The concept is very simple. One time I was talking to a friend about this, and she said when she made overnight oats it was just oats, milk, and one fruit. That's fine. Whatever tickles your tummy. But it should be a good tickle. More of a soothing massage. Ok. I'm going to stop there. The point is, this is definitely different from cereal or even oatmeal. Don't expect either one. Have an open mind. Try new ingredients. Make it your own. Although, I am partial to my way... 

And just to be fair, click the links below to watch the videos I got this idea from.