Beke's Lovely Overnight Oatmeal (Just add one refrigerator)

Summer is supposed to be hot. That's just the way it is.

I'm not complaining or anything, but a few weeks ago I spent a good few minutes contemplating whether or not I should get my fuzzy boots out to wear to church. We have had some unseasonably cool days here in the Ozarks. But we are used to crazy weather here.

This recipe is one you can make up ahead of time for those hot steamy summer mornings when eating anything hot sounds like too much work and just plain icky.

This recipe is also a good one for eating on the go. I make several of these up a week so I always have something healthy and satisfying in the fridge. In fact, this is one of the meals that has helped me tremendously in my weight loss journey. It contains lots of good things and I make it up ahead of time. I am not tempted to reach  for something quick and maybe not-so-good for me when I get hungry. I have one of these yummy jars of goodness waiting for me in the fridge.

I love oatmeal so this hasn't been hard to handle.

There are bunches of Overnight (or refrigerator) Oatmeal recipes on online. This is one I've tweaked around to fit my needs. If you haven't used Chia seeds yet you need to try them. They really have a lot of great properties (they are rich in Omega 3). When soaked (like in this recipe) they have a texture almost tapioca.

Here is a picture of all of my supplies. The bowl contains Greek Yogurt. I actually got some regular plain nonfat yogurt marked down (16 oz. for .99) and then strained the whey out of it. The ziplock baggie is full of blackberries from my Mom and Dad's farm.

What you need.

~1/4cup of old-fashioned oats (at least this is what I use).

~1/3cup of Almond milk (or your milk of choice)

~1/4-1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt

~1 T. of Chia Seeds

~Sweetener to taste (use what you will...I use splenda...no hate mail please)

~Berries (you can use any kind of fruit)

~Containers for oatmeal. I use jelly jars. 


This is the hard part. Just dump everything in a your little jar. The easiest thing to do is to put the oatmeal in the jar along with the almond milk. Add the sweetener, Chia seeds and then stir. I add the berries and yogurt on top of that and lightly stir. I like the bites of whole berries and creamy yogurt in my oatmeal. Put a lid on your jar and stick in the fridge overnight.
 

I make several of  them at the beginning of the week and eat one almost everyday. The nice thing is that I can add different things to change up the flavors without messing up the recipe. Sometimes I add cinnamon (another good thing for my blood sugar). Or maybe chopped peaches or strawberries.

Now there is no excuse not to eat your oatmeal!

I am linking this post up to the Too Hot To Cook Blog Cruise. I'm anxious to check out some more recipes!