Overnight Oats are a seriously quick and easy way to get a healthy breakfast, in no time at all.
Similar to porridge, oats are creamy and tasty. However, they require no cooking and can be prepared in a matter of minutes the night before.
Oats are a highly-nutritious whole grain that can help to keep blood sugar levels stable due to their high fibre content. They also have more protein than most other grains.
Oats contain beta-glucan – a fibre that helps maintain blood sugar levels and can help to improve insulin sensitivity.
They are also a great source of minerals such as manganese, magnesium and iron and also contain antioxidants that have been suggested to help the reduction of blood pressure. Therefore oats are a great choice for breakfast and can be used in various recipes such as porridge, in baking and smoothies.
My favourite go-to for breakfast are these Overnight Oats because they are so easy to prepare and I can simply grab them and go in the morning (so no excuses that you don’t have time for breakfast!).
The basic recipe I use for Overnight Oats looks like this:
Ingredients
- 50g oats
- 100ml whole milk
- 100g Greek yoghurt (Total 0% Fat Yoghurt)
Method
Mix all of the ingredients together, cover and refrigerate.
Macros:
Calories: 299 Carbs: 37.9g Fat: 7.6g Protein: 19.7g
I always add delicious toppings for my overnight oats to keep them tasty and interesting. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Fruity! With Berry Compote
- Prepare your berry compote by heating 75g of frozen berries in a pan until they completely break down and form compote.
- Top your oats with two spoonfuls of compote and store the remaining mixture in the fridge.
- Cover your oats with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.
- You can vary this recipe by adding frozen fruits straight from the freezer as they will come down by the next day and you could add nuts and seeds too.
2. Bounty-Style! With Cacao and Coconut
- Add half a scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1 tsp plain cocoa powder and 1 tsp of coconut oil.
- Mix well and top with dried coconut.
- You could also use coconut milk instead of cow’s milk to make the base for this recipe.
3. Gingerbread! With Ginger, Raisin and Vanilla Protein
- Add half a tsp of ground ginger and 15g of raisins.
- Mix well and then add one scoop of vanilla protein.
- Cover and refrigerate.
4. Cheesecake: with Strawberry and Lemon
- Slice up five strawberries and add to the oats with 1.5 tbsp of vanilla or strawberry protein powder.
- Add 2 tsp of cream cheese, the zest of half a lemon and top with chopped nuts for an extra crunch.
- Cover and refrigerate.
5. Tropical Vegan: with Mango and Coconut (pictured below)
- Add 50g of coconut milk instead of the Greek yoghurt and mix well.
- Add 50g of diced mango and 50g of diced pineapple.
- Mix well, cover and refrigerate.
- Top up with almond or coconut milk.
6. Chocolate, Banana and Peanut Butter
- Add half a sliced banana, half tsp of honey, 1 tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened) and 1 tsp of peanut butter.
- Mix well and serve with grated 90% dark chocolate.
