Good morning fellow foodies! For my second recipe in this recipe series, I’ve decided to take a gluten-free breakfast route. Overnight oats have definitely become one of my personal breakfast favorites. It is a very versatile recipe in that you can switch your favorite fruits and flavors to suit the seasons, cravings, diet restrictions, or simply, the items you have on hand.

Breakfast is not a time when I am the hungriest, and is the only meal I tend to get fed up or bored of the most. Depending on my mood, I sometimes skip having a complete breakfast and lunch and simply take a few bites of this overnight oat recipe throughout the day to keep me satisfied until dinner. For those of you who get light-headed from fasting or simply want to cut calories within your day, I personally find overnight oats to be the most helpful!

Overnight oats can potentially provide a large range of health benefits, depending on your choices. The recipe that I have chosen is high in protein and focuses mainly on the gut and digestion with its probiotic-enriched chia seeds (rich in protein and Omega-3s and 6s), Balkan yogurt (although it has a high sugar content, it is the richest in probiotics when selecting a processed yogurt at the grocery store), and gluten-free whole-grain rolled oats (rich in fiber and vitamin B). I also highly recommend making your own cashew milk for this recipe specifically from organic cashews rather than simply purchasing it premade, as it will limit the additive/filler content and will increase the protein content. Cashews are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, contain lutein and zeaxanthin as well as give a dairy-like texture to your recipes. Cashew milk has become my personal favorite milk alternative, is easy to make and its leftover pulp can be used to make bread, desserts, dips, and more!

The ingredients I have chosen are not entirely conventional, but you will see that this recipe not only fills you up but provides an overall creamy richness that simply hits the spot! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Strawberry Chia Overnight Oats
(1 large serving, or 2 small servings)

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of probiotic-enriched chia seeds
  • 1 cup of gluten-free whole-grain rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp of high-quality maple syrup
  • ¼ cup of vanilla-flavored Balkan yogurt
  • A dash of vanilla bean extract
  • ½ cup of cashew milk, non-sweetened (preferably homemade)
  • 1 cup of fresh strawberries, cut into small cubes

Garnish (optional)

  • 2-3 fresh strawberries, sliced
  • A dash of sliced almonds

Steps:

  • In a large mixing bowl, first add your dry ingredients, then add your chopped fruit, vanilla extract, maple syrup, yogurt, and cashew milk and mix. Many overnight oat recipes call for blending your liquid ingredients and fruit before adding it to your oats and chia seeds, but personally, I prefer not blending fresh fruit so as to get those delicious chunks with each bite.
  • Take your mason jar and place your strawberry slices along the walls of the jar and add your overnight oats into the jar without knocking over your strawberries. The strawberry slices will show through your jar making it more pleasing to the eye. Of course, this step can always be skipped, but don’t forget that we eat with our eyes first.
  • Add your leftover strawberries on top with a few sliced almonds, close your jar and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you will be in for a real delight!

Enjoy!

 

References:

  • Adolphus K, Lawton CL, Dye L. The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 Aug 8;7:425. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00425. PMID: 23964220; PMCID: PMC3737458.
  • Paudel D, Dhungana B, Caffe M, Krishnan P. A Review of Health-Beneficial Properties of Oats. Foods. 2021 Oct 26;10(11):2591. doi: 10.3390/foods10112591. PMID: 34828872; PMCID: PMC8625765.
  • Delwiche JF. You eat with your eyes first. Physiol Behav. 2012 Nov 5;107(4):502-4. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.07.007. Epub 2012 Aug 2. PMID: 22939762.