Overnight oats made easy

A simple, easy to grab breakfast that can be prepped the night before. However despite how easy these are I am frequently asked how to make them.

The confusion arises due to the fact that they can be made in many different ways. The key is to find what works for you and what you like best.

So to start...lets get the basics right.

For a satisfying breakfast that will keep us full until lunch we need a few key components:

• A starchy carbohydrate = this is the oats

• A Protein source = This can be greek yogurt, milk, soya milk etc.

• Portion of Fruit +/or Veg = A handful of berries, banana etc. Some people also enjoy grated grated carrots for a carrot cake style breakfast

• Optional Healthy fats = e.g. A sprinkle of nuts and seeds or nutbutter

• Optional - If you feel it needs some extra sweetness try a drizzle of honey, a tsp of vanilla extract

Once we have the key components above we can combine them in whatever way we want - so choose what suits you best.

Below is my basic overnight oats recipe - but as always customize it as needed.

If your goal is weight loss try choosing skimmed milk and 0% fat greek yogurt. If your goal is to gain weight choose full fat versions and be generous with nutbutters and toppings etc.

If you are plant-based/vegan I would recommend choosing soya milk/yogurt as the protein content of many of the other plant based milks (e.g. oat milk, almond milk, etc.) is quite low. A high protein breakfast is important to keep us full until our next meal.

Basic Overnight Oats Recipe: (serves 1)

40g oats

100g natural greek yogurt

120mls milk

1 tbsp linseeds/chia seeds

tsp of cinnamon

Handful of berries

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together and transfer to an airtight container or jar. Leave in the fridge overnight.

2. Depending on how you like the consistency add more milk the next morning if desired.

3. Add any more toppings of choice (try to change this up regularly to get more variety in your diet).

Inspiration for Additions/Toppings:

• Try some dessicated coconut

• Frozen fruit is just as nutritious as fresh

• Grated or stewed apple and cinnamon

• Grated carrot

• Raisins and dried cranberries make a great addition

• Peanut butter and banana

• Experiment with different nutbutters e.g. peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter etc.

• Add different nuts and seeds to really boost the fibre

• tsp of cocoa powder or add some chocolate chips