Oats are the cream of the crop if you want something versatile, inexpensive, tasty, and healthy; soaking them makes it easier for your body to digest and absorb more nutrients. When soaked and left in the fridge, oats are cool and creamy like rice pudding and they make a perfect nighttime dessert as your body works to slowly digest the whole grains. No sudden spikes in blood sugar to worry about….if you worry about that stuff.
The following steps have shown up in past posts, but I’ve changed it up a little to make it easier to follow.
Overnight Oats
1. Pour 2 cups of plain rolled oats in a container with a lid (I use almost empty 32oz yogurt containers to make use of the stubborn yogurt on the sides.
2. Add 1/2 cup of *powder/flour/puree choice*, a 1/4 cup of *Add-ins (if desired)*, and up to 1 ½ tablespoons *spice of choice*. 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be added if it’s fitting for your desired flavor. Softly shake everything around until you see the top of the oats.
3. Add 12 – 18 drops of plain or vanilla NuNaturals liquid stevia, 1 tablespoon NuNaturals NuStevia Baking Blend, or 2 – 3 packets of NuNaturals Stevia Powder and a dash of sea salt . (If you must, 2 tablespoons of sugar, honey, or agave will work too)
4. Add water, milk of choice, or juice of choice (apple works well) until it reaches the top of the oats (I sometimes use Zevia Soda for the liquid and omit adding any sweeteners)
5. Stir to combine making sure the powders are well incorporated (I sometimes find unmixed clumps at the bottom), close the container and let sit in the fridge for at least four hours and up to 5 days; it won’t last that long though.
This liquid will be absorbed within a few hours.
To make plain overnight oats, skip steps 2 and 3 and just add water.
*Powder / Flour / Puree Options*
– Peanut Flour
– Protein Powder (I mix and match whey, soy, and egg white protein powders that are unflavored or sweetened with stevia)
– Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (use 10 drops of NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract to compliment this)
– Instant, Non-fat Dry Milk Powder
– Pumpkin or other squash puree
– Overripe Mashed Banana
– Unsweetened Applesauce
*Add-in Options*
– Dried cranberries, banana, raisins, cherries, apple, apricot, dates, or other dried fruit
– Fresh or frozen fruit like the dried options above
– Raw or Dry Roasted Peanuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews, or other favorite nut
– Raw or Dry Roasted Pumpkin Seeds , Sunflower Seeds, or Chia Seeds (Chia seeds really make things thick since they gel once in liquid.
*Spices*
– Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, turmeric (use very little), or other spice you like
These choices give you plenty variations to try and enjoy. Start slowly with just the basics to get a feel for how yours will turn out, and then start getting creative.
Some of my favorite combos include:
Choco-Nana Peanut Butter Goodness
1/2 Peanut flour and 1/2 cocoa, mashed banana, vanilla extract, NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract, NuNaturals liquid stevia, and dry roasted almonds
Peanut Pumpkin Pie
Peanut flour, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, NuNaturals liquid stevia, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
Anything But Plain Vanilla
Vanilla whey protein powder, frozen cherries, vanilla extract, NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia, and cinnamon
Zevia Oats
Unflavored protein or dry milk powder, chia seeds, and Zevia Crème Soda (there are many Zevia flavors and I’d like to try them all)
Once you find your favorite combo or combos, you’ll never want boxed cereal again; and who’s to blame you with all of the heart healthy properties of these tasty mixes. Try one or five variations to get you through the work week and be happy with your simple, healthy choice. Move over donuts, this mix will make your co-workers jealous!
