The most important meal of the day is often neglected on busy weekdays, but we’ve found a way to streamline our breakfasts into one big batch of yogurty, oaty goodness.
You heard us right! We’ve combined two breakfast staples –oats and yogurt- into one protein-packed, deliciously creamy concoction. Add to that the fiber-rich super food, chia seeds, and you are on your way to a well-fueled body and mind ready to take on even the busiest of days.
While you can go all out creating amazing flavor combos such as chocolate peanut butter and pumpkin spice, we wanted a simple base flavor that we could customize each morning with our choice of fruit. From peach and banana to pineapple and orange, we wanted our oats to support a myriad of mix-ins.
What we settled on was the rich, nostalgic flavor of cake batter. Think about it…pineapple upside down cake, blueberry muffins, strawberry shortcake. Fruit-and-cake combos are delicious and perfect for breakfast, especially when they’re made with this many good-for-you ingredients.
For the most amazingly rich and creamy texture, we opted for coconut milk as our liquid, although any unsweetened milk would do. Simply reduce the amount of liquid in this recipe to about 3 cups, to account for the swap. As the mixture sits, the chia seeds and oats soak up the milk, yogurt and flavorings to yield a thick, creamy, and textural bowl of oats.
Incredibly, overnight oats can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 5 days, meaning you can prepare an entire workweek’s worth in one go. Our big-batch recipe yields 60 ounces of oats, which can be ladled out of a big FiestaÒ Baking Bowl and served at the table, or divvied out into 5 pint-sized canning jars (or 10 half-pints) for a travel-friendly option.
- 1-2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2-1/2 cups rolled oats
- 3-1/3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- ¾ cup plain milk (cow, almond, soy)
- 5 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap or pour into clean jars with lids.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight before eating.
- Top with freshly chopped fruit, or alternatively, mix fruit in with the initial batch (before refrigeration) for a more intense flavor.
- If substituting plain milk for coconut milk, reduce the amount of milk to about 3 cups total.
