Overnights Oats with Pizazz

Learn how to save time and money and eat healthier by prepping these Overnight Oats recipes ahead of time for the week. Use these 7 different delicious combinations to start filling your fridge with variety and nutrition that you'll look forward to for breakfast or lunch.

Benefits of Overnight Oats

1. Make-Ahead: You can whip up several of these on the weekend and have breakfast ready to go for the week. They just take minutes to put together.

2. No Cooking Involved: The oats soften in the liquid as it sits in the refrigerator, which means no cooking is needed so even the kids can assemble them.

3. Super Healthy: Breakfast doesn’t get much healthier than this! Just check out all the benefits of oats alone, according to Harvard School of Public Health. The combo of fresh or frozen fruit, whole grains, and other nutritious add-ins provides fiber, protein, antioxidants, and valuable minerals.

4. Eat On the Go: Whether you have just a few minutes before you leave for the day or need to eat breakfast in the car or at your desk, this breakfast-in-a-jar fits the bill! Eat these overnight oats cold or warm.

5. Super Tasty: With a balance of sweet, salty, and texture, our variety of overnight oat recipes will make the whole family happy. Today’s recipe–Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats–is one of my favorites. It’s like a dessert in a jar without the sugar.

How to Make Overnight Oats

Now, let’s jump right into how to prep this healthy, make ahead breakfast. Here is the basic method:

1. Build the Base: In a clean 12-16 ounce mason jar, pour in your favorite (unsweetened) milk. Add old-fashioned or rolled oats and your all-natural sweetener of choice (pure maple syrup or honey).

2. Add Toppings: Pour in the remaining add-ins, such at nut butters, flaxseed, chia seeds, nuts, cinnamon, etc.

3. Shake and Refrigerate: Seal and shake. Set in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.

4. Add Fruit: Whether it’s fresh or frozen berries, chopped peaches or tropical fruit, or your favorite dried fruit, this ingredient adds more sweetness, flavor, and nutrition. You can add fruit before your oats go into the fridge or fresh before you eat the oats. I do recommend adding banana slices fresh rather than ahead of time, but they can work if you don’t mind mushy bananas.

Recipes

The most common overnight recipe we make is what I call Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. If you're a fan of chocolate and peanut butter, this one alone will win you over the overnight oats!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Base - this recipe will be common to all the overnight oats recipes and you can swap out the "toppings" for variety and nutrition. I usually just stick to the same combo for the week and swap it out when I feel like it. You'll probably find a favorite recipe that you have most often or at least that's what I've found.

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your choice of milk)

• 1/3 cup rolled oats

• 1 tsp chia seeds

• 1 tsp hemp seeds

• 1 tsp pure maple syrup (sub: honey)

• generous tbsp of nut butter ( I use almond better but you may like peanut butter, etc)

• 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder

• 1 drop of doTERRA Madagascar Vanilla essential oil

• 2 tbsp chopped pecans

• 2 tbsp blueberries

Shake well or mix well and put into the fridge overnight and up to 5 days.

Serve Overnight Oats Cold: Shake the jar. Stir in a little extra milk if it’s too thick and more sweetener if you’d like. Grab a spoon and eat your oats cold. This is the perfect solution for those mornings when you’re on the run!

Serve Overnight Oats Warm: This is our preferred way to serve overnight oats. Shake the jar and then remove the lid. Warm the oats in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Stir. Add more milk or sweetener as needed. Warm up even more, if desired.

Varieties

You can vary your overnight oats to suit the whole family. Simply make the base and let everyone add their favorite toppings.

Peach Pie

To the base add

• 1/2 cup diced peaches (fresh or frozen)

• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

• 1 drop doTERRA cinnamon oil

• 1 drop doTERRA Madagascar vanilla oil

Blueberry Muffin

To the base add

• 1 tbsp ground flax seed

• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts

• 1 drop doTERRA cinnamon oil

• 1 drop doTERRA vanilla oil

Strawberry Shortcake

To the base add

• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh chopped strawberries (chopped is easier to eat than sliced)

• 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt

• 1–2 tablespoons sliced almonds to your taste

• 1 drop doTERRA Madagascar vanilla oil

Raspberry Lemon

To the base add

• 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

• 2 drops doTERRA lemon essential oils

*Remember, not all essential oils are created equal so these recipes are intended to work with the purity of doTERRA essential oils that are appropriate and safe for consumption and make adding flavor so easy and delicious.

Pop a comment below and let me know which is your favorite!

Until next time.