Chances are you've probably heard about overnight oats before, but just in case you haven't here's what it's all about.
What are overnight oats?
It's one of those meal-prep tricks, usually a breakfast (but not necessarily) that you can quickly prepare the night before and waste no time working on in the morning- all you need to do is make time to eat it in peace and you're good to go on with your day. You can easily take it to go aw well. (Just don't eat on the go, I beg you!)
Overnight oats are basically oats soaked overnight. Depending on your preference, you either soak them in water or in plant-based milk. I used to use water for a very long time until I realized how much more delicious they are when I use plant-based milk instead and I never looked back since.
Does it have to be overnight?
No, it doesn't. It can be for anything from about 1-2 hours to overnight. I sometimes don't know if I'll be in the mood for this kind of a breakfast the night before, so if I wake up and it turns out that I am, I prep them as soon as I get up and they're absolutely fine by the time I'm done with my morning ritual of meditation, journaling, reading, yoga and bathroom, (more on that in a different post).
Why soaking at all? especially if I can just pour some milk on raw rolled oats and have it as cereal...?
They're easier to digest this way. By soaking oats you're making it easier for your stomach to digest them and assimilate all their wonderful nutrients. This increased bio-availability is due to the fact that soaking oats breaks down the phytic acid that is said to impair absorption of certain minerals such as iron, zinc and calcium. Yes, cooking oats also softens them and makes them easier to digest but you actually have to DO IT, (soaking requires much less effort on your part) AND no nutrients or vitamins get destroyed, as they often do when exposed to heat.
Overnight oats are high in RESISTANT STARCHES
You might have heard the term "Resistant Starches" being thrown around quite a lot over the last few years. Resistant starch is a kind of dietary fiber, the 3rd type of fiber after soluble and insoluble fiber. RS naturally resist digestion and break-down until they reach the large intestine where they gets fermented aka eaten by our gut microbiome. This is makes them a fantastic pre-biotic. And it's extremely important to our good health and proper digestive and immune function.
There are 3 naturally occurring types of Resistant Starches. Type 1 can be found in unprocessed whole grains, seeds and legumes, and its resistance to being digested is due to the starches being encapsulated within those foods. Type 2 can be found in for example in uncooked potatoes and green bananas (but I don't generally recommend consuming those). Type 3 occurs in starchy foods that have been cooked and then cooled down, for instance cooked and chilled potatoes, pasta, grains, legumes.
Resistant Starches have been shown to improve digestion, increase feeling of fullness as well as decrease insulin spikes, all of which link consumption of resistant starches to better gut health (which, we now know, is intrinsically linked to virtually all the functions of our body) as well as healthy weight loss.
Overnight oats can be made quickly and in many different ways.
I'm sharing my go-to recipe below, but it's only one way of making them. I might share my other favorites here at some point as well. In the meantime, I encourage you to follow this recipe and allow yourself to get inspired to later experiment with the ingredients to your own liking. There really are endless possibilities, just as with oatmeal.
Overnight oats can last a couple of days in your fridge which also makes them a perfect meal-prep meal:)
My Go-To Green Overnight Oats Recipe
yields: 1 serving
prep time: 2 to 5 minutes the night before
Ingredients
1/2 cup of rolled oats (I use gluten free)
1 cup of plant based milk of choice (I usually use almond milk)
1 tsp of sesame seeds
1 tsp of chia seeds
1 tsp of ground flax seeds
1/2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds
1/2 tbsp of sunflower seeds
about 1 tbsp of raisins or chopped dates
1 tsp of spirulina powder
1/4-1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Toppings are optional and you can mix and match and add whatever you enjoy, I usually add some fruit, nut butter and yogurt, here I used:
a couple of raspberries
a slice of papaya
1/2 a banana
1 tbsp of plant-based yogurt
1 tsp of almond butter
Note: sometimes if you're not using sweet fruit as toppings you might find you need to add a little bit of a sweetener of choice (for example pure maple or agave syrup), but I personally usually find that the oats themselves along with the fruit (the raisins and the toppings) provide more than enough sweetness for me.
Method:
Place the oats along with all of the other ingredients (not the toppings) in a jar or a glass that's roughly a cup-size. Give them a mix with a spoon or if using a jar you can just pop the lid on and shake it.
Pour in the milk. And mix everything once again.
Close the jar or cover the top of the glass with a plate.
Leave it in your fridge or, if it's not too hot where you live, you can leave the jar on your counter for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight.
If I leave mine in the fridge I like to take it out a while before I'm ready to eat it, because I don't like them to be as cold. I usually recommend people do the same and not consume it cold... It's better for our gut to avoid cold food, unless you really crave it. Room temperature or slightly chilled would be best. You can also warm it up in a saucepan slightly if you prefer that. I sometimes do it, but I usually find that taking my jar out of the fridge a few hours in advance is enough for me.
When you're ready to have your oats, open the jar and add your add-ins on top of it. You can also transfer your oats into a bowl and then top them with your toppings of choice... but that requires you to use an extra bowl and I know that to some people (me? no..) this is just producing an additional (completely unnecessary) dish that later needs to be cleaned. So I stick to the jar:).
You can mix your toppings with your oats or enjoy them on the top. As always, you do you.
I hope you found this post helpful and that it inspired you to make yourself some overnight oats. Remember to mix and match! You can experiment using different kinds of add-ins, whether they're nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, different kinds of fruits, plant based yogurts, jams or even vegetables! I've made them with butternut squash and sweet potatoes a few times and they were heavenly!
Hope whatever you make is delicious!
---------------
Resources: