I find certain food habits hard to break, and breakfast is one of them. Breakfast is always preached as the most important meal of the day, but to me it’s generally the quickest. I don’t spend much time on it. I basically either eat leftovers from the night before, cheese toast or a simple quesadilla.
If I want a real breakfast, I go out.
That said, this winter my husband has been inured, and I have been trying a little harder to provide something healthy for him. I am aiming to give him something lighter and filled with fruit and fiber. And, obviously something that tastes great, too, so he won’t mind eating it.
At first I was making him a lot of smoothies. Someone gave him some healthy shake powder, and I was mixing it with fruit, almond milk, flax seeds and sometimes almond butter. He liked them, but I can’t eat a cold shake on a winter day so I decided to try something that I could also eat and alleviate having to cook two meals first thing in the morning.
If you are an avid food follower on Instagram, like me, you have probably seen beautiful breakfast bowls trending. These images often depict elaborate displays of colorful striped parfaits filled with various fruits, homemade concoctions, sauces, toppings and more.
While I think these versions look incredible, I wanted to venture into a slightly simpler dish and started with overnight oats. I know oatmeal is great for you – it’s filled with fiber to keep you full and it supposedly lowers cholesterol, too. However, I don’t love hot oatmeal unless I load it up with sugar and cream, rendering it not so good for you.
Overnight oats, though, are served chilled, and I found them quite delicious. What is cool about this recipe is that you can make most of it the night before. You can stick it in a jar and eat it on the go or at your desk. And it is filling, flavorful and healthy. It may just replace cheese toast as my new go-to quick breakfast.
I have provided the recipe as I made it, but you can, as always, adjust to your taste. Use a lower fat yogurt if you like to watch your fat intake (I don’t care as fat keeps you full longer). Swap in whatever fruit you crave. You can choose to skip the granola and/or use a little topping of your favorite cereal if you would like that better. Grape Nuts would be delicious.
This breakfast was a big hit, and I will be making it regularly. You will be shocked at how filling it is and happy with how good it taste. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup or oatmeal (I used The Bunnery’s OSM oatmeal)
- 1/3 cup of coconut or almond milk
- 2/3 cup of honey vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- splash of cinnamon
- Yogurt flavor of your choice (I used more of the vanilla honey Greek yogurt)
- Chopped fruit and/or berries (I used raspberries despite them being out of season and expensive right now)
- Granola, Grape Nuts or crunchy addition of your choice
Instructions
- Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl and whisk together to combine well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In a bowl or mason jar, fill the bottom with a layer of the overnight oats. Add another layer of yogurt, top with fruit. Repeat this series then top with yogurt as the last layer.