Happy Friday again! I’m just going to be straight with you, this is undoubtedly a case of the lazy Friday recipes. Don’t confuse that with it being boring though, because the weekend just can’t have that. That’s actually my main reason for sharing it, to show that this way of eating oats is anything but boring.

I’m not sure how it seems to you but for me overnight oats are a relatively new thing. I’ve been craving oats off and on as the Summer has been heating up, but the thought of a hot bowl of anything on a sunny morning is sometimes just not appealing. This is where overnight oats are a game-changer.

Ironically, I made this recipe on a very warm day but as I’m editing this post the weather has cooled down a bit. In fact, yesterday I went for a bike ride and was cold enough to need a jacket. That’s the blessing/curse of where I live is that this time of year fluctuates in temperature a lot. With that said, I thought I’d add that you can eat this warm too and it’s more convenient than starting oatmeal from scratch as it’s ready in minutes.

I shared a recipe for muesli a few days ago and that’s been a really great find for me, but when I’m in the mood for preparing something ahead I really enjoy this recipe for how creamy the oats get.

So obviously I added a lot of toppings to mine, but that part is completely about what you like and how you wanna decorate it and flavor it. I honestly can’t imagine eating oats without at least a tiny bit of fruit. I also used some coconut yogurt in this, but you can replace that with some basic coconut milk or even just more plant milk if you prefer your oats thinner.

My Favorite Overnight Oats
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours
Yield: 2 - 3 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (depending on how thick you want it)
1/4 cup coconut yogurt
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
dash of sea salt (optional)
dash of cinnamon (optional)
1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup (stevia can be used instead)
Toppings:
granola
fresh fruit or berries
nuts and seeds
nut butter
Instructions

In a medium jar or resealable container, add the milk (use less if you want it thicker), salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and sweetener of choice, and stir together. Mix in the chia seeds and oats and cover with lid. Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 5 hours to thicken.
Once it's thick, add the toppings you'd like and enjoy.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

And, by the way, to all the minnows out there, my intro post did a huge $0.21. The key to success on Steemit is to be consistent and persistent. Click on the link below for some great tutorials on how you can also succeed on the steem blockchain:

Master Toolkit: Steemit Resource Guide Illustrated by @sndbox

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Lavender Berry Smoothie Bowl
2. One-Pan Cajun Black Beans & Rice
3. Chocolate Cookie Dough Nice Cream
4. Crunchy Pinto Bean Salad Sandwich
5. "Pom-a-Melon" Slushies

Also, I've been starting to vlog in case you missed it.

1. Vlog #3: Looking for a New Gym + Meet My Baby
2. Vlog #2 Rock Climbing With @hotrod, @fullofhope, and @whiteknight20 + What I ate Today
3. The Most Random First Vlog Ever + An Unboxing

Do you want to learn more about me? Click here to see a recent @wadepaterson interview with me - 20 questions with @gringalicious