Seriously yummy overnight oats with chia seeds

Here’s an exercise for you, to either boost your love for overnight oats or make you fall in love with overnight oats with chia seeds.

Imagine eating a creamy, rich pudding for breakfast…
That would be a dream come true right?

Now imagine that this pudding is not just any pudding but one that’s deliciously healthy and rich in protein!
Don’t stop there…

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Imagine waking up to finding your breakfast already prepared. Well, not because a fairy godmother prepared it for you while you slept, but because you did it yourself the night before- and you loved every bit of the prep! 

The genius part is that when you get up in the morning, you just grab your overnight oats chia seeds and head out the door.

You think it all sounds too good to be true, and you think I am just here to tease your taste buds and imagination, because, ”how can this all be possible? After all”, you say, ”pudding and healthy don’t rhyme!”

Well, so you think…
What I have told above is real life, and if you have 5 minutes to spare and make overnight oats, then you don’t have to imagine this anymore.

Overnight oats are the best healthy grab and go breakfast for busy people like you and I. There are so many overnight oats recipes out there but today we are making 3 different types of overnight oats with chia seeds.

Benefits of oatmeal for weight loss

Walk into a grocery store today and take a look at the healthy food aisle. You’ll agree with me that oatmeal is one of the most affordable options on that shelf.

Even though oats are on the lower end cost-wise, the benefits of oatmeal are way more than their price.

Avoid instant oats

Oats fall under the whole grain category, and to get the healthy full benefits of oats for weight loss you should avoid instant oats and flavoured oats like a plague.

While the nutritional benefits are quite the same as rolled oats, instant oats are very high in sugar, and depending on the flavour, they can also be high in salt.

Benefits of eating oatmeal

Whether you eat overnight oats in the morning or at night, you will still get all the health benefits of eating oats.

Oats are high in soluble dietary fibre, and according to research, the type of fibre found in oats, beta-glucan, and helps to keep you fuller, longer[1].

Apart from that, oats are also known to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and colon cancer, as well as lower the levels of bad cholesterol.

The type of antioxidants that are found in oatmeal helps to reduce skin damage, inflammation and itching.  

We can agree that oats are to us what kryptonite is to superman.

On the menu, for overnight oats with chia seeds, is chocolate peanut butter overnight oats, strawberry overnight oats with coconut milk and banana chocolate chip overnight oats.

Note that the minimum time that the oats will need to soak before eating them is 2 hours for rolled oats and 5 hours if you are using steel cut oats.

You can refrigerate and store leftover overnight oats up to 2 days. After 2 days, the oats will be too mushy to eat.

1. Strawberry overnight oats

What you will need to make strawberry chia overnight oats

Steel-cut or rolled oats

If you are watching your calories, then I would recommend going with steel-cut oats as they contain fewer calories and have a lower G.I than rolled. For this recipe I used rolled oats.

Coconut milk

Since oats are high in carbohydrates, I prefer using coconut milk to make my strawberry chia seeds overnight oats because coconut milk contains fewer carbs than cow’s milk.

Strawberries

Because they contain antioxidants, vitamin C, are awesome for the heart and help regulate blood sugar.

You should only add the strawberries when the oats are ready to be eaten, or the fruit will lose the crispiness.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are super low in calories and very high in fibre and protein. If you don’t have chia seed, you can use flax seeds. Just note that flaxseed contains more calories than flax seeds.

Nonfat plain yoghurt

For extra protein and calcium, you should add nonfat plain yoghurt to the overnight oats. I also love the creaminess that the yoghurt adds to the oats.

An alternative to plain yoghurt would be Greek yoghurt.

Pecan nuts

Pecan nuts are great for lowering bad cholesterol and they also contain a boatload of vitamin E and antioxidants for getting rid of toxins in your body.

As with the strawberries, you must only add the pecans when you are ready to serve the overnight oats.

Honey

The strawberries or any fruit that you add to these overnight oats with chia seeds will work as your sweetener.

However, if you still need to add a sweetener, I would suggest using pure honey over artificial sweeteners and sugar.

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ cup fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon dried pecan nuts

 How to make strawberry overnight oats

1. In a bowl, combine the oats, salt, chia seed, coconut milk, and yoghurt.
2. Scoop the mixture into mason jars and seal tight.
3. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or longer, for a creamy texture.
4. When you are ready to eat, add your desired toppings and honey to taste.
5. You can serve the overnight oats chilled or you can pop them in the microwave for quick heating, especially on a cold winter morning.

2. Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats

What you will need for chocolate peanut butter overnight oats

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup Greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Extras
• 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

1. Mix the oats, Greek yoghurt, cocoa powder, chia seeds, salt and coconut milk in a bowl.
2. In another small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and vanilla extract and microwave for about 15 seconds for even distribution.
3. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the bowl with oats and mix thoroughly.
4. Scoop the mixture into a mason jar and refrigerate for 4 or more hours.
5. Serve chilled or microwave. Top with fresh pieces of half a banana, or as desired.

Chocolate overnight oats

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Pour into a mason jar with a lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Serve chilled or warm in the microwave if you prefer to eat your chocolate overnight oats warm.

[1] Rebello, Candida J et al. “Dietary fiber and satiety: the effects of oats on satiety.” Nutrition reviews vol. 74,2 (2016): 131-47. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuv063