Breakfast Craze--Overnight Oats

HEY!

Let's talk about your breakfast routine. Are you the skip-it-all-together type (tsk, tsk), the protein loader (hello, eggs/bacon/sausage/spoonfuls of whey), or the pretend-breakfaster ("I had a 90 calorie chewy bar so...")? Breakfast rocks in my own humble opinion, so you should definitely be eating it-though for the health reasons, not because my opinion matters in the least bit. However, identical to the excuse for not working out is the excuse for not eating breakfast; you don't have enough time in the morning. You're too busy trying to function as a human (which is crazy hard pre-coffee, am I right?!) to whip up a stellar breakfast. Which is why you, my friend, need to make your breakfast ahead of time. Cue;
overnight oats.

If you've ever so much as dabbled on Pinterest, you've most likely seen whisperings of overnight oats. Even Buzzfeed has an article on them!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samimain/overnight-oats-recipes-to-restore-your-faith-in-breakfast

Obviously this idea is timesaving/delicious/genius and I take zero credit for it! I'm just here to give you my rendition. These are perfect for any of you carb-only breakfasters to add in a little protein and enjoy doing it! No yogurt means I can't vouch for this deliciousness myself, but my husband is a big fan and that's big, because he was on the bagel-every-morning grind. ;)

Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

serves 1 (can be multiplied and kept in the fridge for the week)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (make sure these are GF in you're on the Celiacs-R-Us group)

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (Fage 0% works well; I'm sure coconut yogurt would work too)

1.5 Tbsp. cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder (which is half a scoop)

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1-2 tsp. honey or agave nectar (depending on your sweetness preferences)

1-2 Tbsp. melted peanut butter

1/3 cup milk of choice

1/3 of a banana, sliced into small pieces

optional add-ins: slivered almonds, walnuts, chocolate chips 

Melt peanut butter in microwave (I put the whole jar in for around 30 seconds). Mix together all ingredients except milk and banana. Stir in milk so oats are evenly covered. Add an extra splash if necessary. The consistency should be about halfway between oatmeal cookie batter and a "normal" bowl of oatmeal--great explanation, right? Add in the banana pieces. Scoop into a cup, bowl or container with a sealable lid (of course a mason jar looks adorable) and pop in the fridge until morning. 

There are tons of other variations out there; scour Pinterest or the Buzzfeed page for lots of other recipes! This apple pie baked oatmeal recipe looks amazing, and the entire blog is dedicated to oatmeal recipes! Whoa. That's awesome (and impressive)! Which variation are you looking forward to trying?

I have a new watermelon lemonade recipe perfect for the deathly humid summer days of Iowa; I promise to share next time! But until then--the laundry is calling my name. Boa noite!

--KQ