I’ve made a lot of lifestyle changes on my weird little wellness odyssey. But there’s probably no area that’s been made over more thoroughly than my morning routine.
This is a generous term for what I had been doing in the past. As a freelancer who works mostly from home, I’ve found it hard to keep any sort of routine. That’s not to say that I sleep in until 11am every day—quite the opposite. Without an office or any healthy boundaries that would help define the ever-aspirational goal of “work-life balance,” it’s not uncommon for me to come downstairs from my sleeping loft, sit down at my desk while the coffee is brewing, look up five hours later and realize that I’m still in my underwear and the coffee is still sitting on the counter.
I’m never ravenous in the morning. But I need to eat a little something in order to make it until noon without sticking my face in one of the five Tupperware containers of leftovers in my fridge at any given moment.
Because I cook for a living and usually some part of my day is spent in the kitchen, I consider myself off-duty in the morning. Like most people, I reach for the most convenient, least time consuming option available for breakfast, which is usually a Kind bar, or one of its organic contemporaries – something that just involves ripping open the plastic and going to town. But as I discovered during the first month of my health journey, the problem with my beloved breakfast bars was the sugar.
My initial quick fix was single serving green smoothies. During busy weeks though, even cleaning one measly Cuisinart mini prep bowl was enough to bring my best healthy breakfast intentions to their knees. After this happened a few weeks in a row, I knew I needed to change my tactics. And thus, my love affair with overnight oatmeal was born.
To be honest, I found the idea of raw oatmeal at first to be a little off putting. The containers of it at Juice Press were one of the few items in the fridge that I didn’t feel like would taste like deliciously over-priced mush.
But once I tried the system of mixing oats with milk and letting them “develop” in the fridge overnight, I realized how delicious the end result can be. Then I started adding mashed banana and chia seeds to my overnight oatmeal recipe and the texture became even more silky and pudding-like. The oats still have some bite to them, and along with the chia seeds, which plump up after a few hours in the fridge, you get this killer weekday porridge that tastes good cold or hot.
My favorite part about getting in the overnight oatmeal habit is that you can make as many servings as you want for the week ahead and portion them individually. So In honor of my dear blog friend Christina Lane’s virtual baby shower, I made the recipe below serve two, as she is the queen of tiny desserts, dinners and breakfasts for you and your plus one. I’m so thrilled that her next food chapter will need to include an extra spoon.
If you’ve been in a breakfast rut and are in search of a make ahead idea from a fellow lazy cook, look no further. This overnight oatmeal recipe is perfect to whip together in advance of a busy week, especially the kind that may or may not include bringing a new child into the world.
Happy baby shower Christina!
Xo
P
p.s. If you haven’t already, I would love it if you could give FMP your official virtual high five in this year’s Saveur Food Blog Awards! I’m nominated for Best Special Interest Blog – vote here.
Maple-Chia Overnight Oatmeal with Almond Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup mashed banana, from 1 large
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for serving
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, mix together the almond milk, banana, almond butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Fold in the oats and chia seeds. Divide between 2 small bowls, ramekins or mason jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
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Top with sliced bananas, slivered almonds and some extra maple syrup, or enjoy as is. For a warm oatmeal, pop the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds.
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!
This looks like a great way to start the day!
Thanks Rachel! xoxox
Phoebe!! You sneaky lady! Thank you SO much! You are so sweet! and I am loving this recipe! And loving you! XOXO
so sneaky!!! Heart you miss tina! can’t wait for the new addition! xo
I find it’s always hard to get a healthy morning routine going too, so I loved hearing your story, and seeing this recipe! It looks super healthy and delicious, I’m totally going to have to try this 🙂
Thanks Phi! It’s definitely still a struggle for me. That snooze buttons haunts my early morning dreams. But having a nice breakfast already made to wake up to helps get me up and at em more so than anything else. Thank you for stopping by!! xo
I was always dubious that they really got the gluten out of oatmeal so I never tried it, but if you’re running this recipe I know it’s safe. While I believe in starting the day with protein instead of carbs, this looks like a great mid-afternoon snack.
oats are naturally gluten-free, they just tend to be processed in plants that are contaminated with wheat products. If you buy gluten-free oats, they are safe.
I actually haven’t had overnight oats in a while… usually eat them all summer long. I must try this version next time!
ooo yes – a perfect option for summer! Will have to experiment with berries xoxo
Congrats on starting a new healthy routine! I need to get into one for sure! I love these oats they look fabulous! Enjoyed partaking in this shower with you!
It’s so nice to “meet” you through this – glad Christina and her baby bump brought us together! Cheers xoxo
Eek I have all these ingredients at home right now and this is sooo happening tomorrow morning for breakfast!
eeeeee let me know how you like it! lucky you!
This is a great way to get into a morning routine!! YUM!
Thanks Megan! So fun participating in the shower with you!
This looks like the perfect filling breakfast or even a satisfying dessert. Almond butter with bananas is a combo that I find pretty irresistible. Beautiful, beautiful pictures!
Thank you Emily!! Hope you’ll give it a try. xo
I can so relate to the issues with setting boundaries when working from home. These are the perfect solution to have tasty breakfast at the ready. Thank you so so much for joining the shower!
thank you so much for having me!! glad you share my morning pain 🙂
This looks so yummy! Chia and Maple syrup = bestest of breakfasts!
yahooo thanks Ana!!
What an awesome looking breakfast bowl. Looks absolutely healthy and delish! Full of YUM:)!
Thanks Anu! Hope you’ll give it a go. xo
This is my kind of breakfast! Morning laziness, I will defeat you.
do it gurl. you got this.
Hi!! This looks AMAZING. Quick question though, it says….
Cook Time: 24 hours
Total Time: 24 hours, 5 minutes
But the recipe directions say overnight…will it be ok to set for just 12 hours? or do you need to start it 24 hours in advance?
Can’t wait to make this!! Game changing!
Sorry for the confusion Marcy! Yes – 12 hours is definitely sufficient. I’ll update the timing in the recipe, as most people do not sleep for 24 hours 🙂 It could probably sit for even less time. You can always taste it and see if the oats are soft enough. Let me know what you think! xo
I think this looks delicious, but I’m not sure how something with two tablespoons+ of maple syrup is lower in sugar than a bar? Maple syrup is pure sugar!
I suppose it depends on which bars you like, but the ones I was eating had upwards of 20 grams of sugar! Kind bars are a bit better, but the serving size feels a lot smaller than a bowl of this oatmeal. If you are really watching your sugar, you can easily reduce the maple syrup in this recipe – tis the beauty of cooking, rather than ripping open a package 🙂 Enjoy!
Wow. Just wow. We’re so glad we discovered this one through the Well+Good post you published Phoebe! So yummy and AMAZING, this will be used ASAP!
KUDOS for another inspired creation!
xoxoxo
Enjoy!!! xxx
we’ve started making this 2-3 times a week as a nice alternate to mix in with our usuals: slow-cooker steelcut oatmeal, granola & yogurt, and – husband’s favorite – peanut butter & jelly toast. 🙂
comes together quickly, so i throw it all in a bowl in a few minutes while dinner is cooking. makes breakfast a breeze – remove from fridge & heat! i like to microwave it as-is and put a splash more nondairy milk on top to loosen it up. we’ve made it with peanut butter & honey, too, when that’s all we’ve got in the pantry.
great way to get the day off to a running (and well nourished) start!
that’s so amazing courtney!! you’re a healthy breakfast inspiration to us all! i’m so happy this made it into the rotation. xoxox
I am crazy about of almond butter and this is a great way to use it
Do you know if they keep for 24 hours in fridge if I want to make two days worth?