If you’re the type that wakes up with a spring in their step every morning and then goes about meditating, working out, showering, answering emails and basically having a whole day before I manage to drag myself out of bed at 8am, please tell me HOW!?
I’m one of those people who needs every last second of bed-time in the morning and by the time I coax myself out of bed, I have another problem—I want a comforting breakfast but I don’t want to pull out the chopping board.
I had a good thing going with eggs and toast for awhile. It’s low-effort, comforting and gives me a good dose of energy to start my day. One of my favourite variations is an egg-in-the-hole sandwich that also has cheese. It’s delicious, cheesy, comforting and not messy, perfect for a low-fuss breakfast. So of course I overdid it and am now thoroughly bored of it.
That said, you should check it out because it really is delicious and convenient.
Anyway anyway, I needed a new no-fuss breakfast that would also check all my criteria from above and after a discussion with a friend, I zeroed in on Overnight Oats.
I’m not going to lie, I’ve attempted to eat oats a million times before and always hated them for being gooey and having no taste or texture. But I decided to give it one last chance, knowing fully well that if I didn't like them, I’d hand over the whole bag of oats to said friend who convinced me to buy them in the first place.
Luckily, I didn’t have to.
On a Sunday night, I mixed together one portion of Overnight Oats. And on Monday morning, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t hate the oats for being gooey and having no taste or texture. In fact, once I’d thrown on some fruit, it was quite nice?
I’ve eaten these Overnight Oats a few more times since then and I’m happy to report I really enjoy them now. While I can surely eat them everyday, I’m not going to make the same mistake I did with eggs and toast. So, at this point I eat them twice a week.
Here’s the recipe for a simple Overnight Oats base that managed to convert this oat-hater:
Ingredients for one portion:
1/2 cup rolled oats - I use YogaBar*
1 tbsp chia seeds - Try True Elements*
1/2 cup milk - use whatever you like, I use regular milk
2 tbsp yogurt - I’ve tried this with Greek yogurt and regular, there isn’t any difference in taste or texture.
1 tsp honey - I use Dabur*
2 drops vanilla extract - I use Sprig*
Start by mixing the oats and chia seeds in a jar. Add the rest of the ingredients and give it a thorough mix. Chia seeds tend to clump up, so mix well until everything is well distributed. Put this in the fridge at night, and you’ll have tender but not gooey oats in the morning.
All you need to do now is top it off with some fruits and enjoy. I’ve tried this with banana, walnuts and chocolate chips; chopped apples, walnuts and cinnamon; even some papaya one morning when I couldn’t find any other fruit in my fridge - all were delicious.
These are good in the fridge for 3-4 days so you can make a few portions at a time. You could even add the chopped fruit on top when you put it in the fridge the night before if you need something more grab-and-go in the morning.
If you have more ideas for quick no-fuss breakfasts, please tell me! I’m always looking for more options.
*Denotes an affiliate link which means I make a teeny-tiny amount of money if you buy this product using this link; and get one step closer towards making Cookreja & Something’s Cooking a full-time thing. 💛
Love this!