Breakfast is always a struggle for me. When to eat it. What to eat. Why I am awake in the morning. It's all just a problem. During the summer it's toast and cereal time for me, but now that Fall is here, I want to branch out into something more Fall-like. I could have gone for the standard oatmeal that has always been there for me, or I perhaps try this Overnight Oats business I see everywhere. So that's what I have done.

I've tested out three versions of overnight oats to get an idea if I like them and they are worth the hype. The first is an Apple Pie version that is an attempt to replicate the normal oatmeal I have in overnight oats form. The second is what I'm calling Overnight Oats - The Ultimate Health Edition. I packed in as many "healthy" ingredients as I could find in my cupboard. It's got antioxidants, fiber, protein, and all kinds of vitamins. I'm not saying I believe in the magic of all that stuff, it just seems like overnight oats and that stuff goes together so there we are. Finally I made something a little bit more indulgent, but still relatively healthy Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats.

What I have learned:

Overnight oats are actually pretty great. I can see what the hype is about. It's not really like eating oatmeal, nor is it like having yogurt with granola. It's just a different, really filling morning option.
You should probably follow the general ratio rule of overnight oats, basic 1:2 For example if you have 1 cup of oats, combine it with 2 cups of liquid. The two cups can be 1 cup of water and 1 cup of yogurt or any various combination of liquidy-type things, just make sure you have enough so you aren't eating rock hard oats in the morning...
My favorites had chia seeds in them because they kept the oats super creamy.
Experimenting is easy. Try anything, just make sure you wait until morning to eat it because there is nothing worse than eating dry oats

Here's the recipes.

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Apple Pie Overnight Oats

by Daphne Medina September-23-2015

Ingredients

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
dash ginger
dash cinnamon
dash cardamon
1 Tbsp raisins
1 Tbsp chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Combine everything except for the raisins and the chopped pecans and mix in airtight container. 2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 3. Add the raisins and pecans and mix.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 4 hour Yield: 1 serving

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Overnight Oats - Ultimate Health Edition

by Daphne Medina September-23-2015

Ingredients

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 banana, mashed
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
1 Tbsp almonds, chopped
1/4 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. Combine everything except for the cranberries, nuts, and blueberries and mix in airtight container. 2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 3. Add the final three ingredients and mix.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 2 hour Yield: 1 serving

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Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats

by Daphne Medina September-23-2015

Ingredients

1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp agave syrup
1/4 cup raspberries

Instructions

1. Combine everything except for the raspberries and mix in airtight container. 2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 3. Add the raspberries and mix.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 2 hour Yield: 1

Thanks for reading! Come back on Friday for my Five on Friday, a post all about my favorite things from this past week. Follow me on social media to see when that and all my other posts go up.