Hello there beautiful people, I hope you’re all doing really well 🙂 

First of all, Happy Easter – I hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed good company and perhaps a nice figolla too!

I may have had one too many pieces of figolla over the weekend… which is not ideal because I know I might feel a bit poorly today, but I enjoyed it and I’m a big believer in finding balance in my diet (and life in general) which to me means that if I’m celebrating, having a good time and enjoying really good food, and I want and extra piece of figolla, I’ll have it. It also means that I’m going to make a bit of an extra effort to nourish my body properly this week. Which doesn’t meant that I’m going to eat a salad all week as a form of punishment, instead I want to make sure I start my days off right with a really good breakfast. This way, I’ll be starting the day on the right foot, this breakfast will keep me full until it’s time for lunch and I’ll be much more inclined to eat well having started off well which in turn will help me feel well. 

I make overnight oats all the time; even thought I wake up quite early, I still find that I don’t have the time (or patience) to make myself breakfast every single morning. Sometimes I’m not hungry until I’m at work (several hours after waking up) and other times I’m just not bothered to make anything. So, I like preparing overnight oats in a jar a day or two before and just leave them in the fridge to be able to take with me on the go.

Overnight oats are super nutritious and very versatile – I hate having to eat the same thing over and over again which is why I love making these overnight oats; it’s so easy to swap out ingredients for whatever you have on hand and make so many different varieties depending on what you’re in the mood for. 

Berry Oats

1/4 cup or 40g oats

1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 alpro yogurt – natural

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon agave / honey

Handful fresh or frozen berries

Simply place oats, milk, agave or honey, chia seeds and yogurt into a small bowl / glass / jar and mix well to combine. Top with fresh or frozen berries, cover and place in the fridge for up to three to four days. Here, I used a mix or fresh berries – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries – after assembling this version, I used the fresh berries to make a chia jam for another variation of overnight oats.

The consistency is very thick for this one – feel free to omit the yogurt if you’re looking for something less dense or add more almond milk. Also, 1/4 cup or 40g oats I find is a good portion for me, but if you make these and feel too full or not full enough, change the quantity accordingly until you find what works for you.

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Chocolate Oats

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon raw cacao

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon liquid sweetener of choice (I used agave)

1 tablespoon cacao nibs

1 teaspoon almond butter

Combine all the above ingredients in a jar, mix really well to make sure that cacao dissolves in the almond milk and top with almond butter. Here, I use twice the amount of oats and milk as the above recipe because I omit the yogurt and fruit. Again, play around with quantities and consistency to find what you enjoy more. This again is very thick because when they oats and chia seeds hydrate, they expand making this thick and delicious.

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Banana-Nut Oats

1 banana

1 alpro yogurt

2 tablespoons oats

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon chia seeds

chopped hazelnuts

I’ve changed the proportions here again just to show how versatile these recipes can be and also because, if you make this using the above measurements and ingredients, you’ll find yourself enjoying a healthier version of a banana-nut pudding; yum!

Just slice the banana and place half at the bottom of your jar. Combine yogurt, chia seeds, oats and honey. Add half of your yogurt mix to the jar, top that with the other half of your sliced banana and top that with the rest of your yogurt mixture. Finally, add a tablespoon (or as much as you fancy) of chopped hazelnuts and place in the fridge to enjoy the following morning.

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Chia Jam Oats

2 heaped tablespoons chia jam

1 alpro yogurt

2 tablespoons oats

I used the remainder of the berries from the first recipe to make some quick chia jam – if you’d like to learn how, click here https://holisticnutritionninja.blog/2019/02/04/delicious-chia-jam-two-ways/

Simple add two heaped tablespoons of chia jam to the bottom or your jar, top with oats and yogurt, mix well and store.

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Kiwi Cranberry Oats

1 kiwi – sliced

1/4 cup or 40g oats

1/2 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon agave

1 level tablespoon dried cranberries

slivered almonds

Here, I used twice as much almond milk as I did oats – I believe this is the traditional way to make overnight oats – it’s a much more liquid that the others, especially since I omitted the yogurt and chia seeds here. This is a variation I enjoy too, it’s more like eating a cereal and milk rather than a pudding, it all depends on personal preference.

Simply place all the above ingredients into your jar and mix well – as you can see in the images, I place the sliced kiwi around the sides of the glass, just to be fancy – this takes too much time and effort for just a regular day so I don’t do it often, but in the name of pretty food photos, I spent the extra two minutes playing around with kiwi haha

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There you go, that’s overnight oats five ways!

Whichever way you choose, having a balanced breakfast is always a good idea. I don’t personally like having breakfast first thing in the morning, but most days, I also don’t like waiting until lunch time to eat. These are really easy to take on the go and enjoy whenever you’re hungry or just munch on first thing if that’s what you normally do, without having to make a mess in the kitchen first thing in the morning or think about what you’re making. Adjust the ingredients to match your preference – these also make a good, healthy and nutritious breakfast or snack for kids!

The oats are a really good source of complex carbohydrates (which break down slowly) and fiber which in turn will keep you full and satisfied. The almond milk and alpro yogurts are both great sources of plant-based protein. You could also use cow’s milk and Greek yogurt if you’d like. The fresh fruit and cacao are all great sources of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which our bodies need on a daily bases and the nuts and nut butters are filling, provide a great source of good fats and are also a good source of protein. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be sure to enjoy a very healthy and very balanced meal!

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That’s it from me for today 🙂

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Sarah’s Healthy Eats – @holisticnutritionninja

As always, if you do try them out, please let me know 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to be here and read this ❤

Until my next post, be well xXx