PB & J Overnight Oats
I have eaten oatmeal every morning for breakfast since I was 16, and I am still not sick of it. Granted the way I eat it has changed a bit. I started out eating it cooked to gloopy perfection on the stove, with brown sugar, cinnamon and a some chocolate chips stirred in. When I reduced my sugar consumption however, I simply stirred in a bit of PB and left it at that. That was my pre-race meal for years when I used to run a lot of races. It did the trick. Now, I no longer cook my oatmeal, because who has time for that in the morning when they have to work out then be to work on time? So I make overnight oats instead. I enjoy them just as much, and they are just as satisfying. My current every day favorite oats are with chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, and ginger with some ground flax seed sprinkled on top. It is not very sweet, but has a good flavor which I like.
On the weekends sometimes though I switch it up and make fun flavors. Last weekend, I made PB & J. I was sort of reliving my just stirring PB into my oats days, but I decided to go for a childhood favorite and add pureed raspberries for a sort of jam. Why not real jam? Well, I don't like overly sweet breakfasts, especially if I just worked out...I don't tend to be hungry for that. So, pureed raspberries were perfect. If you would like to just use jam however, by all means, do it!
I didn't add any sweetener to the actual oat part either, because I use a protein powder that has a little sweetness. It was all the perfect balance to me. If you prefer though, feel free to add some sweetener if that floats your boat. I kind of felt like my 8 year old self when I ate this. The jam reminding me of these instant oatmeal things I used to eat when I was little called "oatmeal swirlers" where you swirled a jam or whatever flavor into the oatmeal. Except this was much better, because it was REAL oatmeal with real ingredients.
PB & J Overnight Oats
Serves 1-2
1/2 cup gluten free steel cut oats or 1 cup gluten free rolled oats (if you want this to be raw use raw rolled oats)
1 1/2 cups filtered water or as needed
2 scoops Sprout Living Epic Vanilla Lucuma Protein Powder*
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
stevia or maple syrup to taste (optional)
1-2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup pureed fresh raspberries or strawberries
In a bowl, combine all ingredients but the raspberries, and stir to mix together. Drop into a jar little by little, alternating with the raspberry puree. Let sit in the refrigerator covered overnight. Enjoy in the morning!
*If you do not wish to add protein powder, then simply use your favorite non dairy milk reduced to 1 cup in this recipe.
