Overnight oats seem to be the latest health crazy at the minute, they are all over the Internet with various people saying how good they are for weight loss & keeping you fuller for longer. I’m not so sure on them, I love warm milky porridge in the morning, especially on a cold winters day, plus the thought of eating cold, raw oats, just doesn’t seem right to me.
However, I thought the girls and I would give them a go here’s how we got on.
I found three glass jars in the back of the cupboard, Barry must have bought them for various video recipes, as all the pictures I see online have the oats in these fancy things. I’m certain any Tupperware box or empty jam jar will do, it just needs to have a lid you can seal.
The girls seemed very excited about having their own jars to make breakfast in for the next day. I let them choose what toppings they wanted and they came up with strawberry’s, chocolate chips, and honey. I decided to go for banana, strawberry, and honey.
We worked together to get everything ready, Phoebe sliced up the strawberries and banana, while Chloe poured the chocolate chips into the bowl (well, half in the bowl, the rest she ate), and I got the oats and milk ready. The next step was to begin filling up our jars. In went the oats, followed by the milk, then we topped the mixture with the fruit, chocolate chips, and honey. Then sealed the jars and left them in the fridge overnight. It was as simple as that!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the girls this excited for an oat/fruit based breakfast before. Normally its only when I buy those mini cereal boxes, or something that’s completely covered in chocolate! Anyway, they couldn’t wait to get down stairs for breakfast, but I was prepared for the worst and wasn’t looking forward to raw crunchy oats, no matter how good they looked in the fancy jar!
However, the silence at the breakfast table proved me wrong. The girls gobbled theirs up within a few minutes, which I was not expecting at all. I actually really enjoyed mine too. The oats were soft and sweet, where they had been left to soak in the milk and honey, and the fruit had still kept its shape and texture, it hadn’t gone all mushy and horrible.
The first words I heard at the breakfast table that morning…. “Mum, can we make these again tonight, please?”. I was so delighted to hear that! The fact that they actually enjoyed something that they had made themselves and it was good for them, I did think it would keep them full all morning, but half an hour later I got the normal, “I’m still hungry”, which as they are both growing girls, who have busy days at school, I’ll let them off.
Me on the other hand, well its 11 a.m. now and after having breakfast at 7 a.m, i’m still full. I don’t feel the urge for a mid-morning snack, so I have every confidence my overnight oats are going to keep me filled up until lunch time. I also don’t feel sluggish or bloated, I feel full of energy, and really alert. It’s a shame we are not filming a recipe today, I would be on top form!
The great thing about these oats is there is no set topping that you have to have. I’ve read so many different recipes, you can literally have anything you fancy. You can add different spices, fruits, seeds, nuts, flavoured yogurt instead of milk, and I even found one based around s’mores (everyone deserves a treat at some point).
My final thoughts on overnight oats? I am definitely a fan, as are the girls. I love the idea of been able to make them the night before, making breakfast even easier and hassle free in the morning. If we get up late, breakfast is there waiting for us, and the girls know exactly what is in it as they made it themselves! My only concern, will they still taste as great when it’s a cold winters morning and you want something warm to eat?
Update …. January 2017
So three months after the girls and I first made overnight oats, Barry is going to make a recipe video on them as part of his healthy January month #fatboyslimming month. I wonder if they are going to taste as good now the mornings are a lot colder and darker………
He decided to make them with three different toppings, carrot cake, tropical, and peanut butter. Each one we kept the base ingredients the same, then just layered on the different toppings. My favourite was going to be the tropical for sure, as it consisted of my favourite fruits; pineapple, mango, banana, and coconut! The carrot cake one I was very unsure of, cream cheese and carrot for breakfast? Not something I would normally choose to top my porridge with, but the taste might prove me wrong. Barry had never made these before (as with all the recipes he makes) asking me, “we warm them up in the morning, right?” “Ergh, not really, you just eat them cold” was my reply. His face said it all, he was having the same thoughts I had had the first-time round.
Anyway, after filming making them up, we left them in the fridge overnight. Of course, the girls spotted them on returning home from school and immediately wanted to make their own version for the morning.
So it was time to taste the overnight oats. We set up the camera and sat down to dig in, filming our reactions. First up was the tropical, I was really looking forward to this and it didn’t disappoint. The flavours that came through were refreshing and sweet, mixing really well with the soaked porridge oats. Next up was the carrot cake. It actually surprised me a great deal, the allspice flavour shone through and was a great combination with the carrot, raisin, cream cheese, and oats. Lastly was the peanut butter. Now I am not a huge fan of peanut butter, but this was actually pretty tasty. The strawberries and blueberries were a good layer to add in on top, adding sweetness to the oats and peanut butter.
But did I enjoy them on a cold winters morning…………………..well, no I didn’t. They were really delicious, don’t get me wrong, but I like something warm inside my stomach to start the day off with. The cold soft oats just didn’t give me the same feeling (surprise, surprise), and I’m not sure Barry was sold on them either. But overnight oats are a great healthy way to start the day, and I am so pleased that the children enjoy them. I just think I will be waiting until the Summer to try them when it’s a bit warmer! You can see how we got on with the three different overnight oats in the recipe below.