I realized while menu planning that I am an extreme creature of habit. I have had the same smoothie almost every morning for the past 5 years. I love to create and test recipes. And while I love breakfast, I prefer not to give it much thought. I've got three school-aged kids, and a hungry husband. Breakfast has to be easy, fast, and effortless in my house. Going with that theme, I thought overnight oats would be the perfect cure for the smoothie blues.
You'll notice a pattern with each recipe. The base is always 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup plant milk, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Now that you have this information, you can go forth and create new, yummy variations and tell us all about it in the comments! Hooray for creativity and making it your own!
Banana Chai
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 banana, sliced or chopped
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp raisins (or dried cranberries)
1/4 cup oat milk
Raspberry Chia
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp maple syrup
2 heaping tbsp of Raspberry Chia Pudding
1/2 cup oat milk
Mint Chocolate Chip
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp of peppermint extract
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut milk
1-2 tbsp vegan chocolate chips (optional)
Mango Coconut
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 cup of fresh or frozen mango (defrosted)
3 tsp shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup coconut milk
Mixed Berry Vanilla
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup of mixed berries, either fresh or frozen (defrosted)
Wild Blueberry Cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of frozen wild blueberries, defrosted
1/2 cup almond milk
Place oats in an 8 oz. glass jar with a resealable lid, along with maple syrup, any spices or extracts, and plant milk. Seal jar and shake till combined. This is an important step - it makes it easier to stir up when ready to eat.
Unseal the jar and add whatever fruit/nut/chocolate topping you're feelin' that day. Reseal and store in the fridge until ready to eat. These will keep in the fridge for around 5-7 days.
When ready to eat, carefully stir the topping into the oats below and enjoy. Feel free to add more topping if you have the room!