Give your go-to oatmeal a boost with greek yogurt, flax, and chia seeds.
Overnight oats are a secret weapon you can keep in your healthy-eating arsenal to have a simple breakfast on hand and ready to pull out of the fridge at a moment’s notice. “I am so go, go, go, to the point where I can’t really stop, [but] if I set myself up with overnight oats or something like this, I’ll reach for it,” says strength coach Gabby Sansosti. “I love that [this recipe] is something we can do the night before like a bedtime ritual.”
This overnight oatmeal recipe may only take ten minutes to put together, but there’s a lot of nutritional bang for your buck. Oats are an excellent source of energy and they contain dietary fiber and valuable micronutrients like vitamin E, folate, zinc, iron, selenium, copper, and manganese. But the research also says this wholegrain has numerous other health benefits, like lowering the risk of heart disease and reducing blood cholesterol levels.
While a bowl of fiber-rich oatmeal can help keep you energized and satiated, these overnight oats add Greek yogurt for protein and include flax and chia for a dose of healthy fats. John Christie, registered dietitian and the director of Curriculum Intelligence at Tonal, says this recipe also “goes a step further to help with your overall gut and digestive health by providing the right nutrients for healthy bacteria with the yogurt.”
If you’re training mid-morning or before lunch, this meal is a solid pre-workout option. “Overnight oats are a great way to start your day,” Christie says, “and more often than not, it’s also better to train fueled in most cases. For those reasons, this [recipe] would fit well a [couple of hours] before a workout.”
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Greek yoghurt
- 2 cups of your choice of milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups of your choice of oats
- 2-3 Tbsp. chia seeds
- 2-3 Tbsp. ground flax
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Serve with your favorite toppings: berries, chopped banana, grated apple, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup, coconut flakes, chopped nuts or nut butters
Method
- In a bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, your choice of milk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix the oats, chia seeds, ground flax, and cinnamon well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is mixed through properly. Pour into an airtight container (or single-serving containers) and leave overnight in the fridge.
- Serve in the morning, hot or cold with your favorite toppings. If the oats feel too thick, add more milk of your choice.
- Store in an airtight containers in the fridge for up to five days.
Note: These values below do not account for toppings and represent one serving of four.
- Calories: 358 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Protein: 22g
- Fat: 17g
