Overnight Chia Oatmeal
I realize that chia pudding falls in the love-it-or-hate-it category.
I definitely belong in the former group. I can’t get enough of the cold, creamy, almost jelly-like pudding (my favorite is coconut chia pudding). And it’s incredibly healthy, which is not something I can say about my other breakfast favorites.
I recently experimented with chia pudding by combining it with another breakfast staple: overnight oats. They’re pretty similar already – you have to soak both in your preferred dairy overnight, chill in the fridge, and by morning the chia seeds and the oatmeal will have absorbed the liquid and whatever other flavors you add.
I used uncooked old-fashioned oats, chia seeds, 1% milk, half a chopped apple, a handful of walnuts and cranberries, and a drizzle of honey. The resulting concoction was a pudding with plenty of texture. Some chewiness, some crunch, and a lot of deliciousness.
For those unfamiliar with chia seeds, it’s one of the health world’s newest darlings because it’s a great source of protein and omega 3s. When the seeds get soaked in liquid for a few hours or overnight, it plumps up with a gelatinous coating, magically transforming the slightly weird looking mixture into pudding.
This is the perfect weekday breakfast for me, because I do all the prep work the night before and I don’t need to rush in the mornings. I love this breakfast because it has the one-two punch of chia and oatmeal, both of which keeps me full for hours. The addition of fruit and healthy fats from the walnuts is an added bonus.
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If you’re just starting out with chia seeds, you can decrease the amount and increase the oatmeal. It’s easy to customize the flavors to your liking – use almond milk or soy milk, add a different fruit (blueberries or a chopped banana would be great), different nuts. You can also try my favorite Coconut Chia Pudding – it tastes like dessert!
Overnight Chia Oatmeal
Ingredients
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup milk (I used 1% milk)
1/2 apple, chopped
1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 teaspoon honey
Directions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or covered container and mix well.
- Chill in the for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Recipe
If you really can’t get behind the chia pudding craze but still want a healthy and delicious breakfast, may I suggest this Chocolate Cherry Smoothie instead? It has all the flavors of Cherry Garcia ice cream, but it’s much more nutritious. That’s going to be hard not to like.