Overnight Oatmeal

I have a new obsession: overnight oatmeal.  I saw this idea on a variety of different food blogs, but one stood out to me.  Kath, of KathEats (http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/overnightoats) is even more obsessed with this idea than I am.  Overnight oatmeal is great because it can be prepared ahead, which means an extra 10 minutes of sleep in the morning.  It also allows for a ton of different flavor possibilities.  So far I have made peanut butter banana oats, pumpkin pie oats, and pecan pear oats.  They were all delicious, each in their own way.

Even though it is extremely easy to make this dish, I took step-by-step pictures to teach you. This recipe is for banana peanut butter oats.  The first step is to mash a banana together with peanut butter using a fork.

 

 

Then add the rest of the ingredients: milk, yogurt, oatmeal of any variety, and cinnamon.  Recipes vary in the amount of milk they call for.  I have used any where from 1/3 cups of milk plus 1/2 cup yogurt to 1 1/3 cups of milk without yogurt with between 1/3 and 1/2 cup oats, and it turned out every time. The yogurt gives the oatmeal a creamier consistency.

 

Mix the ingredients together, seal your container or cover it, and put it in the refrigerator overnight.   In this picture, I have made my oatmeal in a reusable plastic container.  I find that this is the most convenient way to take my oats to work in the morning.  Plus, there are fewer dishes to do!

In the morning, take out the oatmeal, give it one more stir, and enjoy!  At first it might seem weird to eat oatmeal cold or at room temperature.  I find it kind of refreshing while sitting in my hot office at work.  If it really bothers you, though, you could always microwave the oats.

Here is a picture of my pumpkin pie oatmeal. It contains banana, pumpkin puree, yogurt, milk, oats, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon and is topped with chopped pecans.