Meal made in minutes: Maple Blueberry Overnight Oats

It's already Sunday again! This week really flew by... actually, this whole summer really flew by, and today I am preparing for my trip to NC for Orientation Week at Lenoir-Ryhne University! I am excited for my Dietetic Internship program to start, but I am also very anxious and nervous for the next big step in my journey to becoming a Registered Dietitian. Luckily, I have a long list of "to-do's" today before I leave tomorrow to keep me preoccupied and distracted. One of the most important things on my "to-do" list is to make overnight oats for my husband to eat for breakfast all week while I am gone! I am sure you have heard of overnight oats by now, but if you haven't gotten around to making them then you are missing out! Overnight oats are incredibly easy to make, a delicious way to start your day, and can be made in minutes! I make a couple batches at a time for my husband to eat for breakfast when he is short on time (which is all the time) and have experimented with several different ingredients. After a few trail and error attempts, I have found the perfect recipe for the BEST overnight oats - and today I am going to share it with you!

This week's Meal Made in Minutes: Maple Blueberry Overnight Oats

Maple Blueberry Oats (5)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats (Gluten-Free if needed) (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats)
• 1/2 cup milk (Dairy-Free if needed) (I use 1% milk for my hubby and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk for me)
• 1/4th cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Fage or Oikos) or 2 tbsp vegan protein powder (I use Bio Chem Vegan Vanilla Bean)
• 1-2 tbsp Maple syrup (to desired sweetness)
• 1-2 tbsp Chia seeds (to desired thickness)
• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries

Maple Blueberry Oats ingredients

(Ingredients for 4 jars of Maple Blueberry Overnight Oats and 1 jar of Gluten-Free & Vegan Maple PB Protein Overnight Oats)

Directions:

1. Place oats, milk, yogurt / protein powder, and maple syrup (in that order) into a mason jar or deep Tupperware container (with a lid). Mix all ingredients well with a spoon.
2. Add in the Chia seeds and mix well again.
3. Add in the blueberries and mix well again.
4. Top with the lid (air-tight) and store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
5. Remove from the refrigerator when ready to eat and enjoy as-is (straight from the jar) or warm up your oats in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.

** You can add any toppings of your choice to your oats :-) Some of my favorite toppings are banana slices, almond slices, PB2, and cinnamon.

Maple Blueberry Oats (2)

(Step 1: before the ingredients are mixed well)

Maple Blueberry Oats (3)

(Step 2: with the Chia seeds mixed in)

Maple Blueberry Oats (4)

(Step 3: before the blueberries are mixed in)

It really is that simple and SO delicious! You can make the overnight oats in less than 5 minutes and have your breakfast ready to grab-and-go the next morning!

You can play around with the ingredients a little, but be sure to have more liquid than oats (since the oats will absorb the milk and expand) and increase the liquid even more if you add more Chia seeds (since the seeds will also absorb the milk and expand even more)!

Maple PB Protein Oats

(My Gluten-Free & Vegan version: Maple PB Protein Overnight Oats - with GF oats, almond milk, Vegan protein powder, PB2, maple syrup and Chia seeds!)

Have fun experimenting with your Overnight Oats and enjoy a delicious and satisfying breakfast made in minutes :-)

Thirsty Thursday: Mamma Chia and Vanilla Smoothie

Ned's Point

One of my favorite things about being back in my home town (Mattapoisett, MA) is being able to run down to one of the most beautiful ocean-side parks called Ned's Point. Ned's Point is about 1.25 miles from my parents' house and most of the route is covered by huge, beautiful oak trees and surrounded by large beach houses. There is something about Ned's Point that makes me feel "at home" and sitting on the picnic tables and gazing past the lighthouse at the crashing waves against the rocks brings back childhood memories - it is truly my happy place :-)

(Ned's Point - Mattapoisett, MA - My "happy place")

I've started nearly every morning since I arrived back home with a nice jog down to Ned's Point and back to my parents' house and, while it is only 2.5 miles round trip, the "hazy hot and humid" temperatures this week have gotten the best of me and I could not wait to guzzle down an ice-cold smoothie as soon as I walked in the house! There is nothing quite as refreshing as an ice-cold post-workout protein smoothie and my food-shopping-savvy mother has introduced me to some great new smoothie ingredients that led me to create this week's Thirsty Thursday smoothie recipe - Mamma Chia Vanilla Protein Smoothie.

Chia smoothie 1

With only three main ingredients, this smoothie is by far the easiest one to make and easily the most delicious post-workout smoothie yet!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3.5-oz Mamma Chia Squeeze Vitality Snack packet
• 1 scoop (single-serve packet) of vanilla vegan protein powder
• 5-6 ice cubes
• Natural sweetener of choice (to taste, optional) - I used 1 Stevia packet
• Optional add-ins: 1/4th cup plain Greek yogurt (for more protein, carbohydrates, and creamier texture), 1/4th cup dry oats (for more complex carbohydrates, B vitamin, and thicker consistency), or 1/2 frozen banana (for more carbohydrates, potassium, and more slushy-like consistency).

* I usually travel with a packet or two of protein powder (just in case) and I am a big fan of NutraKey VPro, which is made of organic, non-GMO raw plant proteins and provides all the essential amino acids the body needs.

* My brilliant mother found the Mamma Chia snack packs at BJ's Wholesale Market (similar to Costco or Sam's Club) and these tasty little snack packs provide 1200 mg of Omega-3s and can be purchased in bulk for healthy snacking on-the-go!

Chia smoothie 2

Instructions:

1. Pour almond milk into a blender with the ice cubes.
2. Squeeze the Chia snack pack into the blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add in the scoop /packet of protein powder (and sweetener if desired) and blend on high again for 30-60 seconds (or until all ingredients are mixed well and the ice cubes are all broken up.
4. And chug away (but not so quickly that you get brain freeze)!!

There you have it! A very easy way to combine simple ingredients with essential nutrients to refuel after a workout or hot run in the summer heat! Stay cool and refuel with lean protein and healthy fats :-)