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 :-)

Meal made in minutes: Easy egg white sandwich

Eggs are a very versatile lean protein and can really be eaten anytime of the day - breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This power-house of a super-food is nutrient dense, yet low in calories and contains several essential vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin A and vitamin D) and minerals (choline, selenium, and phosphorus) as well as the highest quality protein and amino acid profile that meets the needs of the human body. The whites alone contain only 16 calories (per large egg) and 4g of protein, without the saturated fat or cholesterol that is found in the yellow yolk. The best part is that egg whites can be prepared in minutes and easily incorporated into a perfect sandwich for a quick breakfast before work. Heck, you can even make this meal portable and eat it on your way into work (while driving as safely as possible, of course!)...

Quick Egg white sandwich

This week's Meal Made in Minutes: Easy Egg White Sandwich  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (I used All Whites) or the egg whites of 3 large eggs
• 2 slices whole grain bread (I used Canyon Ranch 7-Grain gluten-free bread)
• 1 slice reduced-fat provolone cheese (I used Sargento)
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp hummus (any flavor) (I used Tribe Sun-dried Tomato)
• Cherry tomatoes (optional)
• Black pepper or red chili flakes (to taste)

Tools needed:

1. Toaster oven
2. Microwaveable omelet maker (I bought mine at Amazon.com)

Egg white omelet

(All Whites egg whites with red chili flakes)

Directions:

1. Toast bread in toaster oven
2. While bread is toasting, prepare omelet - pour egg whites into omelet maker and season with black pepper or red chili flakes (to taste).
3. Cook eggs in the microwave on high heat for 1 minute. Make sure whites are complete set and cooked through - if whites are still runny, place omelet maker back in the microwave for 15 seconds.
4. Assemble egg white sandwich - spread 1 tbsp hummus on one slice of bread, then lay 1/2 cup spinach on top, then the egg whites, provolone cheese, remaining 1/2 cup spinach and the second slice of bread with remaining 1 tbsp hummus spread on top.

Viola! That's it, within 6-8 minutes you will have the perfect egg white breakfast sandwich! To take your breakfast to-go, wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil and hit the road!

This breakfast sandwich will beat any fast-food option and will fill you up with complex carbs, healthy fats, and lean protein to get you through the busy morning :-)

Feel free to play around with the ingredients. Some substitutions you can try:

• 1 egg + 2 whites instead of all whites
• 1/4th avocado (mashed or sliced) instead of hummus
• kale instead of spinach
• a whole-grain tortilla wrap instead of bread

Enjoy!