overnight oats (cold)

kayemme

So I have been reading up on this and from what I can gather the recipe is 1:1 wet to dry.

wet can be milk (animal or nut/seed) or yogurt and dry is oatmeal. most recipes say 1/4c of each, which makes a half cup, and I'm guessing that's a serving size.

But the jars in all the photos look really full and lovely and mine looks like glop on the bottom, not even filling the jar half way.

Does the mixture expand? Should I be making more than 2 servings in a small peanut butter jar?

I don't feel like I'm doing it right.

Flavorings and add-ins, I can deal with all that later. I'm just trying to understand how this works. Can you help me?

Thanks so much!

looking4au

the jars I have seen with the oatmeal in are little 4 oz jelly jars. So its not that much, but yes it is a serving size with the yogurt and fruit added. I tried it with orange cream yogurt and mandarin oranges. It was ok, but wasn't impressed much by it. I might try a different flavor like berry, but like I said.......I just wasn't impressed. Good luck tho.

looking4au

and btw, you are doing it right.

BostonStrong617

Hey for me the texture really improved when I added flax seeds or chia seeds depending on what I have at the time. (chia is kinda hard to find around here) But both make it thicker and more filling.

It does take a few tries to get a texture you like. I do one serving at a time normally. The way I like it is

1/2 Cup Old Fashion Oats
1/3 Cup Greek Yogurt
1/4th Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Scoop Protein Powder
1 TB of some kind of nut butter (normally a variation of PB)
1 TB Flax seed or Chia Seed
1 TSP Sweetner (Brown Sugar, Sugar, Stevia, Maple Syrup etc it depends on what flavors I'm using)

Sometimes I use the packed oat meals that already have a flavor and I don't even need to add any sweetener or peanut butter for flavor. I really like the Glutenfreeda's Instant Oatmeal packets brand and the reduced sugar kind made by Quaker

It's all about experimenting! I also reuse my PB jars, especially the glass ones which can actually go in the dishwasher. Regular PB jars melt, learned that the hard way lol!

kayemme

and btw, you are doing it right.

whew! okay.

does it expand? like, if i filled the entire jar full, would it leak out of the jar while i'm sleeping?

kayemme

1/2 Cup Old Fashion Oats
1/3 Cup Greek Yogurt
1/4th Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Scoop Protein Powder
1 TB of some kind of nut butter (normally a variation of PB)
1 TB Flax seed or Chia Seed
1 TSP Sweetner (Brown Sugar, Sugar, Stevia, Maple Syrup etc it depends on what flavors I'm using)

you put all this in at the same time? or some of it in the morning? (this sounds like the evening setup)

JazzyMiSa

There is another thread about overnight oats which gives quantities & recipes... maybe someone there can answer your question.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1059562-overnight-oatmeal-recipes

BostonStrong617

At night! Sorry I guess I should have specified! I normally throw it together at night, fridge overnight then eat it after I work out in the morning for breakfast. I bring it in a cooler lunch box because my gym is down the street from my work

I mix the greek yougurt_+ almond milk together in a bowl, then add the protein powder and sweetner, dump that in jar, shake it up then put in everything else (oats, peanut butter & chia seeds) and shake it more, put it in the fridge and it's ready to go for the morning! Sometimes I'll add the other half of the banana I eat before I work out.

ShinyFuture

My never-fail favorites so far: (I use Ball 8oz jelly jars, buy 'em at Target)

Cocoa/Banana
1/4 c uncooked oats
1/3 c almond milk
1/4 c plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 t chia seeds or ground flax
1 T cocoa powder
1/2-1 t honey (opt)
1/4 c diced banana, or enough to fill jar.

.Add everything except bananas. Stir. Add bananas. Stir again. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Blueberry/maple
1/4 c uncooked oats
1/3 c almond milk
1/4 c plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 t chia seeds or ground flax
1/2-1 t pure maple syrup (opt)
1/4 c fresh blueberries, or enough to fill jar

Add everything except blueberries. Stir. Add blueberries. Stir again. Refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days.

Mango/almond
1/4 c uncooked oats
1/3 c almond milk
1/4 c plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 t chia seeds or ground flax
1/4 t pure almond extract
1/2 to 1 t honey (opt)
1/4 c diced mango, or enough to fill jar.

Add everything except mangos. Stir. Add mangos. Stir again. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

kayemme

okay, awesome: so all of that stuff goes in at the same time. this is where i was gettin confused. thanks so much!

also, i don't use greek yogurt, i have my own, homemade yogurt which is thick, but not as thick as greek.
should i reduce the amount of almond milk?

ShinyFuture

also, i don't use greek yogurt, i have my own, homemade yogurt which is thick, but not as thick as greek.
should i reduce the amount of almond milk?

I make mine 2 at a time, so maybe try one as written and experiment a little with the other? Chia seeds will help thicken it more than the ground flax, so if you use chia maybe the homemade vs greek yogurt won't matter?

kayemme

all of this has been really helpful. I just mixed in the chia seeds, peanut butter and added a tiny bit more almond milk to make it kind of like a runny paste. i licked the spoon and it had a nice flavor. we'll see in the morning!! i'm excited!

i bicycle commute and usually have a smoothie before i leave, but tend to get kind of hungry before lunch, so this would be a PERFECT inbetween / late breakfast / pre-lunch kind of thing.

takumaku

If using homemade yogurt, I wouldn't add the almond milk. Let it soak overnight and see how it turns out with the almond milk. If it's a bit too thick, then add a little milk to it.

sj_1970

I use the same measurements that are given online but in a bigger than 4oz jar so I can mix it all up when it comes time to eat it, it does expand over night. You can also experiment with flavorings that you like. I like oats/fruit or berries sometimes both/raw sunflower seeds/ I use goats milk or kefir (personal preference) sometimes I use organic cocoa sometimes I use raw honey or maple syrup but I don't necessarily like it them sweet so that's not all the time, and depending on the fruit it can make it sweet enough for me.

suprzonic

I like to soak oats in organic coconut water overnight. They're yum just like that. Sometime I put in sunflower seeds, frozen raspberries and a dollop of natural yoghurt. By the time I've made a coffee the frozen raspberries are thawed out . A cup of coconut water to half a cup of oats

coffee4me57

I just mixed up a batch in a Tervis tumbler, snapped on the lid and it is in the fridge ready to go tomorrow morning.

sj_1970

I like to soak oats in organic coconut water overnight. They're yum just like that. Sometime I put in sunflower seeds, frozen raspberries and a dollop of natural yoghurt. By the time I've made a coffee the frozen raspberries are thawed out . A cup of coconut water to half a cup of oats

That's brilliant

kayemme

I just tried it w/o any add-ins. It's pretty good. I found the texture to be too "bread pudding" like for me, so I thinned it down with a little more almond milk.

I wouldn't yet put it in the spectacular category, but it's definitely good.

dmvarner

This sounds amazing!! I had never even heard of doing oatmeal this way! S excited now:)

Jill_newimprovedversion

Bump= wanna check these variations out later

sweetNsassy2584

Adding Chai seeds is important, it helps thicken your oats.

1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 Tbsp chai seeds
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powders
sweetener to taste

In the morning add a Tbsp of peanut butter and 1/2 a banana. Its absolutely delish!