3 Ingredient Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal

I hate cold. Just ask any person who knows me. Not only do I hate cold, but I reeeeaaallllyyyy like hot. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d jack the heat up to 80°F all winter long. A more practical solution for keeping warm has been to wear leggings under my jeans. People usually look at me a little strangely when they see the second pair of pants poking out from under my jeans.

I digress.

Another thing I really like steaming hot is my food. I tell you all of this because, somehow, this oatmeal is the exception. It’s now my go-to rushed morning breakfast and it is perfect when eaten cold, just out of the refrigerator. I even tried heating it up once, thinking something along the lines of “If this oatmeal is so good cold imagine how amazing it would be warm”, but it just wasn’t the same warm. How weird is that?! I guess some things are just made to be eaten cold, like ice cream and overnight oatmeal.

If you do want to heat this up, just be careful not to curdle the yogurt. Then it goes from being less good to just nasty.

I’ve talked about oats before, and I really suggest getting some Trader Joe’s oats if you can. Their normal, regular oats are gluten free! How great is that?! I love this because oats are naturally gluten free so I like to support companies that treat oats just as oats and don’t combine in any extra stuff. My nearest Trader Joes is an hour and a half away though, so if my stockpile runs out and I don’t have time for the trip I get Bob’s Red Mill Oats, which are available locally for me. I noticed no difference in quality between the two brands of oats, just the price point.

The recipe below calls for 1/4c of oats, which is smaller than what I consider a normal serving size of oats. I cut the amount of oats down because I found that the bulkiness of the yogurt fills me up faster. Adjusting for larger/small servings is really easy though. The basic recipe is just to mix equal amounts of oatmeal, vanilla yogurt, and milk. Easy! There are two optional ingredients; ground flax and vanilla extract. I like to add the flax for some extra fiber and the vanilla extract adds another layer of flavor. Like I said, both the extra vanilla and the flax are totally optional. The simple three ingredient version makes a very pleasant breakfast. Oh, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of these oats is delicious, too!

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 c GF oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s)
• 1/4 c vanilla flavored yogurt (I’ve been using Activia Greek)
• 1/4 c milk of choice
• optional: 2 tsp ground flax
• optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a jar, or other container with a lid, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
2. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Your oatmeal will be ready to eat in the morning!