Overnight Oatmeal - vegan & gluten free

Happy Monday Tuesday! I'm not sure how that happened. I hope you had a good weekend and said hi to your mom.

A quick note- I finally started using Instagram recently, and you can see my gallery via Instagrid. I'd love to check out the galleries of photobugs who follow me!

I know I'm also kind of behind the curve on this overnight oatmeal thing; it's all over the interwebs. When I first saw it, the idea of cold oatmeal totally turned me off. But then I started working early mornings. I'm not a morning person in general, and I'm also not someone who can jump out of bed and eat right away. So I've been starting my day with iced tea and eating breakfast a few hours later. Overnight oatmeal is the perfect solution because I put it together the night before and all I have to do in the morning is remember to grab it out of the fridge. At first I thought I would microwave it in the break room, but I discovered, much to my surprise, that I like it cold. I also admit to using it as a vehicle for fruit, kind of like crisp or crumble.

Overnight Oatmeal - vegan & gluten free

Instead of cooking oatmeal, the time in the fridge does the work of softening the grains. The flavor possibilities are endless. This satisfies me and keeps me full, and it provides a great mix of whole grains, protein, calcium, and fresh fruits. Here's a recipe to get you started, but please play around with toppings an mix-ins. Think: jams, spices, purees like apple or pear sauce, nuts, muesili, granola, dried fruit, chocolate chips.

If you're making this for someone sensitive to gluten, be sure to use oatmeal that's certified gluten free.

1/3 C rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/3 C non-dairy milk of choice (I like almond)
1/3 C yogurt (optional)*
drizzle of honey (optional)
fruit, etc to garnish

Combine ingredients in a small lidded container. If using frozen fruit, be sure to add it at night and it will be thawed in your oatmeal by the morning. Leave it in the fridge overnight and enjoy for breakfast. It should be edible after a few hours, but I haven't experimented with that. If you want to add dried cereal/granola, add it right before you eat so it doesn't get soggy.

*This is completely optional. The recipe works just as well with just oats and milk. I recently tried some coconut yogurt that was delicious.