I get it, mornings are busy. And amidst making sure you’re ready for work and your kids are organized, fed and out the door on time, breakfast for you often takes a backseat (or no seat at all). While I love a quick smoothie, sometimes a warm bowl of oats is more appealing for these cold dark days.
With very minimal prep you can pre-make oatmeal, divide it into containers with toppings that satisfy both you and your family, and have a nutrient-rich, delicious breakfast that takes less than 5 minutes to make and can be eaten at home or while running out the door.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (or steel cut oats*)
- 2 cups liquid (you can use all water, though a combination with non-dairy milk yields more creamy consistency)
- ½ tsp salt
- Toppings:
- Chocolate Lovers:
- 1 Tbsp Chocolate Vega® Essentials
- ½ sliced banana
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- Fruit & Nuts:
- 1 Tbsp dried cherries + 2 Tbsp chopped roasted, salted almonds
- 1 Tbsp dried apricot or golden raisin + 2 Tbsp chopped raw walnuts
- ½ sliced banana + 2 Tbsp chopped pecans
- ½ apple, chopped + 2 Tbsp walnuts and pumpkin seeds
Preparation
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Cook oats on stove on medium low heat until most liquid is dissolved and oats are soft.
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Remove from heat while a bit of liquid still remains (the oats will continue to soak the liquid as they cool)
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Divide oats into 4 containers and let cool with lids off
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Once cool, add mix ins then (or wait and do it before you eat), top oatmeal and store in refrigerator
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When ready to eat top oats with a splash of water or milk, stir and reheat in microwave. Add any additional toppings.
- Chocolate Lovers: After reheating, stir into oatmeal 1 tablespoon Vega Essentials Chocolate or Vega One Chocolate (for a protein boost), and top with ½ sliced banana and 1 tablespoon peanut butter.
- Fruit and Nut: Stir into oatmeal either while preparing or right before eating 1 tablespoon dried fruit and 2 tablespoons chopped nuts.
Notes:
- Leftover oats will last in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To save time, cook your oats in a slow cooker or rice cooker overnight, which lets you wake up to piping hot oatmeal in the morning. To do this make sure you use steel cut oats, and add 4 cups liquid for 1 cup of oats. Cook on low for 8 hours and in the morning spoon out and top with your choice of toppings .
