Overnight Oatmeal

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought I would try it out for Rick. He loves oatmeal, he just doesn't like it cooked, (it gets too mushy for him).

 

The flavors I tried were, chocolate banana, strawberry banana, strawberry and lemon almond berry. For the Chocolate banana I used vanilla Greek yogurt and 1 tsp of Cocoa. For the strawberry banana I added diced strawberries and bananas and a little banana extract and I used strawberry Greek yogurt. I also used strawberry yogurt for the strawberry Greek flavored. The lemon almond berry was my favorite, I used the strawberry Greek yogurt, frozen mixed berries, (chopped up), a tbsp canned lemon custard, almond extract and slivered almonds. I thought they were really good.

Here's what Rick thought...

He only tried the chocolate banana. The original recipe called for maple syrup as a sweetener and I did not add that to any of mine. He thought it tasted too much like real chocolate. Russell added some honey and loved it.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
• 1/4 cup any fruit or flavoring (or enough to fill jar).

Directions

In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, fruit or flavoring and chia seeds. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled.

Ch-Ch-Ch Chia Seeds

• have more Omega 3 fatty acids than flax seed (important for heart health)
• are the richest non-marine whole food source of Omega-3 (better than salmon)
• absorb 10 times their weight in water and transform into a gel-like substance--great for athletes for maintaining hydration and helps with weight loss by making you feel full longer
• are as high in protein as quinoa
• are loaded with calcium, potassium, Vitamin B, and anti-oxidants
• help balance blood sugar via the gelling action of the seed and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber that slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars 
• have a neutral taste so they will take on the other flavors in a recipe
• can be eaten whole (unlike flax seed); they don't have to be ground before adding them to food in order to digest them and benefit from their nutrients.