Overnight Oats: Quick and Healthy Breakfast

Good morning, friends! I’m so excited about today’s post because it’s been a long time in the making, and I think it’s a great tip for for finding some healthy balance! Right at the beginning of last school year, I shared my plan for how I save time by using a meal-plan service and planning ahead for lunches. It helped me eat better and also save time that was typically spent frantically scrambling around for scraps of food to throw in my school bag that would constitute “lunch.” Today, as everyone is getting to the end of the first month of New Year’s Resolutions, I want to challenge you to try something new for your breakfast: overnight oats. 

Why I Love Overnight Oats

Teaching gave me a scrambled brain in the morning, leaving very little time for scrambling eggs. I was exhausted from staying up late planning the night before and most of the time I was guzzling down my coffee while finishing up a lesson for that day and then running through all the things I needed to make sure I copied or picked up before the kids walked in the door. So, some days I didn’t eat breakfast at all. Other days, I picked up whatever was close and easy – often something not very nutritious or filling.

Overnight Oats are the best solution I have found to my problems and I haven’t put them down, even as I am taking a break from teaching (more on that here).

1. You make them the night before. I find it’s a great way to de-stress before I actually lay down in bed.
2. It takes very little time (depending on the recipe). All the recipes I’m recommending are easy!
3. You can make multiple days worth in advance. (I usually make 3 or 4 at a time).
4. They are healthy.
5. They are yummy.
6. They keep me full until lunch-time!
7. When I wake up, I don’t even have to think. While I’m waiting for my coffee to drip into the cup, I open the fridge, pull out my overnight oats, dump them in a bowl and mix them up. By then, my coffee is done and I’m ready to go finish up whatever I need in the morning while still getting some sustenance.
8. If I forget or don’t have time to eat the breakfast in the morning, I can just grab the jar and easily take it (and a bowl if I’m not using these amazing jars) with me to work.

How I was Introduced to Overnight Oats

I tried overnight oats because I started using Skinnytaste Meal Plans. If you’ve followed me for a long time, you know that I have used pre-made meal plans for years. When we got married, Jeremy made it clear to me that we needed to actually have time together. 😂 But, teaching didn’t allow for a whole lot of time to cut – so I thought. Then I discovered meal plans and I was hooked.

I have tried a bunch of different meal planning services, but my favorite for many years was Cooksmarts. If you have lots of dietary restrictions in your family, this is (I believe) the best fit. In the last 8 months or so though, I’ve started using the Skinnytaste Meal Plans. They’re free, great-tasting, and super-low calorie. Like…you can’t believe it’s so low cal and still so good. ANYWAY…this is a long, round-about way of getting to my point. She introduced me to Overnight Oats. 

From that first inroduction (see below), I started scouring Pinterest for overnight oats recipes that were under 250 calories but still yummy. There is an ENDLESS (and you think I’m joking…) number of overnight oats recopies on Pinterest but:

• many do not include the calories
• some are over 400 calories per serving!
• some just don’t taste that great…

On this blog I strive to help busy professionals find balance behind the workplace. Part of finding balance is being healthy. So, today I want to share four of my favorite Overnight Oat recipes under 300 calories.

Four Overnight Oat Recipes under 300 Calories

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The First Overnight Oats I tried: Overnight Oats in a Jar – 243 calories

The first overnight oats I tried are still my favorite. This recipe is quick to make and tastes so sweet and fresh to me. There is one ingredient that you may not have on hand, but once you have it, these can’t be beat.

Coconut Latte Overnight Oats – 223 calories

This recipe is for anyone who loves coffee as much as I do! Actually, I don’t really feel like I taste the coffee all that much, but it’s a pleasant, not too sweet, not too bland overnight oats and at 223 calories, it’s a great option!

Peach Pie Overnight Oats – 269 calories

This overnight oats recipe is like having dessert for breakfast!

French Toast Overnight Oats – 231 calories

Similar to the Coconut Latte Overnight Oats above, this one has a fresh, sweet taste. The maple is what makes the recipe amazing and the author is right, pair it with a cup of coffee and it’s perfect!

Special Mention Overnight Oats

Raspberry Almond Overnight Oats – 322 calories

This is over my 300 calorie limit for this post, but if you don’t care about that, this one is to sweet and yummy! The raspberries melt into the oats overnight and are a wonderful treat in the morning!

Blueberry Lemon Coconut Overnight Oats – 323 calories

This one…oh man, this one…the lemon zest combined with the blueberries and coconut makes this full of flavor and fresh-tasting! This is my favorite after the Skinnytaste Oats in a Jar above. It is 80 cals more though…

Recipes I Haven’t Tried, but Look Good!

(284 calories)

(263 calories)

(240 calories if I change it to almond milk and 3 servings instead of 2)

A Note on Overnight Oat Supplies:

After trying so many recipes for overnight oats, I’ve learned that there are certain things to have on hand. These appear in a number of recipes.

• flax seed
• chia seeds (my favorite in overnight oats – gives it a nice, light crunch)
• almond milk (I like unsweetened vanilla)
• bananas
• jars – These are my favorite (individually here) but any kinds of these would work.
• maple syrup

Note: not every recipe calls for all of the above, so don’t be scared to try one of the recipes and branch out from there!

Also, though you can use mason jars to make the oats and then simply dump them out into a bowl, I highly recommend these Weck jars. Unfortunately, they are currently out of stock everywhere I look on the internet. I have only had them for a short time but they have made a huge difference in my routine.

1. As you can see above, they are easy to stack in the fridge (taking up less space). The pint mason jars I used were precariously perched and one actually broke when it fell out of the fridge!
2. They are wider than my measuring cups, making the assembly process quicker and less messy. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup because most of the ingredients are either 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup measures.
3. They are the perfect size to eat directly out of the jar. It’s like a bowl itself!
4. The glass top is easier to wash. My mason jar lids kept getting rusty after going through the dishwasher.
5. They save dishes. This is the biggest win. Since it’s big enough to eat out of, you don’t need an extra bowl. That means only one dish to wash! Plus, the dishwasher can reach the bottom of the rounded bowl easier than the corners of a mason jar.
6. Along the same lines, since you only need the one jar (no bowl), it’s even easier to take to work. Just add the jar to your bag and go. No extra bowl needed.

The lids are kept tight with little clamps, as you can see in the picture below.

Despite everything above, don’t be afraid to try overnight oats just because you don’t have these jars. But, if you find out that you love them like I do, they’re worth the investment.

In Conclusion

Wow…if you’re still with me, more power to you! Who knew I had so much to say about overnight oats! It truly was one of the best healthy eating choices I made last year and if I can give you tips help you find a better balance in your life like I have in mine, then I’m gonna share what I found!

So, what do you think? Have you tried overnight oats before? What looks like your favorite from the list?

If there’s one on the list you want to try, click on the image above to repin it or add this one to your Pinterest boards!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Virginia

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