Delicious & Easy

Overnight Essentials

During the pandemic, I quickly realized how burned out I was on repeatedly eating the same meals each week, and how badly I needed to focus on variety and simplicity in the kitchen. Overnight oats are often lauded for their easy customization and preparation, allowing for countless toppings and requiring no cooking, plus they’re high in fiber and keep me feeling full longer than most cereals. To make them at home, I used LuckyBolt’s Overnight Oat Porridge (from the story Overnight Sensations) with some modifications to incorporate additional topping options and use less equipment. Diverse flavors and easy preparation? Sounds like a win-win.

Illustrations by Lulu Yueming Qu.

Ingredients for

Overnight Essentials

Main Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

4 teaspoons chia seeds

2 cups milk (option: use milk alternatives such as oat, coconut or almond)

Salt to taste

Optional Toppings

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoon peanut butter

2 tablespoon dried cranberries

2 tablespoon shredded coconut

1 tablespoon sliced almonds

1 tablespoon chocolate chips (or mini peanut butter cups)

1 tablespoon honey (or sweetener of your choice)

1 tablespoon jam or fruit preserves (orange or cranberry suggested)

Handful of fresh seasonal fruit (blueberries and peaches suggested)

Yields 4 servings

Instructions for

Overnight Essentials

Add ½ cup of dry oats, 1 teaspoon of chia seeds, and a dash of salt to 4 sealable jars. Next, pour ½ cup of milk in each jar and use a spoon to combine all the ingredients in your mixture before sealing the lids. Don’t overfill the jars. 

Place jars in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight to let the oats thoroughly soak and soften.

When ready to eat your oats, select a jar and add your desired toppings from the flavor combinations below.

Festive

Orange zest, cardamom, dried cranberries, a dollop of jam 

Spiced

Vanilla, cinnamon, sliced almonds, shredded coconut 

Fruity

Fresh blueberries, peaches*, honey 

Nutty

Peanut butter, sliced almonds, chocolate chips

Frequently asked

Questions About This Recipe

*Editor’s note: Who’s willing to bet frozen blueberries and peaches would work here too? Also, using dried fruits in overnight oats makes them kind of jammy in the best way.

Final

Notes & Thoughts

Should you have need to have someone take care of meal prep for you, try LuckyBolt.

Looking for a great way to start the day? Read Overnight Sensations by Kai Oliver-Kurtin and try the original recipe from LuckyBolt.

LuckyBolt's Overnight Oat Porridge

Read the whole story.

Overnight Sensations