Overnight oats have had their moment in the spotlight, but it’s for very good reason. They’re cheap, easy, nutritious, portable, and adjustable to accommodate just about any dietary need (except those who need to omit oats). Unfortunately, many of the overnight oats recipes I’ve seen are overly sweetened and unnecessarily complicated. The recipe below is a simplified version that removes the extra sugar and lets the flavors from the pure ingredients stand on their own.
I chose to use unsweetened coconut milk and shredded coconut in this recipe because coconut is soothing for our gut lining and is an excellent source of medium chain triglycerides which are easily digested and utilized as a fuel source. Goat’s milk kefir is high in protein and contains a host of beneficial bacterial strains that promote gut health; goat’s milk is also far more digestible than cow’s milk. Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, protein, omega-3 fats, calcium, antioxidants and other essential minerals. Soaking them overnight, as is done in this recipe, makes them far more digestible than they would be raw. Cinnamon is a potent and flavorful spice with many health benefits including: powerful polyphenol antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, insulin sensitization, and lowering blood sugar. These benefits are most pronounced if you use true cinnamon which is called ceylon cinnamon. You should be able to find ceylon cinnamon in the bulk section of natural foods stores. Most commercially sold cinnamon is a variety called cassia which has far fewer beneficial compounds than ceylon. The final ingredient are berries. I prefer blueberries, but any frozen or raw berry will work beautifully.
- ½ cup gluten free rolled oats
- ⅔ cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (this is a milk substitute and can usually be found in the refrigerated milk alternative section, it is not the canned coconut milk you find in the grocery isle. You could also use plain milk, or any nut milk)
- ⅓ cup kefir (I love goat's milk kefir, but cow's milk kefir is okay for most people. Alternatively you could use greek yogurt, coconut yogurt, or other yogurt substitute)
- 1 Tbl chia seeds
- 2 Tbl shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup frozen berry of choice (I love blueberries)
- Place all ingredients except berries into a mason jar or other pint-sized jar with a lid.
- Put the lid on and shake to mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- Once ingredients are mixed, pour the frozen berries on top and replace the lid.
- Place jar into the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, stir the berries into the oat mixture and enjoy!
*Not all calories are equal.