I prepare basic overnight oats during days when I feel like ill be too busy the next morning to prepare our usual breakfast. Either I am pulling an all-nighter working here at our website, or it will be a busy school day the next day with back to back errands to run with my younger two.

Why BASIC? because there are hundreds, if not a thousand recipes for overnight oats that are tasty, nutritious, and energy-packed but the additional ingredients may not be present in the ordinary pinoy home, or may be too pricey to make it a regular breakfast fare.

So here ill be sharing with you the basic recipe for overnight oats.

Regardless if you choose rolled oats (old fashioned oats), regular oats, quick cooking oats, instant oatmeal or even steel cut oats — this is the basic recipe. Just bear in mind that steel cut has the most fiber content, followed by rolled oats, and then regular oats.

For the milk, you can choose whatever you have at home — fresh milk, soy milk, almond milk, even rice milk if that is what you prefer.

You can also make a skinny version by using low fat or non fat milk. It is up to you really.

For the sweetener, well you can really do without it especially if you’ll be adding dried fruits, fresh fruits or a chocolate base. But if you choose to add, i suggest you use honey EXCEPT IF YOU WILL BE SERVING IT TO YOUR CHILD AGED 1 YEAR OLD AND BELOW TO AVOID THE RISK OF BOTULISM.

It will be up to you what add ons youd like to mix with it. Your favorite fruit — be it dried or fresh, your favorite nuts, peanut butter, cocoa, choco chips, fruit jam, or even nutella if that is what you fancy.

You can also raise its nutritional value by adding chia seeds, and Greek yogurt, and other nuts or nut butters that you enjoy eating.

No more cooking required! It even beats instant oats because it is already in the ref granting you have one ready at all times! In my opinion it is creamier and tastier too.

The mister likes to have a ready jar in the ref in case anyone of us gets hungry even before I get to finish preparing the next meal. And it makes sense because it is a healthy snack too.

Another reason why we love overnight oats is that it can be eaten enroute to work or school. It is also quicker to eat during the school day breakfast rush, and in our case, it also makes for a happy toddler and baby! They like overnight oats too!

All these convenience are just icing on the cake as overnight oats are packed with health benefits. Apart from lowering bad cholesterol and aiding digestion, it also helps control blood sugar levels, and help those wanting to stay fit to feel full longer and crave less. It also helps reduce the risk of having colon cancer. All of these with just at least half a cup of oats daily.

Babies and toddlers also stand to benefit alot with oats regularly in their diet. Overnight oats for babies and toddlers is definitely a yes! For one, it helps prevent constipation. It also provides them energy, and is rich in vitamins and minerals that are vital to their health. Also, it helps boost their immunity. (Check our Baby and toddler food Recipe Ideas here).

So without further ado, here’s a guide on —

3/4 Cup Oatmeal (you can use whatever you have at home, but rolled oats has more fiber and protein content compared to instant oatmeal).

3/4 Cup Milk (again, you can use whatever milk you prefer or have at home — we usually use either soy milk or fresh milk. You can use low fat or non fat milk too but dont count on your oats to be as creamy as those Pinterest and Instagram photos of gourmet looking overnight oats).

1 or 2 Toppings: we usually use dried fruits like dried mangoes, raisins. Nuts like cashew and almond slivers (but walnuts is a great choice as well), and then fresh fruits usually mango, banana or strawberry.

Honey (Optional)

You will also need a container. As for the container, we usually use mason jars or if we are serving it to the kids, we mix it in a vacuum sealed reusable container. You can also use any glass container with vacuum sealed cover. (Check this post on where to buy mason jars)

Mix the oatmeal and your chosen toppings in a your container. Add in the milk. Add in the honey. Mix and store in the refrigerator for at least four hours. It is best though to refrigerate it overnight.

So there you have it. Hope you’ll give Overnight Oats a try in case you haven’t tried preparing one yet. Have fun experimenting on various mixes, and enjoy the many health benefits it comes with!

For more breakfast ideas, easy to cook recipes, Pinoy weekly meal plans and budget ulam ideas, please feel free to peruse our meal plans and recipes section in the website. Hope you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest where we post regular updates on baby and toddler meals, family ulam ideas, screen free activities, and local parenting stuff.

Leaving you with a video on the healthy benefits of oatmeal for pregnant women:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H84I7inh3Xs

http://happypinaymommy.com/2018/04/24/how-to-cook-easy-menudillo/