With rain in the forecast today and tomorrow, combined with the particularly warm and humid weekend, this week’s make-ahead presented an unusual challenge in that I wanted it to be cozy-ish but not piping hot. (We climbed in the Gunks – (New Paltz, NY) yesterday in spite of hot and sticky conditions and the thought of even boiling water for traditional oatmeal was a non-starter while I was prepping this last night!)
Here, rolled oats are ‘soaked’ in Greek Yogurt overnight to make a refreshing, cold oatmeal of sorts. The idea for these toppings came to me after dinner, eating one of my favorite desserts from a local takeout – a raspberry bar with oat flour and chopped almonds.
The oats already in place, I simply added slivered almonds plus berries to recreate a breakfast-appropriate version of the bar. A little honey adds just enough sweetness. This make-ahead delivers lean protein, calcium, complex carbs, and a full serving of fruit. Regarding the fruit – I think frozen works best in this application, because as they thaw and combine with lemon juice overnight they get a runny consistency that blends really well with the yogurt and toasted almonds.
I hope you’ll love it as much as we did – this is a really delicious and satisfying breakfast!
Make-Ahead Monday: Rolled Oats with Greek Yogurt & Mixed Berries
Hands-On Time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Rolled Oats (Not Instant)
- 2 Cups Greek Yogurt – I used one cup fat free, one cup 2%
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries, or just Raspberries
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup Chopped or Slivered Almonds, toasted
Steps:
The night before:
- Preheat the oven to 300 Degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds evenly across.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes – up to an hour, checking for brownness at the 30 minute mark.
- Place the oats and yogurt in a mixing bowl and stir to throughly incorporate
- Add honey and stir again until evenly mixed. (Note: adding the honey after the oats and yogurt are mixed will allow it to stir in more evenly.) Cover and refrigerate.
- Place the frozen berries in a sealable container and add lemon juice. Cover, shake to mix juice and berries, and refrigerate.
- Remove almonds from oven and allow to cool, cover and leave on the counter so they’re ready to add first thing.
In the Morning:
- Open the berry mixture and stir/mash with a spoon.
- Place the oat mixture, berries and almonds in layers in a to-go container or glass/bowl of choice.
Enjoy and have a great week!
fromtheathleteskitchen.com 
Would have never thought of this! What is the texture of the oats after they’ve been in the yogurt overnight?
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They are still chewy actually! Texture wise the rolled oats are not dissimilar to having them as hot oatmeal believe it or not. I you try it, please let me know what you think!
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