The Breakfast Kitchen: Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are a great way to get a range of health benefits in and they are so easy to put together. Overnight oats are my normal weekday breakfast. I throw it together the night before and, in the morning, I just pop it into the microwave to warm up. Some prefer them cold, but I like mine warm. They offer a range of health benefits like fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals including iron.   There are so many different ways you can make them they really are up to each individual taste.   

Things you will need:

A container- I use a mason jar (glass would be best)

measuring spoons and cups

Base ingredients:

1/2-3/4 C old fashioned oats

1 tsp chia seeds

1/2 C- 1 C unsweetened almond milk. (You can use whatever milk you prefer)

1-2 tsp of sweetener of choice (I use coconut sugar and sugar free maple syrup or honey)

sprinkle of cinnamon

My absolute favorite if I am not watching my sugar would be Nutella. I add Nutella to the ingredients above and it is so good. But I have to watch my sugar so now I am on a hunt for a low sugar alternative. 

Ingredients I like to use in overnight oats as options:

Berries like blueberries and raspberries

Cherries

Peaches or mangoes

Apples

Nuts: Pecans and almonds are my favorite

Granola

Extracts: I use either vanilla or almond

Dried fruits: raisins or cranberries

Chocolate chips: I prefer dark chocolate for the health benefits.

Peanut butter: I do not personally like regular peanut butter (I don't like the texture) but I have                 discovered PB2 powder. You get the taste of peanut butter without the gummy texture. Plus, its low      

  carb.  They have all kinds, even chocolate peanut butter and peanut butter with added probiotics.

Seasonings: hibiscus powder, cardamom, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice, etc.

                     

Some of my favorite combinations:

Apple and PB2 powder

Blueberry and pecans

Cherries, almonds, and almond extract

Raisins and PB2 powder

Raspberries, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract with couple dark chocolate chips

Chocolate PB2 powder and everything brownie seasoning. 

Not only are overnight oats healthy but they are quick and can make a great grab and go breakfast. I work from home so I can literally wake up, heat them up, and start work in minutes. It took a long time for me to try them. The idea was just weird to me for some reason. Once I tried them, I never looked back. I have had them almost every weekday and since I can change up the ingredients, I don't get bored with them. I encourage you to try them if you haven't or try some new flavor combinations. 

Breakfast for dinner: Bacon, smoked Gouda, and rosemary quiche and potatoes o'brien

 

I love a good quiche and am always trying new recipes and I have made my best one so far...in my opinion. It was so good! I tried a couple things different this time. First, a mixture of part milk and part heavy whipping cream and second, I shredded the cheese from a block instead of buying pre-shredded cheese from the store. I also tried a different type of cheese, and it was a hit! I also cooked a good bacon instead of using the premade bacon pieces from the store. It really made a difference!

To go with the quiche, I made a homemade potatoes O'Brien. I used red potatoes, diced green and red bell pepper, and diced onion. I had never made these homemade but had all of the ingredients and needed a side for the quiche. This was such an easy side to throw together and allowed me to use up some of the veggies that I needed to use. 

Recipe:

6 small red potatoes diced

1-2 green bell peppers diced

1 red bell peppers diced

butter

oil

seasoning

salt and pepper 1 tsp each

 I sautéed the veggies in a bit of avocado oil and butter for flavor. Once softened I added the diced potatoes (I used red). I also added some shallot powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, silk chili, and black lime for seasoning. I cooked over medium-high heat until cooked to consistency I wanted. I added some more butter when cooking the potatoes. 

For the quiche, I used some bacon and smoked gouda. Why smoked gouda? I thought it sounded good and it was the cheese I had on hand. I could have also added some peppers to this but since I had them in the potatoes, I just left it basic. I did want to add some seasoning and decided on rosemary. Some of my favorite breakfast places have used rosemary with their eggs and it really made the quiche smell amazing. 

One tip I have read recently is about shredded cheese. I've read it's better to shred your own rather than buying shredded from the store. It melts better for some reason. I have been shredding my own more often and am so glad I did for this. It melted perfectly and gave the quiche a nice brown top. For as basic as this quiche was it really tasted amazing. I make quiche pretty frequently it is just so easy to make. I did make this one crustless since I need to watch my carbs and I didn't have any crust on hand and didn't feel like making any. 

The recipe:

Bacon- cooked and crumbled (I found the air fryer cooked the bacon the best)
Smoked Gouda Cheese- shredded

6 eggs 

2 C heavy whipping cream

1 C milk

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

rosemary - fresh or dried would work- I used dried from Burlap and Barrel

I greased the dish since this was going to be crustless. I scrambled the eggs, added the milk, cream, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of rosemary in a bowl. I then, in the pan I greased, added bacon in a layer then topped with the shredded cheese. Then I poured the egg mixture over the bacon and cheese. I then added a bit more rosemary to the top to cover any bare spots. Then baked the quiche at 350 degrees in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. I first set for 50 minutes and checked but it was not set yet, so I added another 30 minutes, and it was perfect. Every oven is different so I would start with the 50 minutes then increase if needed. 

This really has been my best quiche made to date. I will definitely be adding this to my recipe favorites. I didn't even miss the crust! The stars of this recipe for me were the rosemary and the smoked gouda. You can use other cheeses of course but the smoked gouda really gave it a nice flavor.