I am not a morning person. I never have been. It’s not that I can’t wake up on time (although I am a HUGE fan of the snooze) I’m a putzer. For some reason even if I am awake on time, I can’t get out the door on time. I am habitually late in the morning and I’m lucky if I have time to scarf down anything other than a granola bar on my way to the train.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Overnight Oats lately, I’m not sure if this is a new trend or just something that has recently been picked up by many bloggers. Nevertheless, I decided I had to see for myself what all the fuss is about. I would say one of the biggest challenges to this change in lifestyle has been breakfast. There just is simply no substitute for a fried or scrambled egg. But at least these Overnight Oats are an easy and quick way to make breakfast a little more interesting. And boy do they beat a subway-walk granola bar.

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup almond milk (or soy, or whatever other kind of milk you like)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• a handful of raspberries
• banana slices – amount of your choice (I actually had rolled the banana in some chocolate protein powder – with the intent of making a smoothie at one point the same day I decided to make these. It was surprisingly not even noticeable and a good way to add a little more protein)
• dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• almonds for garnishing/tossing on the next morning

Now I liked to layer everything into my mason jars. I just thought it was pretty. Put everything in the jar, (minus the almonds), secure the top and toss in the fridge. In the morning, you have breakfast ready to go! You can substitute whatever kinds of fruits you like.

I may try adding some peanut butter at one point for a more decadent treat. I also am wondering whether I have to use rolled oats or if I can substitute steel cut – I will experiment and report back. In the meantime, this was a wonderfully refreshing breakfast that was both satisfying and filling. Win win!