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My family loves peanut butter, especially in these Peanut Butter Overnight Oats! The trouble with peanut butter in general is that it can’t be enjoyed at school because of the nut restrictions. Thus, we often get our peanut butter fix at breakfast at home. Kids with sensitive eating preferences may not like the stickiness of straight peanut butter (mine included). My son’s preference is also thicker oatmeal; he doesn’t care for the soupier oatmeal texture that others may like and that I’ve had at college dorm cafeterias.
The solution to our sticky peanut butter and soupy oatmeal problems is overnight oats! When the overnight oats are ready to eat in the morning, it is thick, creamy (not sticky), and has just the right amount of sweetness from the defrosted frozen fruit. It also solves our what to eat for breakfast problems during hot summer and fall mornings here in the tropics. No sticky peanut butter blues or watery oatmeal weariness! Just make sure you use old fashioned (rolled) oats and not quick cooking oats or instant oatmeal.
If you use peanut butter that has added sugar, I suggest omitting the honey or maple syrup in the recipe. Full disclosure: it may take you a while to get used to eating peanut butter without added sugar. It didn’t take me long because prior to switching to no-sugar added peanut butter I had stopped adding sugar to my coffee for 3 weeks. According to Women’s Health Magazine (womenshealthmag.com), your taste buds regenerate every few weeks, so you might be able to retrain yourself to need less sugar in your food! Do Taste Buds Change? Here’s How Often and Why, According to Experts (womenshealthmag.com).
Health Benefits: Oats
The rewards for eating a serving of oatmeal is increasingly known, but let’s sum it up here if you haven’t heard yet. Oats are an ancient grain that has fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Oats support a healthy heart, gut, and promote good digestion, blood sugar, and can help maintain a healthy weight. Oatmeal: Health Benefits, Nutrients per Serving, Preparation Information, and More (webmd.com) Of course, everything in moderation so don’t go eating 3 bowls of overnight oats in one sitting!
Instant oatmeal usually has a lot of added sugar. If I have a packet of flavored instant oatmeal, I tend to add my own quick oats to it because it tastes too sweet. I even add plain oats to the “low sugar” instant oatmeal because that’s how sugary the “regular instant oatmeal” is. The plain instant oatmeal is also a problem because it has quite a bit of salt and tastes overly salted. Thus, we just pick up plain old fashioned oats. Try this Quaker Oat’s version found on Amazon if you can’t get it in the grocery store or warehouse store.
Health Benefits: Flax and Chia Seeds
I love to use Barlean’s Flax Chia Coconut Blend. I can get it at a great price at the warehouse stores if it’s not sold out. We don’t do tons of chia seed pudding so there’s no reason for us to buy chia seeds separately from flax seeds. Chia seeds have lots of fiber and some calcium. Flax seeds have antioxidants, B vitamins, and may help reduce cholesterol. Both contain a great amount of protein and omega-3 fatty acids and may help lower blood sugar. (Chia Seeds vs. Flax Seeds — Is One Healthier Than the Other? (healthline.com)). If you think you will only use it a couple of times a week, then get a smaller version of the 24-ounce bag: Amazon has one here:
If you have diabetes, are pregnant, bleeding disorders, digestive tract obstruction, are recovering from breast cancer, have allergy concerns, or want to know general risk factors, please read these quick articles about the potential side effects of flax seeds (15 Serious Side Effects of Flax Seeds (beautyepic.com)) and chia seeds (Scary News About the Danger of Chia Seeds (womenshealthmag.com)). When in doubt, feel free to leave out the flax chia coconut blend. It won’t change the taste whatsoever. You do what’s best for you and your family.
Even with these potential side effects, there seems to be more medical evidence to support including flax seeds (Dietary Flaxseed as a Strategy for Improving Human Health – PMC (nih.gov)) and chia seeds overall than to stay away.
Looking for other tasty breakfast recipes? Take a look at some of these other easy recipes.
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (with Frozen Fruit)
Equipment
- 1 Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 4 tbsp blend of ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and coconut flakes optional
- 2 cups milk 2% has more calcium than whole milk
- ½ cup unsweetened peanut butter
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 3 cups frozen berries
- ¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts optional
Instructions
- Pour the oats, blend of flax seeds, chia seeds and coconut flakes (optional), peanut butter, milk, and honey or maple syrup into a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Stir in frozen berries and mix until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- The next morning, take the bowl out of the refrigerator. Uncover the mixture and stir to incorporate any liquid that may have floated to the top.
- Put ⅞ cup of oats into a serving bowl. Top with 1 tablespoon of roasted unsalted peanuts, optional, for crunch.
