When I travel to races and stay in a hotel, I try to get a room with a microwave so that I can do some in-room cooking. I make dinner with ingredients I brought in my suitcase and prepare a hot bowl of oatmeal the morning of the race.
And when hotel rooms don’t have a microwave? That means dinner out and two, rather unappetizing, options for my morning oats. Option one: use the coffee pot to heat up water (I know, gross. Nobody likes stale coffee water tasting oats.) Option two: soak the oats overnight and then eat them cold the next morning. Either one of these options will do in a pinch, but I reserve them for race mornings when I’m usually too nervous to care what I’m eating.
So, you can see why the idea of overnight oats never appealed to me. But so many people I know swear by the idea. That’s why I set out to create a version of this make-ahead breakfast tasty enough to eat regularly before morning workouts. Here’s what I came up with. --Bec
Tropical Fruit Overnight Oats
serves 1
for the oats:
2 tablespoons dried tropical fruit mix
½ cup rolled oats (not instant)
¾ cup water
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
toppings:
toasted sesame seeds
walnuts
sliced banana
The Night Before:
Turn on your tea kettle or boil a pot of water.
Put dried fruit in a mason jar or sealable container. Top with just enough boiling water to cover the mix. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Top with oats with water (can be room temperature), cinnamon, and salt.
Seal container, give it a good shake, and go to bed.
The Morning Of:
Heat the oats and top with sesame seeds, walnuts, and bananas. Wait 30-60 minutes and then work out!