Start your new year off with a healthy breakfast that’s satisfying and naturally indulgent. These Blueberry Overnight Oats with Whipped Banana Topping will make you feel great and you get to wake up to dessert for breakfast!
I don’t know of many people these days who aren’t looking to start their day out with a healthy meal, especially as the new year rolls around and we all begin making healthier choices to make 2016 the best year yet. What about you?
Since we all know breakfast is the best way to start the day out on the right foot in terms of our food choices, I like to provide everyone I know with a tasty and healthy breakfast recipe to get them going each day.
Overnight oats are one of the best recipes you can choose to enjoy in the morning, especially if you’re either too rushed to make a hot bowl of oats or you’re just dead tired of them by the middle of winter.
Classic combinations of overnight oats typically include oats, yogurt, chia (or flax) seeds, and some type of non-dairy milk. Many recipes also include fruit such as bananas, dried fruit, or berries. All of these ingredients are great choices, but my favorite recipe is one a bit simpler in terms of ingredients, but also more decadent in terms of appearance and flavor!
I personally love a cold bowl of creamy oats that tastes like dessert first thing in the morning. It’s a great way to start the day off by giving yourself something naturally sweet and satisfying. This helps reduce cravings for unhealthy sweets and junk foods later on in the day thanks to the high amounts of fiber and protein found in oats.
Overnight oats are also high in resistant starch that takes longer to digest to help keep you fuller longer. Resistant starch found in foods like whole grains and root vegetables also feeds good gut bacteria that you need to be healthy and feel your best. Plus, oats have been shown to improve cholesterol levels thanks to high amounts of beta-glucan fibers, and they’re a great source of iron, magnesium, and B vitamins to provide energy throughout the day. They even have 7 grams of protein per serving!
My overnight oatmeal recipe pairs old-fashioned (rolled), extra thick organic oats with non-dairy milk, vanilla powder, and frozen blueberries. The frozen blueberries are what really takes this recipe up a notch since they become sweeter and juicier as they defrost overnight in the fridge. Talk about a treat to rush out of bed for each day!
Lastly, I’ve added a whipped banana on top that I simply made from one frozen, chopped banana I had lingering in my freezer. You can also just use frozen banana slices on top of the oats if you like, but the frozen whip takes less than 15 seconds in a mini food processor or blender like a Nutribullet, and I personally think it makes this recipe something extra special.
Start your new year off with something healthy that’s also satisfying and naturally indulgent like these Blueberry Overnight Oats with Whipped Banana Topping. You’ll feel great all day long and get to wake up to dessert for breakfast every single day!
- Oats:
- ½ cup old-fashioned (rolled) oats- I used extra thick rolled oats for a heartier flavor
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- 1/16th (a dash) of pure vanilla powder - You can also sub in 1 tsp vanilla extract here if you don’t have pure vanilla powder
- 1 tsp ground flax seeds
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk - I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Whipped Topping:
- 1 chopped, frozen banana
- 1-2 tsp non-dairy milk
- At night or the day before you want to enjoy your oats, add the oats, vanilla, flax and blueberries to a bowl, tall glass, to-go cup, or parfait glass for a fun touch. (Just be sure your container has enough room for the whip on top.)
- Add the non-dairy milk on top and give everything a good stir.
- Pop in the fridge to sit overnight where it will thicken, soften up, and begin to pre-digest so you can enjoy it the next morning.
- The next morning, grab your oats out of the fridge. Set aside.
- Take your chopped, frozen banana and add into a food processor or a mini blender like the Nutribullet.
- Add 1-2 tsp non-dairy milk if you need to in order to get it going.
- Process (or blend) about 15 seconds until you get a whipped consistency like ice cream. It should look like a thick frozen soft serve.
- Scoop out the whip and add on top of your overnight oats.
- Enjoy your delicious healthy breakfast that tastes like a sweet and creamy dessert!
Oh, and if you really love hot oats, you can also mix all of these ingredients together the night before (including the frozen banana slices) and then reheat them on the stove or in the microwave the next morning to warm them up. Soaking them overnight will decrease the cooking time and be more efficient than mixing and cooking them from scratch each morning. Just be sure you use rolled oats no matter if you enjoy them chilled overnight style or cooked the next morning.
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Blueberry Overnight Oats with Whipped Banana Topping from SoFabFood Contributor, Heather from The Soulful Spoon as much as we do. If you love this breakfast idea, be sure to visit our Breakfast Section for even more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and stop by our Google+ Community to see all of the amazing recipes our community members are sharing. Enjoy!
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