There is a saying that abs are made in the kitchen. I can’t agree more.
When we were in our teenage and young adults years, we couldn’t care less about what we ate. My brother and I – we were the infamous instant noodles duo. We even often boasted that we had perfected the skill of cooking a “world-grade”, “Michelin Star” bowl of instant noodles. We lived to eat (instant noodles).
Fast forward to present. It was a healthy mummy program that opened up to a world of clean eating for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no strict vegan or calorie-counting fanatic. But I do take note of what I give my body and try not to test its limits.
And so, all that reading up on clean eating introduced me to OATS. I used to feel squeamish whenever I saw my father in-law make his daily bowl of breakfast oats, and now I’m pretty high on these oats myself, overnight oats to be exact.
WHAT ARE OATS?
Oats is a type of hardy grain able to withstand poor soil conditions. They contain a fiber (beta-glucan) which is known for its cholesterol reducing capabilities. In fact, I read that for individuals with high cholesterol, consuming just 3g (or one bowl) of oats lowers the total cholesterol by 8-23%, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Well, oats actually come in many forms – I won’t bore you with the details but you can read here for more. Presently, we use organic rolled oats in our overnight oats breakfast. Rolled oats as the name suggests, is where the kernel of the oat (oat grout) are extracted, steamed and ROLLED. (Not really important info here but it makes you sound smart).
What got me full steam on oats was an overnight oats workshop Well, let’s just say I left the workshop with a renewed mindset that oats (when mixed with the right ingredients) could actually taste decent.Hubby and I decided that it wasn’t a bad idea to replace our “char bee hoon” breakfast with oats on alternate mornings. (Alternate coz we still have a life. haha!)
Best part is, most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen/fridge. All you to do is mix some oats, milk, sunflower seeds, chopped almond and chia seeds in a jar, put the concoction in the fridge while you get your beauty sleep. Then ta-da! you get your healthy hearty breakfast. Top it up with some sliced bananas, blueberries, strawberries and you are ready to start your day! In fact, the combinations possibilities of ingredients are infinite. In other words, you can make your own unique overnight oats and name it after you. Cool or what???
Honestly, I never anticipate liking them that much, but they took me by surprise. It could be the comforting flavor of milk and honey or the creaminess of the oats, but this overnight oats actually taste pretty good.
Recipe:
2 tablespoons rolled oats (not instant)
1 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 cup of soy milk/ almond milk or any other low fat milk
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon cranberries
Soak everything for at least 3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Toppings:
1 banana (sliced)
Blueberries
Strawberries
or any other fruits you fancy. (No toppings in my picture as I ran out of fruits!)
So be adventurous. Make one today and perhaps, you’ll be singing..
Oats, I did it again.