These overnight oats are full of superfoods– get ready for better moods and improved brain functioning from a dose of maca. Top it with blueberries for a taste of freshness. Just measure, mix, and wait until morning!
Breakfast is by far my most favorite meal of the day. It’s the category with the best foods to eat, so I don’t know why anyone would skip it voluntarily. Pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal, omelettes– you’d have to be crazy to pass up on any of those.
It’s already unbelievably hot outside when I wake up, and combined with the early hour I don’t feel much like actually cooking anything. This throw-anything-into-a-bowl-cold approach totally works for me, until I remember oatmeal. Thank god for overnight oats; my mornings would not be nearly as relaxing without them.
The first time I made overnight oats was a minor disaster. On a scale of 1 to 10, we’ve hit “my mom still brings it up in conversation.”
Other people seem to be successful with steel cut oats, but the next morning when I opened the container, nothing was absorbed and I ended up throwing it all out. You probably never thought it was possible to screw up oatmeal, but trust me. It is. Sadly that’s not the only time I’ve done it. (I may or may not have caused a few cases of overflow and microwave explosions…)
Back to the drawing board. Moving on from that first try, I figured my overnight oat jars could only get better. Including chia seeds was definitely a wise decision, since they help in absorption and up the fiber and protein level of your breakfast. Now I add them to oatmeal no matter how I make it.
Next up– the collagen. It’s not really necessary, but I can’t encourage it enough. Collagen is the most abundant, naturally occurring protein in our bodies, so you can forget any concerns about consuming weird chemicals found in many protein powders on the market.
Collagen is the stuff that makes you hair stronger and your skin more elastic, but as we age our bodies produce it less and less. I’m not so into the balding wrinkly look, but if you are, then you do you. For everyone else– use this. It’s a game changer when you don’t have to worry about going bald because you shed what seems like all your hair every time you shower. Plus, it doesn’t taste like anything, so you won’t even know it’s there, unlike when you were a kid and your mom tried to sneak vegetables into your meals.
But wait, there’s more!
Lately, adaptogens have taken over my Instagram feed. I’ve looked into a few, but honestly don’t want to shell out a ton of money for them when, frankly, my body is doing pretty darn well without them. When I saw this maca powder on sale though, I couldn’t resist. It’s something I’ve wanted to play around with for a long time, and I was saving money by buying it now, so….
Initial reaction? IT SMELLS WEIRD. And I don’t recommend tasting it plain; on its own, maca is a little bitter.
According to the interwebs, maca is a Peruvian superfood, well-known for its influence on our hormones and brain function. Its fatty acid composition balances mood, reducing stress and anxiety levels. Additionally, it improves cognitive abilities, like rational thinking, something that I, for one, could use more of. Studies have also shown that maca has positive effects on libido and acts as an aphrodisiac. By now you must be sold on this stuff, funky smell aside.
Essentially, this is breakfast full to the brim with superfood powers. Good for getting you through those Monday blues and Wednesday humps (or any other day of the week).
People everywhere will stop and stare at your oats. Even the baristas at Starbucks will compliment your hipster status as you casually drop maca knowledge and spoon more overnight oats from your recycled mason jar.
If you try this recipe, I’d love your feedback. Leave a comment, save it on Pinterest, or tag #lensesandlentils on Instagram to share!
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp maca powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen peptides
- ¼ cup blueberries
- almond butter
- Combine the first 6 ingredients in a jar and mix well.
- Store at least 4 hours to overnight in the fridge.
- Top with blueberries and a drizzle of almond butter, adding more milk if necessary.
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
