It’s summer. As much as I love oatmeal, I save warm cereal for cold mornings. I don’t want hot oatmeal for breakfast when it’s 80°. Recently I read a blog post (the Yummy Life) about refrigerated oatmeal. I liked the idea, experimented with my own recipes, and came up with a couple of favorites. I’m not sure how it works, but it does. Perhaps the acidophilus in the yogurt “cooks” the oatmeal. Anyway, it’s a nutritious, easy breakfast, especially for those on the go.
Ingredients for making an oatmeal chiller.
RECIPES
Oatmeal Chillers
Basic ingredients:
- ¼ cup oatmeal (not instant or quick cooking)
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup Greek style yogurt
- 1 tsp. ground flax seeds, ground nuts, or wheat germ
- 1 Tbsp. sweetener (your choice)
- ¼ cup chopped fruit, berries, or applesauce
Directions:
- Add all ingredients except the fruit to a 1 cup glass jar.
- Shake jar to combine.
- Stir in fruit, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
Variations of fruit, sweeteners, or seasonings:
Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal Chiller
Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal Chiller
Use 1 Tbsp. honey for the sweetener, add ½ tsp. vanilla extract, and combine with milk, yogurt, oats, etc. Take 8 frozen cherries, half, and stir in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Stir again before eating.
Maple Walnut Applesauce Oatmeal Chiller
Use 1 Tbsp. real maple syrup for sweetner, add a pinch of apple pie spice (or ¼ tsp. cinnamon), and chopped walnuts. Combine then stir in ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce.
Chocolate Hazelnut Oatmeal Chiller
Reduce sweetener to 1 tsp. sugar or omit. Stir in 2 Tbsp. Nutella® hazelnut spread. The Nutella® will be stiff and require a lot of stirring.
Peanutty Oatmeal Chiller
Same as the Hazelnut except use all-natural peanut butter instead of the Nutella®. Add a sprinkle of peanuts.
Strawberry Preserves Oatmeal Chiller
Reduce sweetener to 1 tsp. or eliminate (taste test and add before serving). Stir in 3 Tbsp. strawberry (or your choice) preserves.
I found ½ pint Mason jars work well. If you get the wide mouth jars, you can buy the plastic screw-on lids. (Save the two-piece rings and seals for canning.)
Experiment with other fruits and flavor combinations. I’m hooked, and soon you will be, too.
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