- Illustration by Libby VanderPloeg
In a recent conversation with a friend, I was asked “have you heard about the latest rage in breakfast?”
Well, no, I thought.
When it comes to breakfast, had I not seen it all? Could any new ground truly be broken in this meal category?
“Two words…” he continued. (The suspense was killing me!)
“Summer porridge.”
Well that sounds a little dull, I thought.
But he followed up by sending numerous links and data on just how amazingly tasty and healthy a breakfast this is. “Perfect for summer”… “loaded with superfoods”… “might start feeding it to my cat”…
Far be it from me to jump on a new food bandwagon, but this particular wagon had so much to offer compared to other wagons I’d recently let drive by (e.g. Peter Pan’s ice cream donut sandwich). This concoction is cool, delicious, and maybe best of all, can be made in a mason jar.
At a glance: Made from oats, chia seeds, yogurt, and fresh fruit, this cool, hearty breakfast is full of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, protein, potassium, fiber– roughly enough satiation to please and pacify a hungry bear.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup milk of your choice (I like it with almond milk)
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup chopped peaches, blueberries, or other summer fruit
Assembly:
In a half-pint mason jar, stir together oats, milk, yogurt, and honey. Pour in your chia seeds, screw on the lid of the jar, and give it a good shake (which will keep the seeds from clumping together). Now add your fruit to the mixture, and give a gentle stir.
Place the mixture in the fridge overnight, and in the morning you’ll find that the oats have softened, and the chia seeds have expanded, creating a rich pudding-like consistency.
Enjoy it right out of the jar.
Summer porridge can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Adapted from The Yummy Life’s Overnight Oatmeal Recipe