Sweet Dreams Oatmeal

Hey hey there! :)

How are you all doing?! I hope your week is off to a great start.

Something kind of crazy happened last night...

I fell asleep on the couch!

I was literally just talking this weekend about how it's nearly impossible for me to catch some zzz's while on the couch.

Lately, Justin seems to fall asleep on the couch every night before I shuffle him to bed, and I've never understood this skill.

Last night, we were watching Justin's new favorite show, River Monsters, and I dozed off for about 30 minutes.  I'm not sure if I was avoiding seeing the electric eel, or if I was just super relaxed knowing I had no school work to think about, but I was out like a light in no time.  It was equal parts peaceful & wonderful!

I woke up super groggy and considered jumping into my big comfy bed, but then remembered that I wanted to do some morning prep work before going to sleep.

I am trying to simplify my morning routine in preparation for the long days of bar exam studying, and eventually (*hopefully*) a big girl job.  In theory, I think it would be really nice to get a work out in before I head off for the day, but my current morning dawdling doesn't allow for it.

One little secret I discovered through some of my favorite blogs is the idea of "overnight oats."  When I first heard about this breakfast, I was sure that it was something that took hours to make.

No sir reeee.

This is probably the easiest breakfast in the world (ok, maybe not as easy as popping some toast in the toaster and slappin on some peanut butter), and you can prepare it the night before, so that you can jump out of bed and fill your belly up in no time.

There seem to be a million ways to prepare overnight oats, but the basic concept is that you buy whole grain rolled oats, and mix them up with whatever liquid you would normally use, then let it sit (covered) in your fridge overnight, so that the oats "soak up" the liquid.

I'm a huge fan of thicker oats, so I have been adding another new discovery to my overnight oats -- chia seeds. These magical seeds will not grow you the beanstock to get to Jack, but they will do work all night to thicken up your morning oats to the perfect consistency.  They also are a good source of Omega 3's (you know, the stuff that comes in brain food!), and healthy fat (that will keep you happy!).  I don't know about you, but I'm sold!

Last night, I mixed up 1/2 cup whole grain rolled oats + 1 tbsp. chia seeds + 1/2 cup organic skim milk + 1/3 cup 0% vanilla Greek yogurt.

I then added 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon + 1/2 tsp. Splenda brown sugar to sweeten things up a little.

I then covered up my mixture with tin foil and put it in the fridge to rest over night.

Sweet dreams oatmeal! ;) 

This morning, I popped the mixture in the microwave for about 1 minute, because, you know, some like 'em hot.

I then mixed in some strawberries and another splash of milk, plopped myself on the couch, and dug in.

Yummmieee.

I have to admit it's a little hard to trade my classic oatmeal breakfast, but I'm convinced this is a more wholesome meal and it saved me about 5 to 10 minutes this morning, which can make or break my punctuality.

I found the oats + chia seeds at Whole Foods, but I'm pretty sure you can find the oats at any old grocery store, and if the price @ Whole Foods for the seeds has you in a tizzie (I think that small bag was around $10, but it's lasting me), try chiaseedsdirect.com.

Next week, I'm going to pick up some cocoa powder to sweeten up this mixture instead of the cinnamon + sugar. I'll let ya know how it goes! ;)

Now that my belly is full and I've had my go-go juice (aka my cup of joe + splash of my favorite skinny carmel macchiato creamer), I'm ready to take on another big day.

**Something to talk about: How do you simplify your morning routine? Do you have any ideas for breakfasts that can be prepped the night before?

I'm off to the office for another full day.  It's my last week there for a while...gotta make them dollas! ;)

Have a tuuurrrifick Tuesday, guys & girls!

xoxo

Jess