Growing up, my mom was always try to create new ways to fix our oatmeal for breakfast. Simple salt and pepper, peanut butter and banana, soy milk and maple syrup, ground nuts, and the other countless combinations she’d try out on us were all her endeavors to keep us eating the fiber-filled breakfast. Never a fan of starting off our day with sugar, Fruit Loops (my favorite junk cereal as a kid) was nearly always out of the question. Occasionally, my mom would let my brother and I wander the cereal aisle and actually pick out what we wanted, treating us with mini cereal boxes for camping trips or some other special outing. But on more of an everyday basis, it was some kind of oatmeal concoction in my breakfast bowl. Luckily, she was particularly talented at switching it up and fooling me into thinking I was eating something new on a regular basis.
One of my favorite ingredient combos. that she came up with towards the end of my childhood was blueberry oatmeal. She’d start the oatmeal and then a few minutes before it was finished, throw in a large handful of blueberries and continue cooking until the blues began to burst. The oatmeal was always finished off with a spoonful of sesame tahini and a drizzle of quality maple syrup. The result: A heavenly bowl of oatmeal that resembled blueberry pancakes, which of course was an item that as a kid, I would’ve eaten nearly every day for breakfast.
As I grow older, I’m filling in for my mom and creating my own ways to eat my morning oats. While my mom could eat and enjoy a bowl nearly every morning, it takes a little more motivation for me to crave oatmeal on a consistent basis. However, lately I’ve been eating overnight oats on the reg. and am still looking forward to them each morning they await my spoon. Below is my latest overnight oats creation, inspired by my mom’s timeless blueberry oatmeal. I’ve created a cold, summer variation that’s prepared the night before, perfect for those morning’s when you’re in a rush. Make sure to use a ripe banana, which surprisingly eliminates the need for any extra sugar…Now that’s certainly Mom approved.
Ingredients
- -1/3 cup oats
- -1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- -1/3 cup soy milk, slightly overflowing
- -1/2 banana (1/3 if it's particularly large)
- -Scant 1/4 cup blueberries
- -Granola, or nuts
Instructions
- Mash banana and blueberries together in a bowl until blended together. Stir in oats, yogurt, and milk. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, top with granola, and fresh berries/bananas, if desired.
Welcome! I’m Grace, a photo and food enthusiast with a passion for simple, seasonal & vegetarian meals. 
Do you cook the oats or leave it raw?
Raw. Use old-fashioned rolled oats.
Oats are a super-food and when eaten raw a star food. With no heating many of its micro nutrients are superbly preserved.
Great way to start your day. Love the fact you don’t have to use a stove to make these!
I’ve been trying to get my mom hooked on the oatmeal bandwagon and this version might just be the way to do it! I know she thinks blueberries are the best things since sliced bread.
I wish I liked overnight oats! I’ve even tried doing it with yogurt, like this recipe, and still I’m not a fan. Oh well. It does look amazing though.
You can try doing it without the yogurt (all “milk”) and see if you like it! If you don’t, then you can pop it into the microwave (45 sec, stir, then 45 sec again) and see if you like it. When you let the oats sit overnight, they take such a short time to heat in the microwave that it’s totally worth it (because old fashioned oats can take 6 min in the wave or even turn into a stove-top mess)!
I only think of oatmeal when it’s cold outside, but maybe a cold bowl of overnight oatmeal is just the thing in the summer.
Love these oats & how experimental your mom was when you were little. I thought I was the only one who put black pepper in my oats!!
This looks AMAZING! so delicious, am definitely going to be trying it!
This was absoultely delicious!
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