I first found the idea at The Yummy Life, but as always, I messed with it to make "my" version. I still use the 1 C mason jars, though (they are labeled 1/2 pint but I don't think of them that way). You can buy these anywhere; amazon, walmart, so on and so forth. The lids are a bit more challenging, but quite a few things you may have around will use the same type of lids, only they're the one-piece-yet-still-seal that you will want should you plan to take this with you in your bag, like me.
So, the general idea is, instead of using heat to break down the oats and make them edible, you use time. The oats aren't going to have the same consistency as heat-made oatmeal, and for me, that's all to the good as I don't really like heat-made oatmeal (too gooey and smooth-but-not-quite-enough). Fridge oatmeal leaves the oats more intact so it's chewier and more like a wet oat snack bar than gooey porridge. (It won't hold its shape like a snack bar, of course, but I hope you get what I mean).
It's an extremely versatile recipe. You can make it just about however you want.
The basics: a container barely big enough to hold all your ingredients. Oats. Liquid. Spices/sweeteners/etc. Flavorings--like fruit, for example. Mix all the food together, put it in the container, allow to sit for as long as you want (the longer it sits, the squishier the oats get--I like mine 8-12 hours long), then eat.
Here is my current favorite: Chocolate Strawberry Fridge Oatmeal.
Prep time: 5 minutes, Wait time: 4-16 hours.
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| Ingredients & Equipment |
Ingredient List:
- 1/2 C. Rolled Oats (old-fashioned; NOT quick)
- 1 T. whey protein isolate powder, vanilla flavored (Isopure is the current brand in use and the nutrition facts reflect that ... I'm planning to switch to another brand, however.)
- 1 tsp. chia seeds
- 2 oz. strawberries, cut up
- 3/4 tsp. Turbinado sugar (aka raw sugar)
- 1/2 tsp. Unsweetened cocoa
- water
Equipment List:
- 1/2 pint mason jar with lid
- bowl
- mixing utensil (aka large spoon)
- kitchen scale
Notes:
- You don't have to use the protein powder. I just do so I get a little more protein into my life. If you don't, and you want the vanilla flavor, use 1 tsp vanilla extract instead.
- You don't have to use the chia seeds. If you use flax seeds instead, you have to make sure they are ground. We can digest whole chia seeds but not flax seeds. You don't have to use either, but if you don't, be aware that they absorb a lot of liquid so you may have to adjust your liquid levels to match.
- 1 tsp of cocoa powder was too much chocolate for me; if you don't like the 1/2 tsp and want more chocolate, you can certainly add more!
- water: if you want you can use milk (but the nutrition facts will no longer be accurate).
- You only need a kitchen scale if you want to measure the strawberries exactly. If you don't, there's no harm done--but your nutrition facts won't match mine.
- It is entirely possible to mix everything in the mason jar; I've done it. I find it's easier to mix in the bowl, but it's possible (using judicious shaking) to mix it in the jar.
- The order of ingredients isn't important, but since the protein powder is a drink mix, the instant it touches the wet fruit it will start trying to dissolve; since it doesn't have enough liquid it gets sticky, and then it sticks to everything it can find, including the bowl. I find cleanup is easier if I sandwich the powder between the oatmeal and the fruit.
Directions:
Put the rolled oats into the bowl. Sprinkle the chia seeds over it. Dump the whey protein isolate powder on it. Weigh out 2 oz cut-up strawberries on top of the powder. Put the sugar and the cocoa powder on top of the strawberries. Mix everything using the spoon. Then using the spoon, ladle the mixed ingredients into the mason jar.At this point you can refrigerate for as long as the strawberries would have been good for in the fridge anyway. (If you want it as an afternoon snack, you can make it the night before up to this point, then add the liquid in the morning. If you want to make several jars at once and use them throughout the week, you can do that too. If you want to have it for breakfast, make it the night before and proceed immediately to the next step so it soaks overnight.)
Add water in a thin stream until the jar is almost overflowing. You want to at least see water on top of the ingredients; how much more you add is up to your personal tastes (how squishy you want your oatmeal). Put the lid on and refrigerate for 4-16 hours. (It can probably go longer than 16 hours, but that's as long as I've ever done it for.)
That's it. Nice and simple!
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| 1/2 C. rolled oats as the base |
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| Oats, chia seeds (the little black things), and whey protein isolate powder. |
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| Adding 2 oz of strawberries |
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| All ingredients before mixing |
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| After mixing (the cocoa and whey protein have coated the strawberries) |
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| Dry ingredients in jar before adding water. |
So far I've done Chocolate Strawberry, (as above), Chocolate Blueberry (it's worth the time to cut the blueberries apart!), Peach Cinnamon (use cinnamon instead of cocoa powder in my base recipe), Mixed Chocolate Berry (blueberries and blackberries), Vanilla Strawberry (no cocoa powder), Vanilla Blackberry (blackberries, no cocoa powder).
I may try Pumpkin Pie (100% pumpkin with pumpkin pie type spices), Chocolate Peanut Butter (use more cocoa powder, no fruit, add peanut butter powder (yes, it exists!), increase oat amount to fill jar), Apple Pie (cut up soft apples and use cinnamon and nutmeg or apple pie spice) as time goes on.
Everything I've made so far has come out fairly close in terms of nutrition: they're all around 220 calories. They make a really good afternoon snack. You can double the recipe (and use a pint jar, obviously!) if you want a heftier calorie count for a breakfast meal.
The possibilities are nearly endless. Let me know what you try!
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